Getting ready for your holiday flight? Here’s why the plane you’re getting on is absolutely FILTHY

THERE’S nothing worse than hopping on a flight to take a long-awaited summer holiday — only to land in paradise with a nasty cold or stomach bug.

Aeroplane germs are unavoidable, but experts say there are ways to protect yourself - it all comes down to knowing what you’re fighting against.

Around your seat, you’re likely to pick up germs that cause the common cold, flu, staph infections, or norovirus — many of which can live for days, weeks or months on a surface.

In the bathroom, you should be on high alert for E. coli — bacteria often found in faecal matter that can lead to serious infection.

Here’s where you’re most likely to find these germs — and how to steer clear…

1. Tray table

“Once an aeroplane drops off its passengers, [flight attendants] may spray [something] or pick up papers, but no one’s cleaning the tray tables,” says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU School of Medicine, and author of “The Secret Life of Germs.”