Dear JetHeads™ Customer:

As a health conscious consumer, you are aware by now that most airlines do not change their pillowcases after each flight.  This has been confirmed through interviews of  the airlines, as well as through a study and interview done by private groups, one entitled “Under the Radar, How Airline Outsourcing of Passenger Services Compromises Security and Service Quality at LAX” by Carolina Briones and Aiha Nguyen on behalf of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, July 2007.  In it they report that:

“Airline cost-cutting is jeopardizing the health of the public...More than one-third of cabin cleaners surveyed said they don’t have enough time or staff to change all the pillowcases and blankets on the plane. As a result, passengers may be coming into close contact with used items that could spread germs and disease.” 

In an article entitled “PRACTICAL TRAVELER; That Airline Pillow May  Be Well Traveled” by  Betsy Wade,  New York Times January 1993,  it is confirmed through interviews with airlines, that the airline pillowcases are not replaced after every flight, but rather are only replaced at the end of the day.

As a result,  some micro-organisms can be  spread on shared pillows, and with the rise of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), extra care should be taken.  As stated in an Editorial entitled “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus:  The Latest Health Scare”, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Volume 82, Number 12, December 2007:

“[I]ncreasing reports of MRSA occurring in community settings, eg, day care centers, schools, and sports teams, along with several reports of deaths in previously healthy children and young adults, have also prompted fears that we are now facing a new ‘superbug’.”

This particular staph can live on fabric and surfaces for up to ninety days.  

Another problem with using a used pillowcase, is the possibility of getting lice.   As stated in a letter to the editor entitled “Airline Pillows”, New York Times, February 1993:

“Dr. Kohn and his associates have not taken into account the possibility of an infection from body or head lice, known medically as pediculosis.  Lice can be the carriers of various diseases, including  typhus, which exists today in third-world countries. It has been estimated that there are at least five million children in the United  States with head lice.  The lice or its eggs, known as nits, would not be visible to the untrained person.  This problem could easily be solved by use of a disposable pillow case or covering.”

From all of us at Travel With Me, thank you for trying our new product, JetHeads™ Disposable Pillowcases. We wish you many happy, healthy travels!