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TV report raises alarm over airport check-in kiosk sanitation

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February 12, 2020

A report from CBS 4 in Miami claims airport check-in kiosk screens have 12 times more germs than the kitchen sink. The CBS report, which has been picked up by other media sites, cites a study from InsuranceQuotes.com.

The InsuraanceQuotes.com website has a 2018 study based on 18 tests from three airports and found the average self check-in screen contained 253,857 CFU (colony forming units) — over 13 times more than the average CFU of an airport water fountain button. 

Kiosk Marketplace in a 2018 article explored touchscreen sanitation when a U.K. study found bacteria on McDonald's self-order kiosks. One infection specialist noted that despite various studies of bacteria on "everyday" devices people touch, the risk of catching an illness from fecal matter from the "everyday" environment is low.