British Airways Cleans up With Dirty Airplanes
Joe Cortez March 08, 2017
Trial cleaning service reduction focused on select flights leaving London.
Flyers aboard British Airways may notice flying with more items aboard their flights, due to a cleaning program trial rolled out by the carrier. Britain’s The Sun reports that the flag carrier is trying a new policy that requires certain flights to have a “light clean” between departures.
Under the new system, flight attendants are offered approximately $12 in bonus pay to clean the cabin after landing. Furthermore, the airline may not drain toilet tanks between flights if it is less than one-third filled, while not adding additional drinking water for tea if potable water tanks are over 50 percent full. The trial is being introduced on flights departing out of London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to determine if reducing ground services can save the carrier money over time.
Although the service reductions are limited, the new tasks for flight attendants are being met with disappointment. In speaking to The Sun, one senior official claimed that the test was to see if flyers “would notice the difference.” Another accused executives of turning the flag carrier into a “low-cost” airline.
“Planes will be dirtier if they fly without a full clean,” one employee speaking anonymously told The Sun. “It’s remarkable that [British Airways] is prepared to take off with toilets a third-full of waste already.”
In response to the report, British Airways told The Sun that during tight flight schedules, the flight attendants may be tasked with cleaning cabins. According to their account, the policy was not necessarily new, but remained an option if janitorial services were not available in a timely manner.
“In the rare event that cleaners are delayed, our Gatwick cabin crew can carry out light cleaning of the cabin to ensure flights depart on time,” a spokesperson for the airline told the British newspaper. “This flexibility has been in place for many years and helps us keep our flights punctual.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
Bringing executive wages in line with the rest of the workforce would save the company millions.
"Light clean" does not sound "clean" to me.....
To be fair, BA will have to make some effort for their planes to be dirtier and grubbier than they already are. Some of the worst cabins in the air in respect of worn out seats, broken IFE and filthy toilets.
All FA's on Asian airlines do it so i can't see why the Eurpoeans and Brits can't!