Mountain Trader

During an hour ground delay for weather and almost four hour flight, cabin was extremely cold, despite repeated requests to turn down cold air. With Baltimore in the 90s, many passengers were in shorts and light shirts. One FA wore a sweater for the whole flight-in August!

Anyone know what range of cabin temperatures are SOP? Any reason flight deck would ignore requests to normalize cabin setting?

palmetto86

When it comes to aircraft temperatures, my general advice comes from my time in Scouting: "Be Prepared." Temperatures on the ground can go from one extreme to the other depending on sun exposure (sunny / cloudy matters almost more than outside temp). Also at the gate, the temperature depends on the external AC unit that supplies air to the plane. Some gates have strong ones, some are much weaker.

As for the time in the air, the plane doesn't really cool off until at altitude. As the for temperature, I'm sure there's a policy somewhere, but I've felt it all when flying. I honestly think that thermometers on aircraft aren't very well calibrated. FAs are forced to choose either cooler or warmer than the cabin is right now. In my experience, stable air temps are a pretty rare thing.

I always carry a thin Under Armor pullover in my bag. It's especially useful in the summer for situations exactly like the one you described.

hat attack

Pilots, not FAs, control the cabin temperature.

Mountain Trader

The FAs said they had called the flight deck several times.

kdersch

I wish I ever had a summer flight that I could complain about it being too cold on...

PAX62

There are also at least two if not three temperature controlled zones on the plane so it is possible that the FA are perfectly comfortable but the middle of the plane is suffering...but they will make a change if they do notice it being out of whack, otherwise it is usually a nod and smile as you can't please everyone.

I usually love it as cold as possible...but I had one flight where I was coming down with something and did not have a jacket. I ordered a hot tea ( hate hot drinks)...then a hot chocolate...then on the way to the toilet said to the FA in the galley "look, I usually like it like a meat locker but the middle of the plane is FREEZING". She took a walk up as I was returning to my seat, picked up the phone and it stared warming up right away...so they will take notice.

Mountain Trader

I wrote SW online to ask why the cabin on my flight was so cold.

I got a phone call a month later from a csr who read some scrpt on cabin temperature depending in part on the temperature outside the plane. Had not looked up or reviewed the facts of my flight.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

jeffandnicole

I'm not sure what else they could do about it. At least you got a phone call. But remember...you may have stated what you thought were facts, but in reality it's your opinion. Some people like my wife are always cold and almost always wear clothing on planes that look out of season.

I sit in an office at work with a temperature I find comfortable. Others practically call building maintenance thinking it's too cold. They're in there for 5 seconds; I'm in there for 8 hours!