So, British Airways Stopped Cleaning Planes for A Bit…
Jackie Reddy February 05, 2019
LONDON, UK: World Traveller cabin on a British Airways Boeing 777 at London Gatwick on 04 March 2018 (Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)
As part of a trial to see if it can improve its turnaround times without compromising traveler satisfaction, British Airways asked members of cabin crew on its London-Dublin route to refrain from cleaning the cabin. The carrier has said that it received no complaints, but will be halting the trial.
In an effort to improve its turnaround times, British Airways (BA) requested during a recent trial that cabin crew refrain from tidying aircraft between services, The Telegraph reports. The outlet reports that the carrier made this request in attempt to see if it can improve turnaround times between flights without compromising the satisfaction of its travelers.
The four-day trial was conducted on craft serving BA’s London to Dublin route, with tidying by crew omitted during the turnaround at Dublin Airport (DUB). The outlet reports that, during short-haul flights such as these, a typical turnaround time is about 40 minutes.
The goal, explains the paper, is to see if this figure could be further reduced during periods of disruption.
However, the carrier has clarified that while members of cabin crew were asked not to tidy the cabin, contracted cleaning staff continued to remove garbage from the cabin area. BA said that it was not made aware of any complaints connected with cabin cleanliness, but has stated that it won’t be continuing the trial.
Speaking to the outlet, a BA spokesperson said, “We know our cabin crew work extremely hard looking after our customers and understand their rest period between flights is very important. We consulted with our crews during this short trial to advise them not to carry out additional tasks during their down time between flights.”
“We understand our customers value arriving at their destinations on time, that’s why we completed a short trial on one route,” they added.
Disgusting, yet to be expected. The public has come to expect cheap flights. They’re getting what they pay for.
In further developments, BA crews will no longer wash their hands before meal service. If no passengers complain or fall ill, the money saved will go for executive compensation.
Interesting, but it seems to me like it's not just Dublin! I was on a couple of flights over the weekend between London Heathrow and Madrid in Club Europe, and cleanliess was not satisfactory. Crumbs on carpet, stain on tray table, stains in toilet, and no tissues or paper towels!