Filthy Airplanes
May 25, 2016, 12:51 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: DL Plat; SPG Plat
Posts: 60
My experience on DL has been mixed in regards to cleanliness. Sometimes it is terrible, sometimes it quite good.
I've been on quite a few DL flights where you see duct tape holding things together, e.g. trim around the bulkhead, parts of seats etc...not very comforting.
I've been on quite a few DL flights where you see duct tape holding things together, e.g. trim around the bulkhead, parts of seats etc...not very comforting.
May 25, 2016, 1:18 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CHA, MAN;
Programs: Delta DM 1 MM; Hz PC
Posts: 11,169
May 25, 2016, 1:36 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,347
Air Canada is the filithiest of the North American carriers
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-aircraft.html
I found DL reasonable, UA hit and miss, AA usually filthy, but still nothing like AC.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-aircraft.html
I found DL reasonable, UA hit and miss, AA usually filthy, but still nothing like AC.
May 25, 2016, 1:54 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,410
Airplane cabins are going to get filthy. I've been on the 1st KLM Dreamliner (it wasn't even 3 months old) and my seat was already in a horrible state.
Somebody clearly dropped several airline meals on it. Such a shame...
Somebody clearly dropped several airline meals on it. Such a shame...
May 25, 2016, 2:56 pm
#20
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 153
I worked for an airline contractor during a gap year and we serviced aircraft that remained overnight. The protocol was for us to clean the entire cabin including spraying down the seats and tray tables with disinfectant, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, taking the trash out, crossing the seatbelts, and organizing the seatback pockets etc.
Unless we were feeling very chipper, the only things that got done were crossing the seatbelts, organizing the seatback pockets, taking the trash out, and picking the obvious stuff off the floor. I don't even know where I could have found a vacuum. We did just enough that they wouldnt question us the next day.
Long story short, the gap between the expectation of the airlines and what they get, especially when they outsource is often immense. When they are paying near minimum wage, giving zero benefits, and maintaining a workplace culture of no caring, you also get a minimum effort from your employees/contractors.
I learned a lot during that gap year.
Unless we were feeling very chipper, the only things that got done were crossing the seatbelts, organizing the seatback pockets, taking the trash out, and picking the obvious stuff off the floor. I don't even know where I could have found a vacuum. We did just enough that they wouldnt question us the next day.
Long story short, the gap between the expectation of the airlines and what they get, especially when they outsource is often immense. When they are paying near minimum wage, giving zero benefits, and maintaining a workplace culture of no caring, you also get a minimum effort from your employees/contractors.
I learned a lot during that gap year.
May 25, 2016, 3:48 pm
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
Most US carriers are making millions of dollars and their planes are totally filthy, but nobody bothers to bring this to their attention including bloggers and/or frequent flyers.
Soiled seats, disgusting restrooms, smelly aircraft seems to be the norm; how often do they clean these planes? Are they required to clean them?
Soiled seats, disgusting restrooms, smelly aircraft seems to be the norm; how often do they clean these planes? Are they required to clean them?
May 25, 2016, 5:28 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DMV
Posts: 2,092
I've found plane cleanliness to be pretty hit or miss and not really reliably good or bad with any one airline I've flown. I think it's to some extent luck. A 'normal' passenger will at worst leave an empty package or wrapper on their seats so that is pretty easily picked up so if you get that seat you'll probably not think of it as dirty in any way even if the cleaning staff wasn't very thorough. If there's a huge, obvious mess, it will probably also be cleaned and quite aggressively so, simply because it's so obvious even lazy cleaners won't be able to get away with ignoring it. The tricky bits and the ones sure to ruin your perception of a plane's cleanliness are gross things that don't immediately stand out and might be in places not easily reached. The 'filth' in the seat back pocket is probably a classic there and indeed the grossest thing I ever found on a plane was a used tissue in that pocket. That was on KLM for what it's worth.
I think there's a correlation between age of the fleet and perceptions of cleanliness. I think it's because new feels clean so if we aren't unlucky enough to find something obviously gross, we'll think of the plane as clean no matter what. There's also the factor that it takes some time before filth in hard to reach places reaches critical mass, a new plane likely isn't there yet. Perhaps staff including FAs also feel a bit more motivated to keep a new plane clean. It's sort of like the 'broken windows' effect of cleaning. If something looks immaculate you don't want to be the one to ruin it whereas if something already looks grimy you probably feel like no-one cares either way.
I think there's a correlation between age of the fleet and perceptions of cleanliness. I think it's because new feels clean so if we aren't unlucky enough to find something obviously gross, we'll think of the plane as clean no matter what. There's also the factor that it takes some time before filth in hard to reach places reaches critical mass, a new plane likely isn't there yet. Perhaps staff including FAs also feel a bit more motivated to keep a new plane clean. It's sort of like the 'broken windows' effect of cleaning. If something looks immaculate you don't want to be the one to ruin it whereas if something already looks grimy you probably feel like no-one cares either way.
May 25, 2016, 7:57 pm
#23
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP, Hhonors Gold, National Executive, Identity Gold, MLife Gold
Posts: 2,687
I worked for an airline contractor during a gap year and we serviced aircraft that remained overnight. The protocol was for us to clean the entire cabin including spraying down the seats and tray tables with disinfectant, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, taking the trash out, crossing the seatbelts, and organizing the seatback pockets etc.
Unless we were feeling very chipper, the only things that got done were crossing the seatbelts, organizing the seatback pockets, taking the trash out, and picking the obvious stuff off the floor. I don't even know where I could have found a vacuum. We did just enough that they wouldnt question us the next day.
Long story short, the gap between the expectation of the airlines and what they get, especially when they outsource is often immense. When they are paying near minimum wage, giving zero benefits, and maintaining a workplace culture of no caring, you also get a minimum effort from your employees/contractors.
I learned a lot during that gap year.
Unless we were feeling very chipper, the only things that got done were crossing the seatbelts, organizing the seatback pockets, taking the trash out, and picking the obvious stuff off the floor. I don't even know where I could have found a vacuum. We did just enough that they wouldnt question us the next day.
Long story short, the gap between the expectation of the airlines and what they get, especially when they outsource is often immense. When they are paying near minimum wage, giving zero benefits, and maintaining a workplace culture of no caring, you also get a minimum effort from your employees/contractors.
I learned a lot during that gap year.
May 25, 2016, 11:10 pm
#25
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,437
i.e. I fly UA a lot but I try to fly AC a lot.
I find AC is dirtier.
I've had to call a FA over before boarding finishes twice on AC due to cleanliness, but never on UA.
19% of my flights have been UA, 70% on AC. So I do have a reasonably sample size for both.
And just ask rankourabu, I'm an "AC fanboy".
May 26, 2016, 7:55 am
#28
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: The Frozen Tundra
Programs: Former AA EXP, DL PM, BAEC Bronze, SPG GOLD, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 159
Leather would make it easier to simply wipe down rather than remove and wash. The fabric seat covers one would think be easy to remove, wash, replace. However in the timec-onstraint world of aircraft turns allegedly depp cleaning only occurs at carrier hubs/bases on RON or long turns (i.e international to international).
Unfortunately it is inconsiderate passengers that sometimes defy logic. In today's bus mentality and no frills by airlines, I wonder if there is a correlation to the increase in the amount of trash left on an airplane?
Unfortunately it is inconsiderate passengers that sometimes defy logic. In today's bus mentality and no frills by airlines, I wonder if there is a correlation to the increase in the amount of trash left on an airplane?
May 26, 2016, 8:01 am
#29
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: The Frozen Tundra
Programs: Former AA EXP, DL PM, BAEC Bronze, SPG GOLD, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 159
In my previous life as a station manager, I and my staff constantly did spot checks on our cleaning vendor, ensuring they lived up to their end of the SLA. So much so that when a cleaner inadvertently caused a flood in the FWD galley I requested a dry vac to sop up the mess (they happened to be using C/Class blankets to absorb the liquid 
- to which they paid the laundry bill).
This kept everyone on their toes and honest. I even introduced a team clean scheme where each spot check was rated, the monthly high scoring teams names put into a draw and the winners provided a prize.
Never had a negative comment from a passenger or points deducted on a HQ audit.
- to which they paid the laundry bill). This kept everyone on their toes and honest. I even introduced a team clean scheme where each spot check was rated, the monthly high scoring teams names put into a draw and the winners provided a prize.
Never had a negative comment from a passenger or points deducted on a HQ audit.
May 26, 2016, 8:11 am
#30
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 153
The only check really was done by the FA in the morning. Im sure the airline had an audit program for contractors but I was never around for one.
Most of these items were done on the RON flights, on turn flights, only the garbage was taken out generally. We had 25 minutes to turn a flight around after they set their brakes at the gate, and when you have 1 gate agent and 3 rampers, the math didn't really make cleaning possible, and led to accumulation of garbage in the seats over the day.
13 minutes was my personal record from brake set to brake release.
Most of these items were done on the RON flights, on turn flights, only the garbage was taken out generally. We had 25 minutes to turn a flight around after they set their brakes at the gate, and when you have 1 gate agent and 3 rampers, the math didn't really make cleaning possible, and led to accumulation of garbage in the seats over the day.
13 minutes was my personal record from brake set to brake release.