Dirty planes

[LuvOrlando]

Curious about other people's experiences regarding flight cleanliness, I just read an article. I haven't been on a flight in a few years now and have been planning to resume soon, hoping I guess. Few vacation spots in mind but I am on the fence, between the horrendous cancellations in the news (do people get $ back or just credit & compensation of some kind) and now this news about flying in filth I'm just ehh. I look for my family of 4 but keep backing off when it's time to book because I'm just skittish and this other stuff is no selling point. Is cleaning in the attendants job description or not, anyone know? Why don't the airlines pay to have planes cleaned by special staff anyway? I clean my house differently now it is a new normal and seems appropriate, sInce when is clean some kind of perk? Customer cleanup is certainly not in the customer contract, none I ever sa because ewwww, but neither is being late though so I dunno about this, what I DO know is it's reasonable to expect a spotlessly clean space in an on time manner for hundreds of dollars. What is going on?

 

[Christine]

I don't know what's going on or if things have changed. This past June, I flew to San Diego from the east coast. My flight out from east to west was the first one in the morning (6AM). The flight had obviously been sitting there for many hours and they apparently had time to clean it. It was very clean.

On the return trip home, the flight had orginated in Orlando, I think, flew to Chicago, and then made it's way to San Diego. I departed on that same plane back to the east coast departing at 4:30 PM (well, we actually didn't get out until 6PM). So that plane had been throughat least 2 different flights before I got on it. Very little time in between flights. Certainly I guess no time for cleaning. The windows were FILTHY. That is what I really noticed. My tray table was visibly filthy. I expected the bathroom to be awful, but it wasn't so maybe some crew did get on and do the bare minimum.

I suspecte what is going on is not enough flights, they are running flights hard with very little down time at the gates, a shortage of airport staff to come in and do the cleaning.

 

[china mom]

I believe that most airlines clean the planes overnight (I know southwest does) but there is only time for a quick pass through/tidy up between flights. If you want a spotless plane, take the first flight of the day. They will only get dirtier as the day goes on.

 

[Allison]

I have never flown in filth. That seems exaggerated.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I have never been on a plane that was straight up filthy and I've flown on those less expensive airlines that are so cheap that you swear they duct taped the wings onto the plane. Nowadays I fly United and Southwest and have had issues with delays more so than the plane being dirty. I always bring Lysol wipes and I wipe down the tray table and arm rests.

 

[amcnj]

In July an immediate family member was sitting next to me in the middle seat. A dog from a row behind us got loose and came by them. When they picked it up, the frightened dog proceeded to pee on the floor and their leg. The stewardesses brought them some paper towels to use to wipe their leg, and put on the spot. After sitting a little while the paper towels went into the trash bag.

That was the extent of any clean up in flight. Hopefully the area was noted somewhere for a more thorough cleaning at the end of the day. And someone on the next flight in that aircraft didn’t set a bag down on that spot.

 

[EACarlson]

Cancellations are always full refunds back to the original method of payment. Tight schedules mean there isn't time to fully clean the plane. The folks that turn them are picking up the trash, maybe a dustbuster on some areas and then off to the next one. When a plane sits overnight they can do a deeper clean and get more done, this hasn't changed any in the last 20 years at least. That's why SW can back a plane away from the gate less than hour from when it arrived. A full cleaning is going to take at least that long, after everyone has deplaned and before anyone can board so it would be at least two hours from gate arrival to pushback.

 

[SueInBoston]

it's public transportation. I usually bring wipes to wipe things down a bit.

That being said, my boyfriend and I both got bitten by little creatures (me on the arm, him on his stomach) on Alaska air last month.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Your first flight out is going to be a clean plane after that unlikely.

Flew last night and in the pocket part of my seat still had an unopened bag of trail mix (not the first time that's happened).

But it was the last flight out, had already been slightly delayed. Another flight going to a different location we heard their FA was actually incoming from another plan and had to get from one of the gates to the other so their flight was delayed about 15-20mins due to that. Heck we had to wait about 15 mins for a pushback crew to be dispatched to our flight. Our pilot sounded annoyed having told us the supervisor would be sending one out but that had been 10mins by that point.

They go around and pick up trash from passengers during the flight and likely do a quick glance at seats after deplaning but there's usually not a huge amount of turnaround to make a flight uber clean in between. I haven't seen a bathroom be really bad though.

This really has been the case for a long time it's just super stretched on time right now at this point in the pandemic. If you're concerned certainly bring some wipes for your seat and tray, we did that the first couple of times we flew during the pandemic but haven't done it since.

 

[MillauFr]

I think the passengers are generally filthier than the planes.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I have flown Allegiant and Frontier a few times in the past few years and both airlines appeared to be very clean. They were not morning flights.

 

[Colleen27]

We've been flying more than usual lately and haven't noticed planes being any dirtier than usual. I think a lot of it is luck of the draw. Are you on the first flight that plane has taken in the day or the third or fourth? Were the people in your row on the previous flight a tidy bunch of adults or total slobs or an overwhelmed parent with a couple of little kids? You really just don't know what you're going to encounter because so much depends on variables that can't be predicted or controlled.

 

[iuki]

Curious about other people's experiences regarding flight cleanliness, I just read an article. I haven't been on a flight in a few years now and have been planning to resume soon, hoping I guess. Few vacation spots in mind but I am on the fence, between the horrendous cancellations in the news (do people get $ back or just credit & compensation of some kind) and now this news about flying in filth I'm just ehh. I look for my family of 4 but keep backing off when it's time to book because I'm just skittish and this other stuff is no selling point. Is cleaning in the attendants job description or not, anyone know? Why don't the airlines pay to have planes cleaned by special staff anyway? I clean my house differently now it is a new normal and seems appropriate, sInce when is clean some kind of perk? Customer cleanup is certainly not in the customer contract, none I ever sa because ewwww, but neither is being late though so I dunno about this, what I DO know is it's reasonable to expect a spotlessly clean space in an on time manner for hundreds of dollars. What is going on?

Flight attendants don’t clean the planes. The planes are cleaned by a special cleaning crew who sanitizes the trays, etc. In fact, the pilots and flight attendants cannot board the plane until the cleaning crew has completed cleaning. I always keep individually wrapped wet ones in my purse at all times. So, if you’re not comfortable with how well the cleaning crews do, wipe down your service tray and arm seats with your personal towelettes.

 

[DeeBee3]

I think the passengers are generally filthier than the planes.

This 100 percent! When I leave a plane, I notice some really filthy areas. People who just leave all their trash or their kids spilled all over the floor and they didn't even try to clean it.

I have little kids and they make spills, but some people are just nasty and figure someone else will clean it.

 

[Sweettears]

Flight attendants don’t clean the planes. The planes are cleaned by a special cleaning crew who sanitizes the trays, etc. In fact, the pilots and flight attendants cannot board the plane until the cleaning crew has completed cleaning. I always keep individually wrapped wet ones in my purse at all times. So, if you’re not comfortable with how well the cleaning crews do, wipe down your service tray and arm seats with your personal towelettes.

Not necessarily true. Took a Southwest flight yesterday and the pilot announced preflight that the flight attendants would be cleaning up and asked everyone to be mindful and considerate in cleaning up there own mess.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

Planes are absolutely filthy . The crew that comes on in between flights does a cursory job . You have to clean everything and assume it’s dirty . When I see people put their things in the pocket in front of their seat I want to puke . When you return from the bathroom you should use a wipe or sanitizer even after washing hands . They say the air vent up above is super filthy. Never gets cleaned . You should see me wiping down everyone’s seat and tray tables etc . My kids think I’m crazy but I don’t care! And don’t drink the coffee . The pots never get cleaned out .

 

[HashberryOTG]

I think they're the same condition they've always been. Barring a brief improvement due to covid, they're pretty much right back to where they were. "Public transportation " as a prior poster mentioned. pretty much hits that on the head.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

Definitely take a travel pack of Lysol wipes with you and wipe down arm rests, tray tables, etc. Use hand sanitizer and you’re good. Flying isn’t much different in terms of cleanliness, than other things (public transportation, theme parks, public restrooms) you’ll encounter during your vacation that are probably cleaned less often than a plane.

As far as cancellations and delays, take the first flight out if you can, which should minimize the risk of that and you get a clean plane . Also try to book non-stop flights if available. For family vacations that are usually more expensive, I typically purchase travel insurance, which can include coverage for cancelled flights, lost luggage, etc., but the airline will also compensate for cancelled flights in some fashion. Enjoy your family vacation!

 

[anniemae]

Yes planes can be dirty, but it was this way pre-pandemic. There is simply no time between flights to do a deep clean. We flew this past summer and as we were getting off, a cleaning crew comes on and goes down the aisle picking up trash. They work fast so they can begin boarding the next flight. Its the same as if you were traveling by bus, or subway, or even a taxi. They are not cleaned in between passengers. I simply take some Clorox wipes and wipe down the trays, the arm rests, the belt buckle etc. and hope for the best. I also bring sanitizer to clean hands before eating anything.

You asked what is going on? Well they are short staffed. Add to that the fact that many folks started traveling again and you have short staffed plus a huge amount of people traveling. We had one delay this summer because a flight attendant called in sick and they were waiting for her replacement to arrive. She arrived and we were on our way shortly. They are trying and doing the best they can. There are less flights due to shortages so they combine flights sometimes and those planes have to be turned around and loaded and up in the air again in very short turn around time.

I, for one, am greatful for the airline employees who show up and do the best they can. It is a little challenging traveling by air these days, and people can be cranky, but my hats off to all the airline employees who make it happen. We flew twice this past summer and things went smoothly. A small delay (wind shifted and we had to taxi out to a different runway and had to wait our turn), but the pilots and crew worked hard to keep us informed and get us in the air asap. Everyone from the airport employees to the flight crew were respectful and worked hard.

 

[SirDuff]

I fly a lot for work and other than one flight very early in the pandemic (March 2020), I’ve never wiped down anything with Lysol (or other) wipes and never gotten sick. I’ve not noticed that planes recently are any worse than before (though, admittedly, I rarely fly domestically in the US).

Tangental story:
On some Europe-Africa routes, the flights stop at two countries before coming back to Europe. For example - Amsterdam-Kigali-Entebbe-Amsterdam or Zurich-Nairobi-Dar es Salaam-Zurich. If you’re going to the second city (or get on at the first city on the way back to Europe), you stay on the plane and get to watch the cleaners come on and do their thing (having to work around the remaining passengers). It’s quite an undertaking (my favourite is the the “backpack vacuums“ (they wear the canister as a backpack).