1y ago

What is a well known 'public secret' in the industry you work in that the majority of outsiders are unaware of?

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They don't clean the planes. Like you may think when they go in for maintenance they get a deep clean or whatever? Nah. Between flights? It might get a wipe down if it looks too dirty but probably not. Every now and again someone has to wipe the lavatories and the galley, but that's it.
- False. I briefly worked on a crew that cleaned commercial airliners between flights. We cleaned every single seat, deep cleaned the lavatories etc. We were required to inspect every single seat to make sure nothing was left behind that someone could use as a weapon or could endanger the next passengers.
  
  In other words, the answer to the question "Is my plane clean?" is maybe.
  
  You would absolutely know if it was cleaned properly.
  
  That's more of an overnight thing. The crew will absolutely pick up and wipe things down between flights, but no one's going in to do a full clean when the plane is just turning around.
  
  Oh I'm sure that's true. On the other hand, at the MRO I work for we have very specifically removed plane cleaning from our contract. We don't do it. And further, whether the plane gets a wipe down between flights depends entirely on the turn around (I'm friends with several flight attendants from multiple airlines). That nightly thing sounds nice but tell me, how many planes have down time overnight?
  We used to have a contract to do deep cleaning of everything. There's anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of dust behind every panel I have ever removed on a plane. We gut aircraft regularly for maintenance covered in all manner of things. Sticky floors, sticky and or dirty windows and wall panels, lavatories where it is clear there have been multiple spills that have not been properly cleaned, just wiped up between flights. Galleys where drinks or coffee have been spilled repeatedly. You can say false if you'd like but I am well aware of the standard of cleaning on Southwest, Frontier, Jet Blue, American, Alaska, and Virgin Atalantic planes.
  
  Maybe it depends on the airliner?
  A few days ago there was this thing about aircanada (of course) where people were kicked off a flight because they didn't wanted to sit in vomited chairs that were only wiped clean and sprayed over with some perfume
- The disease risk in airports and airplanes is not rooted in sanitation. It's rooted in having thousands of people who come from all over the planet mingling together, where nobody got to postpone their flight just because they were feeling sick that day. So if George from New York was sneezing that morning, he still gets on his plane and flies to London because it would be $500 to postpone his trip. And now his germs are in the plane ten hours later.
  When your immune system tells you to take a break, but the economy tells you not to, the economy is on the side of pandemics.
  
  Last minute refunds are a public health concern. It should be federally regulated to always be able to fully refund your tickets, and non-refundable tickets should be prohibited.
  
  The recirculating air in a metal tube doesn't help either.
  
  It actually does. The ventilation system in the flying metal tube has HEPA filters. There's not one of those in the gate waiting area between you and the person sitting next to you who's sniffling and sneezing. Airplanes themselves are pretty okay; airports are filthy. When do the bins your shoes go in get bleached exactly?
- Don't drink tea or coffee on flights. The water comes from a tank that is never cleaned

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