Airline passengers often leave trash scattered in seatback pockets and on the floor. And increasingly, carriers spend little time cleaning up between flights. They don’t schedule enough time on the ground to do it anyway, and when a flight runs late it’s one of the first things that gets cut.
Southwest Airlines flight attendants have tidying duties in their contracts. Most airlines leave it to low paid contractors who are then not given any time to do it, and often have to work while passengers are getting off planes. That leads to cabin interiors that are quite unsanitary.
While there’s not sanitizing between flights, it’s important that passengers at least pass their trash to flight attendants as they come collecting. But, other than having a tidier personal space for the end of flight, what’s even the incentive for passengers to do this rather than shoving their refuse into the seat back pocket in front of them?
One creative flight attendant – on what looks like Spirit Airlines – found a way to make passengers help out cleaning the cabin, as captured in a viral video. This flight attendant made an announcement, leading passengers in a stretching exercise.
He encouraged them to reach down, only to humorously add, “…and pick up all that trash on the floor.” The passengers chuckled as they realized they’d been playfully duped into cleaning up.
Cleaning up after yourself is a basic starting point for civil society. You need to do it at your seat on a plane (as long as the airline makes it reasonably easy, coming down the aisle with a bag to collect trash and giving you enough time to gather it) and you need to do it in the movie theater too. Don’t just abandon those popcorn bags on the floor, carry them to the bins by the exit. It’s only a few feet.
(HT: Johnny Jet)
I’m a former airline supervisor who cleaned turn and RON aircraft for decades. I’ve long since retired, but I clean my row every time I fly. I’ve noticed that many times people around me start doing it when they see me, too.
Small acts of random kindness…
They also do this to cool down the plane by asking to raise your hand if you are feeling hot. Followed by “Ok while your hand is up there just tjust reach for the nozzle and turn it anti-clockwise”
I always tidy the area around my seat. Sometimes, I even place the seat belts nicely.
We now live in a society where people do not feel the need to take their trash assuming it’s someone else’s problem.
I don’t know about you, but we with the back of the seat in front of me practically in my face, I can barely reach my knees, nevermind reaching the floor to pick up something that may have fallen.
Americans have been taught by the r i g h t that civility is optional as caring for others is a “personal choice”, and it really shows. One of the few countries that got worse during the pan de mic.
Nearly all religions have ‘the golden rule’: treat others as you want to be treated. In America, it seems that some want to be treated like trash. No wonder the god-king rode in on his garbage truck at the end of the recent campaign. Point proven. He won. Now, whether his policies, or lack thereof, will make any positive difference is yet to be seen. Last time we got tax cuts for the rich and a poorly mismanaged pandemic. Maybe this time he’ll nuke China! One can dream. Will any of it make passengers take better care of their surroundings? Doubtful. The ‘personal responsibility’ and ‘bootstraps’ crowd rarely practices what they preach. Fight me.
Great Mom move!
I remember being duped into cleaning my room as a kid. Well, it was actually more like being threatened.
Having flown internationally for many years, I’ve learned that you can tell where the Americans have sat while deplaning.
It’s always a pigsty.
All the other nationalities (especially in Asia) where they sat is spotless when you leave.
Come on Gary.
This sounds like a stupid article from YMMV.
What’s next….. “What flight attendant are REALLY doing when they pour you a Coke”?