The latest victim of American Airlines cost cuts appears to be flight attendant personal protective equipment.
American Airlines is reducing the number of nitrile gloves onboard for flight attendants to use, and restricting when they’re allowed to wear them. “From this point forward, service gloves should only be worn during trash pickup” according to a memo that went out to all flight attendants.
The airline is transitioning to a new glove vendor, and says that cabin crew should expect only one box with 12 pairs of gloves per flight over the next several weeks. I’m hearing that these gloves have actually missing entirely from drawers frequently on many flights.
Even when the transition is complete, there’s going to be a reduction in gloves, since flight attendants supposed to wear these protective items as often.
Here’s the memo:
American says flight attendants should only use gloves for trash runs and for medical events. But there are numerous reasons for wearing gloves. For instance,
- Galley set‑up and catering checks: breaking dry ice blocks as protection from cold burns; sorting sealed meals that sometimes leak sauce
- Meal service: Loading hot entrées onto carts; plating food in galleys; preparing special meal trays (which can be a hygiene requirement for the customer); switching from raw packaging to plated food; emptying coffee machine grounds
- Lavatory checks: wiping counters if wet, restocking toilet‑paper and seat‑covers
Worldwide, a typical single‑aisle aircraft carries 100–150 pairs: half in the forward galley, the rest split between each service door and the medical kit. Bear in mind that reuse is a safety violation because pathogens adhere to the exterior of the gloves.
While the number of gloves onboard the aircraft is likely a decision made by middle managers or at least inside the inflight department, the message within the airline from the top has been clear. When CEO Robert Isom took over the airline, his first message meeting with employees is that they should ‘never spend a dollar they don’t have to.’ It’s a message he’s repeated. This kind of thinking, that permeated the ranks of Northwest Airlines (where Isom cut his teeth, and many of the airline’s executives once worked), has been internalized.
One Mile at a Time says he’s “happy to see this policy change” because “some flight attendants wear gloves throughout service, and often don’t change them for extended periods of time.” But with fewer gloves boarded, it seems likely they’ll change gloves less often than before. I’d recommend washing hands more frequently, but that’ll just drive up American’s soap expense,
There are some nut case flight attendants that would wear bio suits if the company allowed them.
I dream of coming back in my next life and something like this is in my top 100 list of work related problems – alas, it won’t happen in this life.
On the other hand, United Airlines keeps extra gloves in stock in case they need to go full “hands on” and give someone the David Dao treatment.
Gloves for food service should not be the same nitrile gloves used for trash pickup or bathroom servicing. If nitrile gloves are used for food service, they should be visually different than those used for trash pickup, such as a different color, so they are not interchanged. Personally I bought polyethylene gloves labeled for food service. They are significantly less expensive than nitrile gloves so changing them often is less of a monetary consideration. These are my personal thoughts on this. For cleaning I have often saw blue color nitrile gloves. For food service I have most often seen clear gloves but some preparers wear black gloves that I assume are nitrile. Hair color kits come with translucent or clear vinyl gloves.
seen not saw
It seems that flight attendants didn’t wear gloves throughout the flight pre COVID insanity and none of them died or got seriously ill.
I guess since they fly private they haven’t met some of our passengers.
What the hell is American Airlines trying to do? Are they intentionally seeing which competitor will reach the bottom of the barrel first? All airlines have issues… from Delta to Spirit and Frontier. Spirit and Frontier are legendary for lack of proper vetting/training employees and passengers who should really be taking a bus. American’s management seems to thrive on how to cut the wrong corners, screw the employees and, at the same time, feather their own financial nest. While not perfect by any means, look at Delta’s management which is legendary for hiring the right people, giving them the tools and training they need, paying them well and profit sharing on Valentine’s Day. Delta is intentionally going after the high dollar customer and, apparently, it’s working well because the employees are happy, most customers are happy and the company laughs its ass off all the way to the bank. Wake up American…you might “catch down” to Spirit and Frontier’s levels yet!
When did they start picking up trash up AA? My seatback pocket does just fine as a trash bag while the flight attendants are busy hunkered down in the galley behind the curtain, complaining about their contract, comparing notes on who’s d*** they sucked last night or trying to get that high score on Candy Crush.
What regulations do the dept of health have in each state that the planes are in?
Food safety can close an entire airport
What regulations do the dept of health have in each state that the planes are in?
Food safety can close an entire airport.
Yet another “Premium” decision by the rocket scientists in management at American. If the flight attendants want to wear gloves, so what? Who’s getting harmed here?
Going for Great! I guess they don’t need to wear gloves for bathroom servicing since they don’t ever do it. I was shocked to see a Delta FA cleaning the F lav on a recent ATL- LAX flight. I have never seen any AA or UA flight attendant cleaning a lav, no matter how disgusting they become.
Personally I find that flight attendants wearing gloves is offensive, do you see any other person working with the public wearing hospital grade gloves except in medical facilities? Think about what that says to the customer, that you’re too dirty for me to touch anything you handle? Sorry, this is an easy one, good decision AA.
@Gene
Bathroom servicing? Oh, you mean the lavs that after 2 hours have the floors covered in 2 inches of piss for the remaining 10 hours of the flight?
A bathroom has never been serviced by a flight attendant on an. Americanfact Airlines flight.
On a 10 hour flight from Europe to USA there is a minimum of 9 flight attendants on board. One box holds 24 gloves. You do the math. Three food/beverage services. Walk Throughs where garbage bags are always taken to pick up miscellaneous trash for pax taking their time eating and drinking. Now throw in Pax who vomit or spill things. This is absolutely ridiculous and a health safety issue.
The antibacterial soap catered causes eczema and split skin on hands and fingers.
Isom needs to work a flight.
@ CHRIS — Indeed. I complained once to a UA flight attendant about a Polaris lav being a disaster very early in the flight. She proceeded to explain that someone had just thrown up in there, so I thought “OK, I guess they will clean it up.” 11 hours later and still not properly cleaned. Lovely.
All companies (and organizations) should pay their people better; properly train and support their people with adequate resources. If we, the consumers want better experiences, we really should demand better for the workers (and ourselves.) Folks, it’s not just the airlines. It’s everything.
@ coffee please, and there are nutcase passengers with full contagious flu’s and chicken pox, and measles that “just have to get there” that don’t care about contaminating 200 people…
please be sure to ask the gate agent to sit you next to them.
@ George Romney, so you have spoken to all flight attendants and can verify that? this is a case of ASSUme.
@ chris, with all your rants , I’m looking at the passenger that deposited the 2 inches..
Definitely not happy with this new standard. Yes, let’s protect flight crew handling trash, but why aren’t they allowed to be protected when handling after meal service collection and why aren’t they allowed to protect passengers when they’re handling food for pax? Personally, from what I’ve seen on my flights, I rather allow flight attendants to use their good judgement.
I think that a few go a little far and make some passengers uncomfortable by wearing the gloves from take-off to landing, but I rather that than not enough.
What’s the service standard for trash pickup when there are no gloves onboard? Especially when pax try handing us cups they’ve had in their mouths right after picking their nose and coughing open-mouth? People hand us all sorts of crap while inflight and it’s nasty. Even warm diapers from changing their baby on the tray table, since they can be too lazy to get up and go to the lavatory. Gloves should absolutely be a no-go item, especially if someone is sick or bleeding.