Andrew Aigner-MuehlerFlying a frills airline? No way!
December 17th 2008 06:22
As I have experienced. With flying both No-Frills and Frills airlines, and also working on behalf of a frills airline. The days of paying that extra money to fly with a frills airline is coming to a end.
Who wants to pay a airfare that is two sometimes three times the price, just to get a meal for free or a couple of drinks for free. Usually, a drink on a no-frills carrier will cost around $3 and a meal of some type will cost around $5 to $15, it maybe hot, it maybe cold.
I have been on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Adelaide, a flight around two hours. All I got was a can of coke and a lousy small biscuit. Atleast, with a no-frills airline, if I am hungry, I can buy something. On a frills airline, where do you buy?, the airline flight attendants dont give you anything extra anymore. Now, with Virgin Blue, you can watch live to air Fox television (pay tv) on flights at a small charge. You do not get this on frills airlines. With other no-frills carriers, you can hire a portable television where you can watch a movie whatever, yes, the frills airlines show movies and television shows for nothing, but is it really worth the two three times the price.
Also, many of the No-Frills airlines have adopted the leather vinyl seats, which can be either quite cold to sit on or they stick to you in sweaty and hot weather, but they are much more easier to keep clean. On the other hand, while the frills airlines are sticking to the cotton seat cover seats, of which we think is more cozy and inviting. Are they much easier to keep clean? How often do they get changed?
As mentioned. I used to work on behalf of a catering company through a agency in South Australia. This catering company belongs to a very large airline in the world, and also cleans and caters for some other big airline companies in the world.
I had worked on the domestic night clean which is meant to be a full clean. A full clean is less than 30 minutes on the plane to clean it thoroughly. Usually there is a team of 5 or 6 people. The seats are just brushed clean with the hand. If there is a bad enough stain on it. It got changed. The seat belts were meant to be crossed, but different workers have different ideas of crossing the seat belts. The seat pockets were just emptied of rubbish, not the crumbs, if the crumbs were big enough than yes. Each worker had a chuck away cloth. Thrown away after each plane. They would wet the cloth with cold water and would wipe down 30 or 40 tray tables with in. Sometimes using the same cloth to brush the seats with. So, if anyone on that plane had a disease, or virus. These germs would be spread to every other seat or tray table. It gets worst, there is another staff member who cleans the galleys. When the galleys are mopped, it is used by the same mop you clean the bins with. They do not dip the mop back into the mop bucket between the two galleys, as the mop bucket is not taken upto the plane. Atleast they do use spray to clean the oven and benches. Occasionally they might just use water. With the toilets, again they use spray to wipe down the mirror first, then the bench around the sink, then the seat, then around the bowl, and then they wipe the floor. Depends who is on, they might use a few cloths or they might just use one.
Now, to the domestic day clean, which is just a quick transit clean, usually around 10 minutes. Here again, you have a team of around 6 staff. One staff member would do the toilets, empty the bin, maybe wipe the sink or the mirror or around the toilet seat if it was dirty, and also fill up anything. It is not thoroughly cleaned between transits or stops. The seats are again quickly cleaned, the seat belts sought off crossed quickly, the seats quickly brushed, again if the seats are really dirty, they may get changed or they would get left. There has been times where there has been spew on a seat, and it is just rubbed out with water, or I have heard a story from a flight attendant at one of the stops, there was a fecie (babies poo) on one of the seats. The seat cover was not changed, it was rubbed out by the cabin cleaner. With the vacuuming of the aircraft, it is not as thoroughly vacuumed as the night clean, it is vacuumed with a battery vacuum cleaner that will only pick up big crumbs, the floor still looks dirty after a quick vacuum.
Now, to the international clean. There is different cleaning standards to each airline. Some airlines pay more money for a better clean. Again, the seats are just like the domestic night clean, if it bad, it will get changed, otherwise they are just brushed by the hand. The seat pockets are cleaned. Each staff member will have one cloth, which they will wet with cold water and they will clean 60 tray tables, and somewhat 16 windows, maybe use the same cloth to brush or scrub something out of the seat and also clean the television screens. As you can see, again, they are transferring any diseases or germs from one seat to another, throughout the plane.One person maybe two will clean the toilets and the galleys. They will use spray, if they have it, otherwise cold water. They mop the toilets with the same mop as they mop the galleys. Different staff members have different cleaning standards for the toilets and the galleys. Some staff member may do a thorough clean while another on may just do a quick clean of the galleys and toilets. The floor is thoroughly vacuumed.
When it comes to changing pillow cases on the flights. The pillow cases will only get changed if the pillow case has marks on it. If it looks okay, it wont be changed. On the domestic clean, I do not think, I ever saw a pillow case get changed. What does this mean? It means when you fly, and you are using a pillow, you have your head in some one elses slobber.
I suggest, if you fly a frills airline. It does not matter which one. If one company does a shit job cleaning, they all do. When flying, use your blanket, which is usually in a plastic wrapper, unfold it, so it covers your seat. If you want a pillow, take one of those blow up ones, if you do not take one of those, put a jacket or something around the airline pillow. Dont think about taking the pillow case of the pillow and resting your head on it, as slobber and spew will still be on the pillow. Do not place any food on your tray table, unless you take some medicated wipes and you wipe down your tray table. Especially, do not let your young kids nibble on anything that is on the aircraft. It has never been cleaned right.
Really, at the end of the day, no-frills and frills airlines get cleaned the same way. On most international journeys by a no-frills carrier, you can purchase a hot meal and drinks for a small price ie like Jetstar. They charge $19 to $25 for a hot meal and unlimited drinks, plus you can also purchase other stuff, if you are still hungry. You can also hire blankets and portable television screens, and buy blow up pillows and travel kits. This will make your flying experience like a frills airline, but, at a less price than what a frills airline will charge.
you.
Also, these days alot of frills airlines have a interest in a no-frills airline ie Qantas has a interest in Jetstar and Singapore airlines has a interest in Tiger airways and many more.
So, next time you fly. Go with a no-frills airline. Save the moeny. Do not give you money to the shareholders and CEOs of these big corporate frill airlines. Use that money on your holiday. You save your hard earned cash to go on a holiday, so you may as well spend it, on soemthing you want to do.
Who wants to pay a airfare that is two sometimes three times the price, just to get a meal for free or a couple of drinks for free. Usually, a drink on a no-frills carrier will cost around $3 and a meal of some type will cost around $5 to $15, it maybe hot, it maybe cold.
I have been on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Adelaide, a flight around two hours. All I got was a can of coke and a lousy small biscuit. Atleast, with a no-frills airline, if I am hungry, I can buy something. On a frills airline, where do you buy?, the airline flight attendants dont give you anything extra anymore. Now, with Virgin Blue, you can watch live to air Fox television (pay tv) on flights at a small charge. You do not get this on frills airlines. With other no-frills carriers, you can hire a portable television where you can watch a movie whatever, yes, the frills airlines show movies and television shows for nothing, but is it really worth the two three times the price.
Also, many of the No-Frills airlines have adopted the leather vinyl seats, which can be either quite cold to sit on or they stick to you in sweaty and hot weather, but they are much more easier to keep clean. On the other hand, while the frills airlines are sticking to the cotton seat cover seats, of which we think is more cozy and inviting. Are they much easier to keep clean? How often do they get changed?
As mentioned. I used to work on behalf of a catering company through a agency in South Australia. This catering company belongs to a very large airline in the world, and also cleans and caters for some other big airline companies in the world.
I had worked on the domestic night clean which is meant to be a full clean. A full clean is less than 30 minutes on the plane to clean it thoroughly. Usually there is a team of 5 or 6 people. The seats are just brushed clean with the hand. If there is a bad enough stain on it. It got changed. The seat belts were meant to be crossed, but different workers have different ideas of crossing the seat belts. The seat pockets were just emptied of rubbish, not the crumbs, if the crumbs were big enough than yes. Each worker had a chuck away cloth. Thrown away after each plane. They would wet the cloth with cold water and would wipe down 30 or 40 tray tables with in. Sometimes using the same cloth to brush the seats with. So, if anyone on that plane had a disease, or virus. These germs would be spread to every other seat or tray table. It gets worst, there is another staff member who cleans the galleys. When the galleys are mopped, it is used by the same mop you clean the bins with. They do not dip the mop back into the mop bucket between the two galleys, as the mop bucket is not taken upto the plane. Atleast they do use spray to clean the oven and benches. Occasionally they might just use water. With the toilets, again they use spray to wipe down the mirror first, then the bench around the sink, then the seat, then around the bowl, and then they wipe the floor. Depends who is on, they might use a few cloths or they might just use one.
Now, to the domestic day clean, which is just a quick transit clean, usually around 10 minutes. Here again, you have a team of around 6 staff. One staff member would do the toilets, empty the bin, maybe wipe the sink or the mirror or around the toilet seat if it was dirty, and also fill up anything. It is not thoroughly cleaned between transits or stops. The seats are again quickly cleaned, the seat belts sought off crossed quickly, the seats quickly brushed, again if the seats are really dirty, they may get changed or they would get left. There has been times where there has been spew on a seat, and it is just rubbed out with water, or I have heard a story from a flight attendant at one of the stops, there was a fecie (babies poo) on one of the seats. The seat cover was not changed, it was rubbed out by the cabin cleaner. With the vacuuming of the aircraft, it is not as thoroughly vacuumed as the night clean, it is vacuumed with a battery vacuum cleaner that will only pick up big crumbs, the floor still looks dirty after a quick vacuum.
Now, to the international clean. There is different cleaning standards to each airline. Some airlines pay more money for a better clean. Again, the seats are just like the domestic night clean, if it bad, it will get changed, otherwise they are just brushed by the hand. The seat pockets are cleaned. Each staff member will have one cloth, which they will wet with cold water and they will clean 60 tray tables, and somewhat 16 windows, maybe use the same cloth to brush or scrub something out of the seat and also clean the television screens. As you can see, again, they are transferring any diseases or germs from one seat to another, throughout the plane.One person maybe two will clean the toilets and the galleys. They will use spray, if they have it, otherwise cold water. They mop the toilets with the same mop as they mop the galleys. Different staff members have different cleaning standards for the toilets and the galleys. Some staff member may do a thorough clean while another on may just do a quick clean of the galleys and toilets. The floor is thoroughly vacuumed.
When it comes to changing pillow cases on the flights. The pillow cases will only get changed if the pillow case has marks on it. If it looks okay, it wont be changed. On the domestic clean, I do not think, I ever saw a pillow case get changed. What does this mean? It means when you fly, and you are using a pillow, you have your head in some one elses slobber.
I suggest, if you fly a frills airline. It does not matter which one. If one company does a shit job cleaning, they all do. When flying, use your blanket, which is usually in a plastic wrapper, unfold it, so it covers your seat. If you want a pillow, take one of those blow up ones, if you do not take one of those, put a jacket or something around the airline pillow. Dont think about taking the pillow case of the pillow and resting your head on it, as slobber and spew will still be on the pillow. Do not place any food on your tray table, unless you take some medicated wipes and you wipe down your tray table. Especially, do not let your young kids nibble on anything that is on the aircraft. It has never been cleaned right.
Really, at the end of the day, no-frills and frills airlines get cleaned the same way. On most international journeys by a no-frills carrier, you can purchase a hot meal and drinks for a small price ie like Jetstar. They charge $19 to $25 for a hot meal and unlimited drinks, plus you can also purchase other stuff, if you are still hungry. You can also hire blankets and portable television screens, and buy blow up pillows and travel kits. This will make your flying experience like a frills airline, but, at a less price than what a frills airline will charge.
you.
Also, these days alot of frills airlines have a interest in a no-frills airline ie Qantas has a interest in Jetstar and Singapore airlines has a interest in Tiger airways and many more.
So, next time you fly. Go with a no-frills airline. Save the moeny. Do not give you money to the shareholders and CEOs of these big corporate frill airlines. Use that money on your holiday. You save your hard earned cash to go on a holiday, so you may as well spend it, on soemthing you want to do.
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