A new controversial airline update? You guessed it — today, we are once again talking about Southwest Airlines.
©Southwest Airlines
First, the chaos surrounding the new seating policy, and now there’s a claim that they aren’t cleaning the entire aircraft between flights? And those seats getting missed are the cheapest ones? Let’s dive in!
According to the New York Post, claims have recently surfaced that Southwest is experimenting with only cleaning the premium seats in between each flight. These claims surround the fact that Southwest seems determined to keep its time on the ground as limited as possible. While every traveler would love the idea of speedier plane travel, they most likely wouldn’t be keen to know it’s coming at the expense of a clean seat.
Southwest Airlines
These claims began when Chris Click, a safety chair for the Transport Workers Union Local 556, responded to a memo discussing an “experiment they’re doing with cleaners.” Click responded to this “experiment” in a since-deleted video where he, “reportedly likened Southwest’s alleged prioritization of first-class passengers… to that of the upper-class citizens on the ill-fated Titanic.” This speculation by Click was that Southwest was prioritizing higher-paying passengers and only cleaning their seats, leaving anyone in economy with whatever dirt and grime was left from the flight before.
Southwest Airlines at John Wayne International Airport
In response to Click, a representative from Southwest made a statement to The Post claiming that flight attendants “tidy every aircraft between every flight today.” However, if these claims are true, it appears as though Southwest is “tidying” the aircraft by picking up trash and ensuring that the plane is visually clean. However, it may be unlikely that they are truly cleaning and sanitizing every seat.
If you’re planning to fly Southwest any time soon, be aware of this potential change! As with any plane travel, we would suggest bringing supplies to wipe down your own seat and tray table to ensure that it is clean before your flight.
Southwest Airlines
As always, we will be looking out for any new Southwest Airlines updates! Follow along with Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disney news and more!
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What are your thoughts on this update? Will you be switching to another airline? Drop your comments below!
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Please don’t start to print unbalanced stories. This article makes it sound like every passenger leaves “dirt” behind that requires cleaning. I fly a LOT and walk past a lot of seats and they are as clean & tidy as when the previous passenger boarded. If an airline is try to save costs by not doing unneccsary work, that may well be a good idea rather than keeping costs that flyers would not benefit by. THe flyers pay for those services. The system may need to be adjusted but it reasonable for airlines (and any other business) to experiment with changes.
Unfortunately we will more than likely never fly again. I have gone into details before but people don’t understand our difficulties so…
We fly SWA frequently (every other month or so) and have for years. I haven’t noticed any cleanliness changes. They’re still on the top of my list for airline choices.