dailynewsnblog
A Used Condom Was Found On A Flight Between Phoenix and El Paso
After locating the condom and its wrapper, Franklin was quick to take a picture as evidence. He then sent an email complaint to the airline and received a response in which American acknowledged that standards were not met and that Franklin would have been disappointed that AA3835 to El Paso would have meant he was traveling in an unclean seat.
|
Flight Number |
AA3835 |
|---|---|
|
From |
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) |
|
To |
El Paso International Airport (ELP) |
|
Departure Time |
8:31 AM |
|
Arrival Time |
10:54 AM |
American did promise, however, that they would take the feedback seriously, and it was escalated to the leadership team at Phoenix for a thorough review. As outlined in the response, it acknowledged that Franklin was an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member and that his business is valuable to the airline.
Following this response, Franklin still felt customer service for the situation was lacking, and took to Facebook, to explain his frustration.
“Been a loyal million-miler for over 20 years, definitely have felt a decline in service and quality but my flight Thursday from PHX to ELP takes the cake. A used condom and wrapper in the seat, i snapped a picture of the wrapper but the FA got the condom itself away before my picture. I’ve never been in a situation like this and could use some advice. I spoke to a supervisor at PHX but she didn’t apologize or seem to care. Just wanted a picture of my picture.”
How Did A Condom End Up Wedged Between The Seat?
While it remains unclear on the exact date of the flight, and how many sectors the plane had completed before the condom and wrapper discovery, Franklin’s discovery and picture outline that the condom wrapper was hardly hidden away, instead wedged between two seats. It can be common practice in between flights for crew to do a quick inspection of the cabin; however, in this instance, it was clear that the condom was missed.
Since posting the complaint on Facebook over the last few days, it has garnered hundreds of comments, with many quickly lowering the tone by suggesting that the person who posted it should have ‘gotten a room’ or that it was likely a joke. Regardless, it would have been uncomfortable for someone to find that in their seat and then have to endure the flight knowing the seat had not been sufficiently cleaned.
Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines on Thursday, but a spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
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How Often Are Aircraft Cleaned?
The amount of cleaning that is undertaken on an aircraft will depend on its flight schedule. Usually, when an aircraft is grounded overnight, the plane is vacuumed and undergoes deeper sanitation, including disinfecting the toilets and galleys and wiping down all high-touch areas such as the armrests, tray tables, and overhead bins.
Between flights, crews have only 10 to 20 minutes to clean the plane, which usually includes emptying seatback pockets, folding seatbelts, a basic wipe of tray tables and toilets, and collecting any trash. Only every 30 to 45 days do planes undergo a deep clean, during which they may shampoo carpets, replace seat covers, and wipe down ceilings and walls.
For Franklin, the discovery of a condom and its wrapper between the seats clearly came as a surprise for the frequent flyer and has raised questions about the level of detail the flight crew undertook when briefly cleaning the aircraft, and how the condom wrapper was missed when it was so clearly visible between the two seats.
