Ewww! "Passengers Behaving Badly"

[derg]

Passengers Behaving Badly: You'll never look at, or reach into, an airline seat-back pocket the same after reading this. Besides being a repository for magazines, newspapers, books, iPods and air-sickness bags, seatback pockets get stuffed with all kinds of disgusting trash, from toenail clippings to mushy meals. People do things on airplanes that they would never do in other public settings. They pluck eyebrows, polish nails and pick noses. They stick chewed gum in places only other passengers will discover.

They blow noses into blankets that get folded up for the next weary traveler. They prop bare feet up on bulkheads and seats. Sometimes they even engage in sex acts. One reason frequent fliers and flight attendants perceive an increase in offensive behavior may be the decline in air service -- customers seek retaliation for late flights, snippy workers, lost baggage and unavailable upgrades. Flight attendants often say that the biggest messes they have to deal with are dirty diapers left in seat-back pockets or worse, handed to them while they are serving beverages and snacks. "Would you hand that off to your server at a restaurant?" said Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants, a union representing workers at several big airlines. "It's amazing how people treat the inside of aircraft cabins as opposed to other public spaces."

 

[N826AW]

I opened my seatback pocket one day to find a post-strained peas baby diaper. NASTY!!!

 

[JaceTheAce]

I always wondered why people put their iPods and headphones, books, food, or other personal belongings in the seatback pockets. Do they realize what their putting themselves in contact with?

I've heard of flight attendants saying that they've caught on several occasions mothers changing their babys' diapers directly on the cabin seats!

 

[FrankieFlyCRQ]

I can totally relate to this whole pax treating the a/c cabins like a dump, and behaving badly!!!

I clean the Brasilia every night, and geeez let me tell you, people can be just stright up pigs! I have found everything from combs with hair stuck in them, to rotten food, to smelly socks, to yes a CONDOM with the wrapper ripped open, all found in back seat pockets!!! People are too lazy to take their trash or unfinished meal with them, so instead of throwing it away or giving it to a FA, no,...lets just put it in the back seat pocket, I mean thats what it's there for right?? My favorite is when I find gum smushed in the middle of a a/c emergency safety card!

I strongly believe that people figure they xx..amounts of dollars for this plane ticket, so it makes it ok to treat the airline employees and their a/c like crap! Not all pax but most of em!

 

[DPApilot]

I always wondered why people put their iPods and headphones, books, food, or other personal belongings in the seatback pockets. Do they realize what their putting themselves in contact with?

I've heard of flight attendants saying that they've caught on several occasions mothers changing their babys' diapers directly on the cabin seats!

Ive seen that first hand on an AMT flight from PHX to HNL...

 

[The L Train]

Ive seen that first hand on an AMT flight from PHX to HNL...

I've seen it first hand as well, right next to me. When there is no changing table in the lav, where are you supposed to? Mind you, a changing pad or something of the likes is used, and the diaper properly disposed of in the proper place. The trash can!

Definately some nasty places though.

 

[Itchy]

Freight don't puke,
Freight don't fight,
'Freakin freight is there every night.

 

[Scandinavian13]

My favorite is when I find gum smushed in the middle of a a/c emergency safety card!

Agreed. I couldn't help but think *what the hell is wrong with people???* when I cleaned aircraft.

At the end of my shift when I worked for Air State* and I found all kinds of lovely things. A lot of the time, it was just downright disgusting.

Honestly, I think if you plotted the amount of disgusting behaviour and overlaid the ticket price versus average personal income, you'd find that there's a correlation. I think as ticket prices have gotten cheaper against personal income, more and more people get access, and with more people comes the higher risk of disgusting behaviour. That's all added to the fact that if you can easily afford it and it's nothing special, you won't respect it as much.

I'm not talking about inter-year variation of ticket price versus income. I'm talking about the decline over time in which airline travel went from high-class privilege to glamourised motor coach. A while ago, passengers dressed up to fly, not just non-revs and their guests.

I understand, too, that no matter what there will be some out-of-the-norm behaviour, related on my theory. It's a theory. It isn't perfect and I'm not saying it applies in all circumstances. Rich people flying on an expensive first class ticket can also be disgusting. I just think it's less likely in most cases.
(Yes, I am vaguely insinuating that rich people tend to be less likely to be disgusting. No, I am not trying to insinuate that all people who aren't rich are always disgusting slobs.)




*Name changed to avoid the ridiculous company from Googling its name (again) and freaking out (again).

 

[tonyw]

People feel like just because they spent a couple hundred bucks they're entitled to white glove treatment. They figure it's their own personal jet or something.

I'd like to see an airline charge people for the cost of cleaning things out of the seat back pocket if they are caught. Stuff a diaper in there? That'll be $100, and if you don't cough it up, you will not be getting on the next flight you've booked.

I'd like to see some tool try to explain that one away. For once, the airlines would look like the good guys.

 

[coa787]

Freight don't puke,
Freight don't fight,
'Freakin freight is there every night.

That's why I'll probably end up flying freight.

 

[N826AW]

Tony's right. How about charging the guy who leaves his dirty snot rag in the seatback $20 to subsidize a free bottle of water for me?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I should read this thread every time I start to get a little bit of SJS and think, "Maybe i'll drop a resume in with SWA". Then i'll come back to my senses.

 

[coa787]

Has anyone ever been caught doing this stuff?

 

[Bumblebee]

Honestly, I think if you plotted the amount of disgusting behaviour and overlaid the ticket price versus average personal income, you'd find that there's a correlation. I think as ticket prices have gotten cheaper against personal income, more and more people get access, and with more people comes the higher risk of disgusting behaviour. That's all added to the fact that if you can easily afford it and it's nothing special, you won't respect it as much.

. I'm talking about the decline over time in which airline travel went from high-class privilege to glamourised motor coach. A while ago, passengers dressed up to fly, not just non-revs and their guests.

:yeahthat:
I agree. I think too many people can fly now. The airlines had to expend to make more money, and now make less per seat and every margin is too tight. I say have less lift, and charge more. There would be less job opportunities, but they would be the jobs we want. ok I'm done now:buck:

 

[cmsuav8r]

It doesn't just happen in airplanes. When I worked at the grocery store, it used to be part of my job to pick up trash in the parking lot. Everything from used diapers, to used condoms, to used needles were found. Alot of people only care about themselves these days.

 

[JumpWake]

This one sticks out to me as particularly relevant and why I'm extra careful now whenever I reach into a seat back.

We were monitoring ARINC one day when some USA3000 guy calls up and asks for a patch to MedLink. Evidently, one of his passengers had reached into the seat back and gotten stuck in the finger with a used needle. I'm not sure how the situation ended up, the doctor just told him to put some anti-bacterial stuff on it and have EMS look at it when they landed,but still...scary and disgusting at the same time.

 

[Firebird2XC]

In my 1900 driver days, I found a soiled diaper in an airsick bag under a seat during post-flight cabin walk through.

Revolting, to say the least.

 

[OldTownPilot]

ve got a few stories of my own from cleaning airplanes for 2 years.

Tampons stuck to the botton of the trash can

Exploded used diaper gel in the bin

Bottle of baby powder that had a bag fall on in the bin right infront of the fan, while I was in said bin.

Multiple sick sacs ful of puke

A flight where it looked like a persons stomach exploded in the vicinity of rows 2 through 6.

Sick sack full of piss in a 1900

more used tissues than i care to remember

I'm sure I'll think of more

 

[coa787]

Multiple sick sacs ful of puke

Well, of course. What? Do you expect them to take it with them?

 

[sdfcvoh]

thanks everyone! i'm cooking supper. :buck: