In the new age of social media, issues are easily being brought to the forefront. The sanitation of airplanes has become one of the latest topics of discussion as airlines are now being exposed, with passengers boarding filthy planes.

Recently, passengers have taken to social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook to expose the condition and lack of plane cleanliness on flights. An angry flier took to TikTok to expose budget-friendly airline Ryanair after boarding a plane scattered with crisp crumbs on the plane carpet. The flight travelled from the Canary Islands to London. In the video, the caption highlights that Ryanair crew do not clean aircraft between flights. The passenger was forced to sit in the visibly unsanitary area despite paying for a normal flight service, which would include a tidy seating area.

Despite this, the comments on the video may come as surprise to some as opinions on the situation were rather mixed. Many of the viewers came to the airline’s defense and believed that this is what is expected from a budget airline. One viewer commented ‘You pay 9.99 euros to fly with Ryanair, what you expect? (sic)’ However, other passengers simply thought that situation was disgraceful with one viewer referring to the airline as a ‘joke’.

This may come as surprise to passengers as we are only recently returning to normal life after living in a pandemic for over two years.  Earlier this year, airlines promised to protect their customers as much as possible by ensuring that covid-19 flight protocols involve ‘virus-killing chemicals, antibacterial foggers and an electrostatic sprayer’. This came as great comfort for passengers as according to Bloomsberg, ‘60% of Americans observe the cleanliness of flights as the most vital factor for them when choosing who to fly with.’ Multiple airlines such as Delta and Air India reassured their customers that they followed all the necessary protocols. Despite airlines aiming to provide the best of services, there has been a debate that the plane cleanliness  also lies at the hands of the fliers responsible for the mess.

Nastassjia Lewis, a flight attendant and also founder of ThAIRpy, a nonprofit organisation concerned about flight attendants’ mental health, shared her thoughts on the issue.

It is clear that there are two sides to this debate in terms of where responsibilities lie. It is certain though that customers that are forced to board filthy planes are not flying particularly comfortably.

Have you ever boarded a filthy flight? What are your thoughts on this issue?

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