Your Flight: Behind the Scenes – Spick & Span

Part 25 of the series Your Flight: Behind the Scenes

After his friend Bob and family left, James and Stanley headed to the car park at the airport. James was to drop Stan at the hotel he was planning to stay. On the way, they stopped at a fuel station which had a café where they served good breakfast. While being there, James decided to get a fast service done for his car.

As they placed the order for breakfast James could see the service centre guy taking his car for a quick wash. Later, they will do interior cleaning as well.

‘So, Stan, you said you are in town for a couple of days for a conference. What exactly is it about?’

‘Oh, it is all about sustainability James. It is either Artificial Intelligence or Sustainability what companies across the world talk about these days. Today’s topic is water and how aviation can contribute to the conservation of this precious natural resource.’

James was quite happy to hear that since he was keen to know the latest about sustainability from a fellow aviation enthusiast.

‘It is a fantastic topic to deal with Stan. Look at that guy who is getting my car ready for a water wash. You need an average of 180 litres of water to wash that car. I can only imagine the enormous volume of water you will need to wash an aircraft!’

‘You can stop imagining James, I have the exact numbers as this is one of the main topics of discussion in our conference. Believe it or not, it takes 9500 litres of water to clean a Boeing 777. When it comes to an A380 it is a mind-blowing figure of more than 11,300 litres of water.’

Stanley had a grin on his face when he added, ‘We could wash your car 61 more times James, with that sort of volume.’

James was visibly moved with that information as he didn’t quite realize the usage of water was that astronomical when it came to airline operations to get a shiny plane ready for its customers to board. Nevertheless, James knew the benefits of a clean aircraft and he shared that thought promptly with his friend.

‘While I agree this is a huge area of improvement in the aviation industry, Stan, you know it is not just about having shining planes. Having a clean aircraft has a got a lot to do with safety of flying. It helps in reducing corrosion, makes aerodynamic nature of the aircraft better and more importantly, improves fuel efficiency with lesser friction on the body of the aircraft.’

‘I don’t deny any of these facts James. My intention, same as the conference is all about, is to get better at this from a sustainability perspective. That exactly is the reason we are promoting more of the environment friendly concept of dry wash for aircraft. This is a process where ecofriendly cleaning agents are initially applied to the exteriors of an aircraft and later a microfibre fabric is used to clean them off leaving a shine that is beyond the water wash. It takes 15 staff to perform this activity for 12 hours for an A380 and guess what, you just need to do this only three times in a year for an aircraft.’

‘That is indeed a good news Stan. I am sure more airlines are accepting this practice, and your conference will be a life saver with precious water saved even more.’

The car service guy was done with washing James’ car and was now taking it for interior cleaning and vacuuming. This was the very moment when James was thinking, that for an airline customer, having a clean aircraft is not only about the exterior, but having a spick and span interior as well. It is pretty much a situation of no merit in having a clean car outside, but everything is dirty inside.

Stanley spoke as if reading James’ mind, ‘It is equally important we acknowledge another team who is involved in keeping an aircraft as pristine as we would want our houses to be. These are the folks who ensure a delightful experience for the passengers by making the interiors as immaculate as possible.’

‘You said it, Stan! I know for sure the extent to which this cleaning crew go to guarantee every nook and corner of the customer facing touchpoints inside an aircraft are neat and clean. Let us not forget the fact that these were the true warriors who safeguarded our flights during Covid times when we were literally scared to touch any surface for the fear of the deadly virus!’

‘Oh! I cannot ever thank them enough for the awesome job they do James. They are truly the superheroes behind the scenes who we never see but enjoy the result of their meticulous work every time we step in to our favourite airline. Did you know there are three types of cleaning that are common for airlines?

There is one which is usually done for quick turnarounds which takes about 10 to 20 minutes. Then we have the type of cleaning done when the aircraft is in a layover where there is enough time to clean. This activity is carried out between 30 minutes to an hour. There is a third type which is called a deep cleaning when the entire aircraft is methodically cleaned head to toe which usually takes many hours to days depending on the condition of the aircraft. This is usually done by a team of ten staff for a 777 and double the number for an A380.’

James nodded his head in total agreement. As always, he had a question ready. ‘Are you not forgetting something Stan? Let us also thank airlines’ for ensuring cleanliness not just at the surface level but also making sure that the air we breathe is of the finest quality. This is where the timely replacement of the cabin filters helps us breathe easy while travelling. I will say this is quite like the regular servicing of air conditioning we all do in our houses or apartments. Isn’t it interesting that there are many such activities like these we as customers don’t see where an airline truly cares for us?’

‘Of course, James, we don’t see these and hence do not even know to appreciate. Just like the emergency response teams many airlines have which helps in the event of a crisis. Hey, here comes your car. Let us talk more about this as we head to my hotel’.

They thanked the service guy and got into the car. Little did they know about the danger that awaited them round the corner.

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