Birdie Doo in Cabin

[lodoboy]

Okay, I think I have seen it all! This last Sunday, May 21st, Flight 1070, PHL-SJU, originally delayed due to a cargo door fix, was further delayed when it was discovered that due to the AC door being left open all night at the hangar, the Starlings (birds), had made themselves quite at home aboard our beautiful A330! Not only did the birds have to be removed, but the remnants that were left behind, in the galleys, on the carpeting, on the seatbacks, pillows, blankets, armrest, and everywhere else possible, had to be spot cleaned before takeoff! ONE cleaner was dispensed with a rag and a spray bottle to take care of this MESS! The Capt. took it upon himself to help clean up as well as a couple of F/A's, but the feces was just everywhere!

In typical US fashion, the flight was boarded before it was all cleaned (the flight was full)and the passengers that US cares soo much about proceeded to fly to SJU sitting amidst the nasty grime. We served food around this mess!

Was this a health issue? Who dropped the ball? Only ONE cleaner? Boarding before things were clean? Who do you write this sort of thing up to?

THis was just a concern, any advice about what to do under these circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

 

[700UW]

Cleaning is outsourced, the company gets what it pays for!

 

[PITbull]

Whoa, this is worse than just being an unsightly mess, its a MAJOR health hazard.

Doesn't anyone see this?????

Who knows where these birds came from or migrated from. With the Avian flu epidemic in many countries around the world, the possibility of the feces of these birds carrying the virus could create a pandemic in our Country.

Where was the f/as in all this and why did they not refuse to go on the flight? Why didn't the Captain ground the plane. What? He just decided to participate in a clean-up? How idiotic!

How very foolish of USAirways. That plane needed to be sent to the Hanger do be disinfected. The company should have borrowed another a/c for the flight. There is no excuse for stupidity; a major biohazard on board.

If anyone reports the bird flu in this country, USAirways could be traced as the culprit who allowed the flight to go knowing the a/c was not disinfected properly.

Shame on the supervisor and U Management. This should be reported to the Infectious disease dept, and heads should roll on this in the company.

Someone was responsible and placed our national health security at risk!!!

If managment is watching these boards they need to do some follow-up on this issue (May 21st, Flight 1070), PHL-SJU,...otherwise the company could be liable for any passengers on that flight getting ill or carrying a disease from those birds, which could cause a national crisis!!!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Somebody needs to find the Starlings responsible for the mess!

 

[airhead]

i can't believe, i even read that. what the heck went on there. can you imagine what is ging to happen if even one person gets sick from all this

 

[robbedagain]

heads defintely need to be rolled. I wouldnt of wanted to fly on that plane let alone clean it all alone. that is pure stupidity

 

[US1YFARE]

And here I thought it was just the resurfacing of the greek scrambled eggs.

 

[LCC_#1]

Well, not to underscore the severity of what happened, but why not add to the rest of the gross germ conditions of our aircraft.

Umm, let's see...

Rarely vacuumed carpets..mustless seats. I PROMISE you there are mites EVERYWHERE onboard.

Half ass cleaned bathrooms where I PROMISE you fecal matter residue harbors itself on the door handles.

Nasty pillows and blankets with every kind of human fluid known to mankind.

Mics that are NEVER cleaned.

Air filters that are NEVER changed.

Meal carts that are NEVER cleaned.

Ovens that are NEVER cleaned.

Coffee pots that are NEVER cleaned.

Seat trays NEVER cleaned...all oozing with germs.

HELL, whats alittle birdshiit?!!

Get my drift? h34r:

 

[PITbull]

And here I thought it was just the resurfacing of the greek scrambled eggs.

Wise guy, not funny. This is a major concern. I am quite shocked that the f/as didn't protest to ground the plane.

I just wrote to some members of the AFA MEC to investigate this issue. I wouldn't call this a benign situation; not when the pax, and crew health safety is compromised along with a possiblity of spreading disease.

 

[lodoboy]

I was one of the F/As on this flight, and was outraged that something else wasn't done, but once you get pushed down by the CApt. and the agents all hell bent on getting this flight off the gate, your voice tends to get lost. Also the "A" F/A wasn't willing to stand behind others and have this incident totally cleared up. The "A" was the one who gave the okay to start boarding.

I still think that this plane should be found and sanitized, because anyone with a compomised imune system is at risk of contracting TB.

Of course however, the bottomline was getting the paxs out and on their way, not health.

 

[700UW]

When this occurs on an aircraft, all seat covers, and/or carpeting is to be removed and discarded, the plane is suppose to be disenfected then all the effected seat covers and carpet replaced.

But since US has no more utility I doubt any vendor the one in PHL is being replaced has the experience to do so.

And I guess no one in mtc cares anymore.

 

[US1YFARE]

Wise guy, not funny.

I know. I agree. Bird feces is potentially very dangerous and no one should have been allowed on the plane. I, too, am surprised that the FA's didn't make a bigger deal of it.

 

[PITbull]

I was one of the F/As on this flight, and was outraged that something else wasn't done, but once you get pushed down by the CApt. and the agents all hell bent on getting this flight off the gate, your voice tends to get lost. Also the "A" F/A wasn't willing to stand behind others and have this incident totally cleared up. The "A" was the one who gave the okay to start boarding.

I still think that this plane should be found and sanitized, because anyone with a compomised imune system is at risk of contracting TB.

Of course however, the bottomline was getting the paxs out and on their way, not health.

Bird droppings is not about Tuberculosis. There are many diseases humans acquire from bird droppings and the H5N1 virus is the most immediate and present health concern for our nation.

I hope you are OK. You need to contact the union about the A f/a and his/her ignorance on the risks and compromising the health of the pax and crew. Being that there was food and drink served on the flight makes everyone at a major health risk for transimission of disease from the droppings.

The reason why many people who have been reported to have acquired the bird flu in many Third World countries and some in Europe is from these people living with these birds, either a chicken coup near or underneath their homes and handling these birds.

My recommendation is for you to contact the company senior level managment, Al Crellin being one, and report this ASAP. AFA MEC 412-262-3110. Just bypass PHL local if I were you.

I bet that plane never had a thorough cleaning after it left PHL. The company needs to disinfect the plane, and keep track of these pax and crew in relation to bird infection.

 

[PITbull]

Well, not to underscore the severity of what happened, but why not add to the rest of the gross germ conditions of our aircraft.

Umm, let's see...

Rarely vacuumed carpets..mustless seats. I PROMISE you there are mites EVERYWHERE onboard.

Half ass cleaned bathrooms where I PROMISE you fecal matter residue harbors itself on the door handles.

Nasty pillows and blankets with every kind of human fluid known to mankind.

Mics that are NEVER cleaned.

Air filters that are NEVER changed.

Meal carts that are NEVER cleaned.

Ovens that are NEVER cleaned.

Coffee pots that are NEVER cleaned.

Seat trays NEVER cleaned...all oozing with germs.

HELL, whats alittle birdshiit?!!

Get my drift? h34r:

Report it to the FAA and or Health Dept. Company won't move to hire in-house utility unless paxs complain and the company gets cited. Crews need to write these issues up and then follow-up to ensure that the planes have been either exterminated or cleaned thoroughly.

I remember last year when a pax didn't make it to the bathroom and tracked liquid stool from her seat to the back of the plane. The a/c carpet isle was soiled along with her row. Worse part was the plane was supposedly cleaned by contracted employee before the flight was boarded, yet the f/as who contacted the union over the issue said they could hear the squishing on their shoes from walking up and down the isle, and their was an oder mixed with some cleaning solution that permeated throughout and some pax c/o of hwat they thought was a bathroom oder, but the crew knew better.

The MECP from last year went directly to the VP of inflight via e-mails and phone calls including all of senior managment including Crellin and the plane was grounded, overnighted, carpet tore out along with the seat cushions in that isle. The company apologized to AFA and said the flight should not have continued on. And that this type of thing would not happen again without thorough disinfection of the a/c.

Squeeky wheel does get the greece. Obviously it is some management-type in the station that does not act responsibly to ensure a clean and safe a/c when these types of issues arise and blantantly putting pax at high risk for acquiring apotential infectious disease.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Boarding before things were clean?

I'll take this one - that's what they pay us the big bucks for. Despite some occasional claims to the contrary, everything about that flight, including whether to board or when, is within the captain's control. Saying "No" usually works, but when it doesn't there are other ways to get the point across.

Jim