Delta Employees Cleaning Aircraft??

[katiebeth]

Has anyone read the latest initiative Delta has launched in which they are asking their employees to donate their own time to help clean their fleet during the evening and overnight hours (scrapping gum from the floor, washing windows, cleaning the lavatories,etc.) While I applaud their efforts in terms of trying to "freshen" up their cabins (which I agree is needed), I think it totally undermines confidence (what little is left) in the long term viability of the airline. It sounds like "desperate times require desperate measures".

 

Just when I was starting to feel better about the flights we have booked on Delta in June for our Med. cruise (as a result of their "tentative agreement between the pilots union and management), they make this announcement.

I think it is not at all wise in terms of public relations.

 

It reinforces fears many already have about booking future travel with Delta.

 

I can see this ending up as the brunt of jokes on late night shows. What next, asking the passengers to bring a bottle of 409 on their flight?? (ha! ha!)

 

Nancy

[vivian02]

No wonder Delta is having financial problems. Most Airlines subcontract that type of work. Theres no reason to pay benefits? I know I'm unaware that Delta employees have been give a new task. Tim

[airlink diva]

No wonder Delta is having financial problems. Most Airlines subcontract that type of work. Theres no reason to pay benefits? I know I'm unaware that Delta employees have been give a new task. Tim

I work for an airline. We do not have anyone subcontract to clean the birds. The ramp lead assigns someone for this duty. On the overnight flights, the rampers that work that flight are assigned to clean the bird. If the aircraft goes to the hanger overnight, there are company cleaners that clean the bird. We are paid for this.

Now with the Delta birds that come into the city that I work in, the Delta employees clean the aircrafts.

Also if an aircraft is in a medium to smaller outstation, those employees and the cabin crew clean them.

[ladikara]

I also work for an airline (not Delta), and our ramp agents do it. But a good share of the employees pitch in to help during a turn. I have helped clean numerous aircrafts to get the flight out on time. It's just part of the job.

 

I won't touch anything gross though such as cups, empty wrappers, etc.

[rwdtgb]

Southwest employees have always done this

[westernmom]

I also work for an airline (not Delta), and our ramp agents do it. But a good share of the employees pitch in to help during a turn. I have helped clean numerous aircrafts to get the flight out on time. It's just part of the job.

 

I won't touch anything gross though such as cups, empty wrappers, etc.

 

Then what do you do? Clean the toilets? You can wear rubber gloves to pick up items. I would think picking up the trash would be one of the "cleaner" jobs of cleaning!

[Globaliser]

Just when I was starting to feel better about the flights we have booked on Delta in June for our Med. cruise (as a result of their "tentative agreement between the pilots union and management), they make this announcement.

 

I think it is not at all wise in terms of public relations.

 

It reinforces fears many already have about booking future travel with Delta.

Although I now think that your June flights are unlikely to be adversely affected, everyone who is anxious about booking future travel with Delta is right to be so. Delta is not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. All that the pilots agreement means is that Delta is unlikely to be shutting down this month or next.

 

I am still expecting one of United and Delta to go out of business for good in the relatively near future.

[celmed]

You misunderstood Delta's Clean Day event. It was a voluntary team-building exercise. Read below for Delta's explanatory press release:

 

ATLANTA, April 21, 2006 – Earlier this week, Delta Air Lines launched its “Clean Campaign,” an initiative that includes increasing the frequency of aircraft deep cleans and completing its on-going program to refurbish aircraft interiors. The initiative was launched with a kick-off event, “Clean Day,” which gave employees and leaders the opportunity to work together to better the customer experience. It has been mischaracterized and Delta would like to take the opportunity to correct any inadvertent misreporting and concern this has caused. Specifically:

Delta executives, together with Delta employees, kicked off the Clean Campaign initiative by volunteering to clean Delta aircraft during overnight shifts earlier this week.

Delta is not eliminating its overnight cleaning crews. To the contrary, the company is increasing the frequency of aircraft deep cleaning procedures.

This is not a cost cutting measure. This is part of an initiative to underscore Delta’s commitment to the fundamentals of customer service and, in fact, the company has committed millions of dollars in additional resources to support the Clean Campaign going forward.

As they frequently do, employees asked Delta what they could do to help improve the customer experience, and from that inquiry, Clean Day was born.

Dozens of Delta leaders throughout the company, including several executives, also participated in “Clean Day” activities in New York, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City.

Delta employees have a strong history of working together and participating in the success of the airline.

Further, below are quotes from employees who participated in the Clean Day events.

" Our airplanes needed our special touch and I was proud to be a part of the Delta team.” – Vanessa Womble (LGA)

"I volunteered to do this out of sheer curiosity. I am fairly new to Delta, and wanted to see what it was like. It sounded fun, and it was! Our customers will notice the difference." – Eric Schoenbaum (SLC)

"I had a great time and would definitely do it again!" – Sandra Fiallos (LGA)

"This event brought us together." – Ion Balan (LGA)

[Globaliser]

It has been mischaracterized and Delta would like to take the opportunity to correct any inadvertent misreporting and concern this has caused.

Equals: "****! We've monumentally stuffed up the PR aspect of this."

[celmed]

Equals: "****! We've monumentally stuffed up the PR aspect of this."

Meaning you think they are trying to cover up some truth? If Delta were truly requiring employees to clean planes, they wouldn't have done it as a one-night event. And they wouldn't be announcing it themselves.

[fidoprincess]

"I am still expecting one of United and Delta to go out of business for good in the relatively near future."

 

^We are scheduled to fly Delta end of July/August. Think we will make it? So far they tripled the price for the same flight since we booked and today I noticed they changed the times, flight #s, and aircraft. We had seats in the 38th row and the new bird only has 28 rows (something like that).

 

Guess I better call tomorrow and see if I still have seats together with my family but the way you talk, we won't be flying anyway. So what is our recourse, do you know?

[katiebeth]

Dear Celmed,

 

Thanks for sharing the latest press release Delta put out regarding the "Clean Day" initiative.

 

It appears that I was not the only one who misunderstand the intent of their latest initiative. The media was reporting it as a cost saving measure, and given Delta's current financial situation, it really did not look good at all.

 

While I don't want to speak for Globaliser, I think what he was trying to say is that Delta realized (obviously by their April 21st press release) that this was not smart from a public relations perspective. The "perception" that many of us had, based on media reports, is that Delta was doing this to cut costs. It really appeared to be a "desperate" measure implemented by an airline facing "desperate" times. I don't think that Globaliser was trying to imply that Delta was "covering up the truth", rather that they realized that this initiative was being perceived differently than the actual intent and it was bad from a public relation angle.

 

I am glad that Delta issued the clarification and now understand what they are trying to accomplish. I certainly applaud their efforts to "freshen" up the interiors of their planes.

 

Now let's all hope that the pilots vote to approve the agreement that their union leaders reached with management earlier in the month and ratified at the end of last week. I read that the pilots will vote in mid-May and the process will last take approximately 15 days. The pay cuts are scheduled to go into effect on June 1st. Let's also hope that oil prices go down as well.

 

Nancy

[celmed]

We are scheduled to fly Delta end of July/August. Think we will make it? Guess I better call tomorrow and see if I still have seats together with my family but the way you talk, we won't be flying anyway. So what is our recourse, do you know?

Don't fret -- they will still be flying. Some people like to be the voices of gloom and doom. I am medallion level at Delta, and I have full confidence in their ability to keep going for the time being (certainly through your travel window).

And don't take the change of aircraft as a sign of bad times -- Delta does that all the time. But do call and check on your seats (you can do this on line, too). Usually when they have an aircraft change they rebook your seats for you, but sometimes if you are with a group, the seats do get moved around.

[katiebeth]

Dear Celmed,

 

My husband and I are both Gold Medallion as well and have been flying Delta almost exclusively since moving to Tallahassee, Fl. in 1990. We are certainly hoping that Delta "pulls through" and would love to see it become the airline it used to be in terms of in-flight service, a more modern fleet, etc. However, I am not sure that is terrribly realistic. Lately, I have found that flying Delta is really no different than flying a "no-frills airline (at least domestically). I think many Americans feel the same way about other U.S. carriers. Service has declined across the board in order to cut costs and try and survive financially. I will say that Delta's ground personnel and FAs have always been friendly and have been conducting themselves in a professional manner throughout all these uncertain times.

 

I do know, that Delta has been changing schedules more frequently since going into Chapter 11. We fly quite often and our schedules are constantly changing. (more so than in the past). This is all apart of the restructuring plan ...cutting routes that aren't profitable, adding those that are, ....and flying planes completely full.

 

In terms of "gloom and doom" I think given the current situation, it's just being realistic. Unfortunately, I believe Delta is a long way from being out of the woods. The price of oil is not helping at all and the pilots still need to vote to approve the "tentative" agreement that was reached between union officials and management.

 

I really hope that they succeed, but must admit I am not 100% confident. I am a little concerned about our flights to Europe in June and even more anxious about booking travel with them too far in the future. I really wish it weren't so. We really hope that things will turn around for Delta.

 

Nancy

[Globaliser]

Meaning you think they are trying to cover up some truth? If Delta were truly requiring employees to clean planes, they wouldn't have done it as a one-night event. And they wouldn't be announcing it themselves.

No, katiebeth has it absolutely right. This was one of those things which was a good idea when seen from the inside, but potentially capable of serious misunderstanding by outsiders.

 

It looks like the serious misunderstanding occurred. And then there was some panic - rightly so - inside the department that had dropped the ball.