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Cleanliness may come at a price for Southwest travelers — and passengers are blasting the proposed policy.
A Dallas-based airline is considering bringing in cabin cleaners between flights to clean only the upper flight seat areas, according to reports.
Coach cabs will reportedly not get the same deluxe treatment.
“Southwest Airlines flight crews are collecting all flights between all flights today,” a Southwest spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday when asked about the reports.
“That will continue, and in addition, we consider that we may bring additional cleaners if needed, to certain airports to supplement – not replace – our regular cleaning efforts.”
Southwest Airlines is considering bringing in cabin cleaners between flights to clean only the front leg seat areas, according to reports. (Eli Hartman/Bloomberg)
“We will continue to make sure that our flight is convenient for all customers, regardless of where their seats are on the plane,” the spokesperson added.
A member of the airline’s board of directors posted a deleted video of the crew members, saying they were concerned about a study the airline is trying, where the cabins will be cleaned between every flight – but not every flight.
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The person said he received a memo from Southwest on Tuesday about the new cleaning test.
He reportedly compared the proposed cleaning change to the top crew of the Titanic “smoking and drinking brandy” – while the passengers below did not clean their seats.
A flight attendant union board member and safety chairman (not pictured) posted a video where he reportedly expressed concern about the new policy. The video was later removed. (Scott Olson)
“So in the front, you have these very clean planes. In the back, you have empty, organized planes. The passengers are going to get on. They’re going to see it,” he said, according to the blog “View from the Wing.”
“If the passengers see what is happening, they will be sad,” he said.
Southwest passengers took to Facebook and X to voice their frustration about the potential policy.
“I don’t trust anyone to clean my seat the way I want.”
“Southwest Airlines [is] I’ll only clean your seat if it smells like money,” wrote an angry X user. “All you aliens can sit in the germ-filled filth left by all the other poor people.”
“Southwest Airlines has become public transportation. It’s dirty and expensive,” said one person criticizing the company.
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Facebook users feel differently.
“Bring your own wipes if you really want a clean seat,” said another. “People should stop leaving airplanes for the flight attendants to clean.”
“People should stop leaving airplanes for the flight attendants to clean,” said one Facebook user (not pictured). (Stock)
One Facebook user agreed, saying, “I don’t trust anyone to clean my chair the way I want. I always have wipes with me so I can wipe properly as I sit down to try to prevent germs.”
Another Facebook user said, “They pick up loose trash and put belts on the seats. I’ve sat down many times with crumbs on my feet.”
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Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore of Florida said every airline passenger should be polite.
“Everybody has to clean themselves, regardless of whether the cleaning crews come in or not,” he told Fox News Digital. “As a rider, you have to manage your habits – and you have to clean up the environment.”
Whitmore, who worked for many years as a flight attendant, said it’s usually the flight crew’s job to pick up trash mid-flight — not the cleaning crew’s responsibility.
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“I’ve always seen this,” she said. “Passengers would change their child’s diaper on the seat. Then they would leave a dirty diaper on the seat.”
Ultimately, a potential new cleaning policy from Southwest may affect flight crews more than passengers.
Southwest passengers took to social media to express their frustration over the reported new policy. (Stock)
“After everyone deplanes, the flight attendants will go into the cabin and do a final sweep,” Whitmore said.
“Personally, I would be very upset if I was working on the plane, not a passenger,” he added.
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It is the second time in a week that Southwest has taken the heat from the riders.
The airline was criticized after it made a major change about a month ago. The airline changed Jan. 27 is moving away from an open seating policy — so passengers now have to choose their seats or be assigned specific seats.
Southwest passengers are complaining that they are having trouble reading seat numbers, since the airline has eliminated open seats. (Stock)
Passengers say they have trouble reading seat numbers, experience delays boarding and can’t spread out on the plane.
“We are always looking for ways to improve our customer experience, to continue to deliver the seamless and reliable journey that Southwest customers expect,” a company spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed reporting.
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