CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Flight attendants are now pushing to be able to wear masks and other protective gear when they fly.
One flight attendant reached out to WCNC for help -- she was concerned about her safety, and specifically concerned about the way planes are being cleaned.
“Flight attendants are scared and rightly so,” Lori Bassani said.
Bassani is the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
“It’s a very stressful world we live in right now," she said.
After getting an anonymous call form a flight attendant concerned that the planes weren't clean enough, WCNC reached out to several different airlines.
“Our cleaning practices have always met or exceeded all CDC guidelines,"A spokesperson for American Airlines said. "Our aircraft are cleaned each day at key touchpoints on their journeys with an EPA-approved disinfectant.”
But the spokeswoman for American Airlines acknowledged there isn’t enough time after every flight to do this thorough cleaning -- it typically only happens overnight.
A spokeswoman for United Airlines wouldn’t provide a statement, just referred us to their website where they say “All aircraft are cleaned at a variety of touch-points throughout the day. The cleaning includes a thorough wipe down of all touch-points (lavatories, galleys, tray tables, window shades and armrests.)”
They wouldn’t clarify for us exactly how often that cleaning is done.
Delta never responded to our request but we found a video on their website where they talk about a higher standard of clean. The video says “all domestic aircraft will undergo fogging overnight."
It also says, "every flight aircraft will be cleaned using the same checklist as overnight cleanings.”
"If you’re a flight attendant you want them to clean in between every single flight," Bassani said.
Last week a 65- year-old veteran American Airlines flight attendant died from the virus.
“It’s sad and very concerning for flight attendants that are still here," Bassani said.
She says that’s why they’re now pushing to allow flight attendants here in the US to wear full protective gear like Chinese flight attendants are doing.
“I’m going to ask my airline to do the same – we can wear the masks finally, the gloves, supplies have run out – difficult to get these things.”
She told us they consider themselves frontline workers in all of this - they are limiting how much interaction they have with customers. An as far as the cleaning on the planes goes -- this seems to be evolving as so much else is right now.
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