february2023 - 29

just a couple of flights per day, multi-tasking
is more common. Ground
handlers that are loading the bags or gate
agents will also assist with cleaning.
" Everyone is kind of all-hands-ondeck
in the smallest locations, but at
hubs, larger airports, there are definitely
dedicated cabin cleaners, " Kennedy says.
Typically, Kennedy says someone
who is a cabin cleaner for Unifi will be
trained in all areas (galley cleaning, lavatory
cleaning, first class seats, coach
seats), but there may be a time where an
employee only knows one or two of those
areas and that is where they will focus.
At the beginning of a shift, employees
are assigned to a specific area to clean,
and a team leader is designated.
" If the aircraft is on the ground for a
Touchpoints must be cleaned and
sanitized with a pre-saturated wipe.
" Everything's dictated by man minutes,
or minutes that are required to
clean a plane, " he says. " So if a plane is
on the ground for a couple of hours, then
obviously you can send less folks from
the team up to get the job done. "
Time on the aircraft, based on size of
the plane and time available to clean, is
determined by the airlines.
If the aircraft is a 737 with normal
ground time, Kennedy says eight people
would be assigned. If that time was compressed
because the flight was arriving
late, he says 10 people might be tasked
with the turnaround clean. During
quick turnarounds on a 737, Kennedy
says there is not much room to move,
so using more than 10 people could be
counterproductive.
" There are set teams so you can kind
of plug and play different teams over as
they're dispatched to different aircraft to
help out, " he says.
At larger hubs, jobs can be more
specialized. Aircraft cabin cleaners will
focus only on cabin cleaning. At smaller
locations, where an airline might have
minimum ground time - it's delayed and
then you got to allow time for loading
and off-loading of passengers, you could
be done in 6 to 10 minutes, " he says,
adding that's the shortest timeframe for
cabin cleaning to be conducted.
For a normal turn clean, he says 15 to
25 minutes is a normal turnaround clean
time on a narrow-body aircraft.
While each airline has different
specifics, the overall process is very
similar. Post-pandemic, Kennedy says
turnarounds still require a more detailed
cleaning than what was done in the
past prior to COVID. Sanitizing all the
touchpoints wasn't normally done
on every turn.
" That was always done on a daily
basis for sure, in the past, but now it's
done on every turn, " he says.
Touchpoints include the tray tables,
armrests, window shades, air vents, reading
light switches, flight attendant call
button and the handles on overhead bins.
" Those are all wiped down with a rag
and sanitized in a quick fashion, " he says.
When Kennedy is out with the cleaning
teams, he tells them that their job is
one of the hardest.
" Cabin cleaning doesn't get the
celebration as other areas of aviation
does and it's not easy. It's a physically
demanding job, and that time compression
makes it even that much more physical, "
he says, adding that's why it is key
to ensure the proper amount of staffing.
Turnaround Cleaning Goals
The goals for turnaround cleans
are multiple.
Goal No. 1, Kennedy says, is ensuring
that the employees aren't hurting themselves
on the aircraft, which can happen
when the proper personal protective
equipment (PPE) is not worn.
" Safety is obviously a No. 1 goal for
us any time we jump on an aircraft to
clean, " he says.
Goals 2 and 3 he says are " making
sure that we hit all targets, performing
the clean properly as well as in a timely
fashion. They go hand in hand. "
If a cabin isn't cleaned properly, cabin
cleaners might be called back to finish
the job or address certain areas that were
not done properly. That could delay the
aircraft another 10 or 20 minutes.
Sometimes more time for a turn
clean is necessary.
" When someone has been sick on
the aircraft, and you have to bring out
the biohazards kits to clean, that would
take an additional PPE requirement,
getting another kit to bring on board to
ensure that we sanitize properly that
area, as well as the surrounding areas, "
Kennedy says. " When a passenger has
been sick on the aircraft, that takes the
time out to really, stop, make sure we got
everything brought up from a biohazard
standpoint and go about the cleaning
cautiously from there.
" You have to do it properly. Take the
delay. That's a good delay or good safety
time out obviously to make sure it's
cleaned properly. "
Other types of cleaning include overnight
cleaning, which is a more detailed
process that occurs nightly for an hour or
more, and deep cleaning, which occurs
every 30 to 45 days and requires six to
eight hours.
For turn cleans, specifically, Kennedy
offers several tips.
* Before cleaning - Preparation is key
to saving time at the beginning of the
clean. When you're not prepared, it
can take an extra five minutes-plus
to get organized. If you're cleaning
the lavatories, you have a lavatory kit
or cleaning bag with all the proper
tools. Preparing beforehand wherever
February 2023 || AviationPros.com || 29
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february2023

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