At a glance, airplane tray tables seem to be clean. However, there is a warning from one flight attendant to think twice before making use of them for meals or placing belongings.
Janae, a flight attendant sharing her perspectives over social media, mentions about tray tables used in passenger seating. In her opinion, they are not only used to eat and place things but can also be used by some parents for changing diapers of their babies.
It is the reason why Janae avoids putting her food directly on the tray table or placing her items there while flying. She tells that some passengers change soiled diapers right on the same surface where other passengers subsequently manage to eat or leave their belongings.
In case, she has no choice and needs to use the tray table, Janae prefers to put a covered trash bag over the tray rather than putting food directly onto it. She explains that simply wiping the table with a disinfectant wipe may not lead to instantly killing the germs.
As Janae noted, disinfectants require some time for proper cleaning of the surface. She mentioned specific products such as Lysol and indicated that the disinfectant must remain for a while on the surface to disinfect it adequately.
A specific frustration that the flight crew member mentioned was that it appears that parents are using the tray table as an improvised changing station. She asked why anyone could decide to change a diaper at a place where someone is going to eat later.
One more problem that cabin crews face on a regular basis is when passengers pass the dirty diaper directly to the cabin crew without warning. As per Janae’s opinion, the diaper needs to be picked up with gloves so that later it could be disposed of safely and not just handed over to the crew of the plane.
If the parents express their discontent after they are being asked to deal with the issue with their child on their own, Janae says that, usually, she tries to avoid insisting on the responsibility coming back to the passenger. Instead, she may give the passenger a bag for temporary storage of the waste so that the passengers take care
Moreover, she raised additional points about hygiene issues aboard an aircraft. It is important to make sure that hands are cleaned properly after using the bathroom, while passengers should always try to avoid walking barefoot through the aisle.
Though tray tables are common on planes, Janae pointed out just how often shared surfaces come into contact with different contaminants. Thus, those who are going to use them for eating or transport purposes may choose to either wipe them clean before usage or cover them in some other way.
So, the overall maintenance of cleanliness on board is something that has to be shared among all people involved in this process. Simple actions like washing hands, properly disposing of waste, and being cautious while using shared surfaces can make flying easier and cleaner for everyone involved.
