Sitting in Filth? Major Airline Considers Premium Seat Cleanliness Only

Southwest Airlines Faces Backlash Over Proposed Cleaning Policy

Southwest Airlines, a major U.S. airline based in Dallas, is reportedly considering a new cleaning policy that has sparked outrage among passengers. According to recent reports, the airline is looking into bringing in cabin cleaners between flights to clean only the premium extra legroom seat areas of the aircraft. This would mean that coach cabins would not receive the same level of attention, leading to significant backlash from customers.

“Southwest Airlines flight attendants tidy every aircraft between every flight today,” a Southwest spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “That will continue, and in addition, we are looking at potentially bringing in additional cleaners when needed, at certain airports to supplement — not replace — our standard cleaning efforts.”

The proposed change has been met with strong disapproval from both passengers and flight attendants. An airline flight attendants union board member posted a video for crew members, expressing concerns about the experiment. The individual claimed he received a memo from Southwest on Tuesday about the new cleaning initiative, which he compared to the upper class on the Titanic “having cigars and sipping brandy” while others did not get their seats cleaned.

“This is going to create a divide between passengers,” the board member said, according to the blog “View from the Wing.” “So up front, you’ve got these super clean airplanes. In the back, you’ve got half-hearted, tidied airplanes. The passengers are going to come on board. They’re going to see it.”

Passengers took to social media to express their frustrations. One angry X user wrote, “Southwest Airlines [is] only gonna clean your seat if it smells like money.” Another person said, “Southwest Airlines has turned into public transit. Dirty and expensive.”

However, not all passengers were against the idea. Some suggested that travelers should bring their own wipes if they want a clean seat. One Facebook user said, “Bring your own wipes if you really want a clean seat.” Another added, “I don’t ever trust anyone to clean my seat the way I want anyway. I always carry wipes to wipe everything down right as I sit down so I can try to keep germs at bay.”

Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore of Florida emphasized the importance of passenger responsibility. “Everyone should clean up after themselves, regardless of whether the cleaning crew comes in or not,” she told Fox News Digital. “As a passenger, you should pack your manners — and you should clean up your surrounding area.”

Whitmore, who worked as a flight attendant for years, noted that it is generally the flight attendants’ job to collect garbage throughout the flight — not the responsibility of a cleaning crew. “I used to see this all the time,” she said. “Passengers would change their baby’s diaper on the seat. Then they might leave a dirty diaper on the seat.”

Ultimately, the potential new cleaning policy from Southwest could affect flight attendants more than passengers. “After everybody deplanes the flight, attendants will go through the cabin with one final sweep,” Whitmore said. “Personally, I’d be more upset if I were a flight attendant, not a passenger,” she added.

This is the second time in a week Southwest has taken some heat from passengers. The airline was slammed after it made a major process change over a month ago. The airline transitioned Jan. 27 from an open seating policy — so passengers now must select their seats or be assigned specific spots.

Passengers say they have issues reading the seat numbers, run into snags with the boarding flow and are unable to spread out on the plane. “We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer experience, to continue delivering the seamless and reliable travel journey that customers expect from Southwest,” a company spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital.