Lufthansa is testing a new, controversial cleaning approach on short-haul flights, targeting Economy class. Under the guise of saving time and costs, the airline is introducing so-called “light cleaning,” limiting the upkeep of the economy cabin, while passengers in premium seats are exempt from this practice. The new policy raises questions about where the line is ultimately drawn between efficiency and the travel experience.
As Europe’s top airline, Lufthansa is testing a new cleaning concept for Economy Class on European routes, according to aeroTelegraph. The trial is set to take place from March 16 to March 29 on around 20 flights. While Business and First Class will continue to receive full cleaning, Economy Class will be cleaned only in specific cases where it is deemed necessary.
Specifically, the toilets will be cleaned only upon request, while as for the full cleaning, only a selective “on-site cleaning” check will be scheduled. The large hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, as well as the so-called night stops, are excluded from the test. It remains there with the usual cleaning.
Lufthansa focuses on flights with low pollution levels, while it is being reconsidered whether it can use two people responsible for cleaning the station instead of four with double the cleaning time.
Following the completion of the pilot implementation, the airline intends to proceed with a detailed evaluation of the results. The evaluation will take into account not only the financial data, but also the experience of passengers, as well as feedback from the crew. For now, the possibility of permanent adoption of the measure and its final form remains open.
As the airline points out, the basic requirement remains the maintenance of a high level of experience for the passenger, both on the ground and on board the aircraft. According to information from “aeroTELEGRAPH”, one of the initial measures has already been rolled back following employee reactions: the provision that safety belts would not be fastened in Economy class has been abandoned and the practice of placing them in a cross-wise arrangement during boarding has been reinstated.
