Birdie Doo in Cabin
- Thread starter lodoboy
- Start date
EricLv2Fish
Veteran
- Aug 25, 2005
- 1,171
- 5
OMG, and to think I just cleaned my picnic bench that was full of Birdshit with no protection! Perhaps I should burn my picnic table!
TheLarkAscending
Veteran
This was incredibly irresponsible:
Starlings have been known to carry diseases that are transmissible to livestock and to people, including TGE (transmissible gastroenteritis - a disease of swine), blastomycosis, and samonella. At least one study found that starling droppings contained C. jejuni, L. monocytogenes and C. psittaci, all human bacterial pathogens. In the United States, starling droppings provide a growth medium for Histoplasma capsulatum, the fungus that causes histoplasmosis in humans. Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease of the lungs and the infection can often spread to other parts of the body. The histoplasma organism thrives in moderate temperatures and moist environments.
The spread of disease by starlings to humans is a potential threat. The Common Myna, a relative of the Common Starling, was implicated in the spread of avian malaria in Hawaii.
Finally, Starlings are often known to forage near airports, sewage plants and garbage dumps.
Anyone working in a contaminated environment should have used protective clothing, i.e., gloves and coveralls. They should also have used a respirator equipped with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that is capable of filtering particles down to two microns in size.
Anyone foolish enough to allow themselves, their cabin crew and that full flight of innocent (completely unaware) souls to marinate in that recirculated cabin air for the duration of that flight needs an official dressing down. Especially in light of the potential avian flu pandemic, internationally.
:down: What a great call. :down:
Starlings have been known to carry diseases that are transmissible to livestock and to people, including TGE (transmissible gastroenteritis - a disease of swine), blastomycosis, and samonella. At least one study found that starling droppings contained C. jejuni, L. monocytogenes and C. psittaci, all human bacterial pathogens. In the United States, starling droppings provide a growth medium for Histoplasma capsulatum, the fungus that causes histoplasmosis in humans. Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease of the lungs and the infection can often spread to other parts of the body. The histoplasma organism thrives in moderate temperatures and moist environments.
The spread of disease by starlings to humans is a potential threat. The Common Myna, a relative of the Common Starling, was implicated in the spread of avian malaria in Hawaii.
Finally, Starlings are often known to forage near airports, sewage plants and garbage dumps.
Anyone working in a contaminated environment should have used protective clothing, i.e., gloves and coveralls. They should also have used a respirator equipped with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that is capable of filtering particles down to two microns in size.
Anyone foolish enough to allow themselves, their cabin crew and that full flight of innocent (completely unaware) souls to marinate in that recirculated cabin air for the duration of that flight needs an official dressing down. Especially in light of the potential avian flu pandemic, internationally.
:down: What a great call. :down:
EricLv2Fish
Veteran
- Aug 25, 2005
- 1,171
- 5
Okay, so my picnic table is not a big deal. Thanks for the education Lark.
Breath_of_Fresh_USAirways
Advanced
- Aug 27, 2005
- 233
- 0
If this a/c was really this big of a mess, "everywhere else possible!", then why was it ever allowed to leave the hangar? Wait, don't answer that. I already know THAT answer...
Also, why couldn't one of the F/A's just kind of go, "Ooh, ooh, what is that?" to some passenger and point to one of these "messes" and let the passenger figure it out what it is and, in turn, be the one to make a big deal about it? You know, pick a high-maintenance woman or a male metro-sexual -- they ain't going to come NEAR any bird doo-doo, let alone SIT in it for hours! You'd have had people pushing and shoving to get off! Can't you see it? Cell phones and "bird flu" and someone calling the local media -- right then and there? Passengers can be a big help if you use them, wisely.
And, really, how many passengers would choose to sit in bird sh!t, as opposed to a late departure?
Did not one, single F/A have a cell phone with a camera? A picture is worth a 1,000 words...
Barbell
Senior
- Nov 16, 2005
- 335
- 0
This is disgutsing. But people, why is it always, "Oh, there goes management again, being arrogant and not knowing what they're doing..."? Seriously, there is a certain level of responsiblity for this crew - pilots and f/as - and the gate agents, but especially mx to stop this thing from rolling.
Customer service is second only to safety. If it's unsafe, you won't be punished for stopping it. Period.
Customer service is second only to safety. If it's unsafe, you won't be punished for stopping it. Period.
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #37
Evidently you haven't been thrown into this type of situation before. I hadn't. And with a Capt. cleaning, Catering trying to cater, and agents trying to board, a cell phone wasn't at the top of my priority list. Flight attendants were in the process of contacting the Union during this, but getting someone on a phone is difficult at times. During boarding, everyone has a station to go to, and it's not in the cabin trying to show passengers bird crap. It's also embarrassing at the same time. Most of the visible mess had been glossed over, it was the carpeting that was still mostly gross. Once there were paxs aboard, moast of that was covered over with baggage and feet. It's okay to be critical, but unless you were present don't be too quick on slinging arrows at a crew that was trying to work out a situation under difficult circumstances.
TheLarkAscending
Veteran
Just to interject a tiny bit of humor into this thread: I've just spoken to one of my friends (pilot) about this incident and he'd stated that he wasn't at all surprised by the lack of knowledge regarding the potential threats/dangers since pilots never, ever buy a newspaper. 
Barbell
Senior
- Nov 16, 2005
- 335
- 0
Look, I'm not saying this situation isn't stressful, but you're faced w/ a major health issue regarding company property and you guys were trying to contact your union? You guys can flame away at me for this one, but this isn't a union work issue, this is a safety issue (spare me the safety issue created a work rule issue bs. You are adults. You are trained to handle stressful situations. Take some personal responsibility and stop this nonsense dead in its tracks).
Why weren't you trying to contact the OCC through crew scheduling? Why didn't someone politely request the customer service manager on duty? Why didn't someone confront the captain? Does the union wipe your ass, too?
So this is what it boils down to: Birds poop in cabin - bad, someone sends out one cleaner to clean the plane instead of taking it out of service and disenfecting it - bad, instead of trying to rectify the safety/health hazard issue - for which they are trained - the crew decides to file a grievance through the union - bad, and so the plane takes off loaded w/ pax and presumabely disease so someone can come on here and post anonymously about how awful it was - bad. And alerting the media? Bad taste, and PB you'll lose 1000% respect out of my book. If a company doesn't know about something, then how can it do anything about it?
fly with US
Advanced
- Nov 11, 2005
- 151
- 0
Now why would you go do that. This is a matter that could be solved without the media going crazy about it. Sure, we need to worry about our health, but just because somebody made a mistake, doesn't mean we have to go alert the media. Let us solve the problem privately, without giving US more of a bad name.
N965VJ
Veteran
I’m still curious as to how taking a further delay would have affected the crew.
As I understand, the A F/A and the Capt. were helping to clean up the mess. Why would they do that?
Sometimes we stretch our personal boundaries of acceptability to a task to get what we want in the end, whatever that short-term goal that may be.
As I understand, the A F/A and the Capt. were helping to clean up the mess. Why would they do that?
Sometimes we stretch our personal boundaries of acceptability to a task to get what we want in the end, whatever that short-term goal that may be.
stoopidute442
Advanced
While waiting to clock out this morning in the PHL hangar I finally got to see the falcon that hangs out in the hangar catch, tear apart and eat one of the smaller birds that crap on the planes. Perhaps the falcon was an IAM rep and the starling was a TWU suporter?
US1YFARE
Veteran
- Mar 31, 2004
- 3,932
- 54
People still own picnic tables?
PITbull
Veteran
- Dec 29, 2002
- 7,784
- 456
Eric, fisherman,
Do you just place your utensils and plates glassware on the bird droppings? Or, do you cover the table?
Do you lay your head down directly on the table where your head is directly on the droppings? Or, do you cover the table? Do you leave the droppings on your car as ornament, or do you allow the droppings to eat away at your paint?
Did anyone let the paxs know that they maybe laying their head on bird droppings?
I see the reason why you need to follow Dougie around like a puppy.
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #45
OK, first of all the company did know because someone was responsible for removing the birds in the first place. Cleaners were dispensed. As for taking responsibility, that is exactly what "I" did by trying to rectify a situation. The Union was contacted, because it was a Sunday and the last time I checked the COMPANY couldn't be reached on those days! The union actually returned the phone call, and I checked, and my ass is still unwiped for your info! All the "suggestions that you gave on how to rectify this situation and how you would be so "NORMA RAE" were used except contacting the OCC, which if you had been there that would have been accomplished as well. This thread was started by myself for advice on what to do after the fact. It's nice to know that there are such wonderfully supportive people in our company (if in fact you work for our company), who are willing to give their support and try to help others out. We realize what the issues were, and NO, things were NOT handled correctly. So lend some helpful support, not bitter criticism,- bad, which we can get from the company anytime! Maybe one day we can sit over coffee and pick apart the decisons that you have made in your lifetime. Is it a date?
