Virgin Australia crew demand return of dedicated cleaning teams

The Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia (FAAA) is calling for the reinstatement of dedicated cleaning teams for Virgin Australia flights. The union argues that current cabin conditions have deteriorated significantly, with some staff reporting that aircraft cleanliness has reached a level where they practically “need a hazmat suit” to clean them.

According to the FAAA, cabin crew are currently required to perform deep cleans between journeys in addition to their standard service duties. This workload is reportedly exacerbated by insufficient onboard catering, which leads passengers to bring their own food, and rowdy behavior on certain international routes to destinations such as Bali and Fiji. The union states that these turnaround duties can result in staff working up to 10 hours without a break.