B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Physiological - Other; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Procedure; Human Factors; Company Policy
No chillers-unsafe food; air quality-passengers dizzy and ill; excess water on floor1) No chillers in galleys on 737; yet we serve both hot and cold food. Pilot called about 2 hours into flt to get cold snack--chicken breast over a salad. I'd brought a food thermometer with me and checked it. Was 65 degrees. FDA says cold food should be served at no more than 40 degrees. Also; it should remain refrigerated until serving time. Have noticed on US to ZZZ flights that I'd worked in early March that food was getting warm quickly and smelling bad. No food is boarded in ZZZ; galley is boarded in the US early in the morning; therefore crew and passenger food has been sitting unrefrigerated for 6-7 hours--some of that time in the hot heat. Upon boarding return flt First Class (FC) galley actually smelled like rotten food and flies were buzzing around. So; back to current flt. Galley was boarded in Mexico so galley hadn't sat on the ground like the ZZZ galley I described. Still; food became warm quickly. A few dry ice bags on top of cart does not constitute refrigeration. Even when lots of dry ice is boarded; it only lasts a few hours and cools very unevenly. It can only cool trays closest to it; and does nothing for the lower and middle trays. So; when pilot asked for cold snack; I used my thermometer and found the temp of the chicken to be 65 degrees. He refused the meal. I cannot imagine what could've happened if he had eaten it. Especially if it had hit him at a critical juncture; like landing. 2) Halfway through 5hr flt; melt from the ice boarded came gushing out of bottom of cart. This is due to removal of dry ice that we used to have boarded on top of wine/beer/ drink ice supplies. Instead of using dry ice for this purpose; our airline has replaced the normal sized liquor bins that used to hold beer/wine with a very large blue bin and piled in beer/white wine and two large bags of drink ice-no dry ice. Without the dry ice cover; the drink ice melts very quickly; the beer/wine is sloshing around in the bin and water eventually spills out onto galley floor. This has been happening regularly since our company removed the dry ice cover and the flight attendants have been writing this up consistently. Our company has told us that the dry ice was coming back about a year ago; but as yet it hasn't. This is a continuing slip/trip hazard for flight attendants; pilots and any passengers walking through galley areas. There are also integral electronics under the aircraft floors; consistently soaking the galley floors and water seeping underneath is a safety hazard to this; as well. I know of at least one company flt that had to make an emergency landing due to flight attendant injury after slipping on an extremely wet galley floor. This issue did not exist before the removal of the dry ice cover. There have always been galley spills; but not to the extent of the daily soaking of galley floors on almost every flight that I work. 3) Approx. :30 before landing; a little girl jumped out of her seat and ran towards the FC bathroom; vomiting several times along the way. (Forward y lav was occupied) Flight Attendants used [zip tie bags] to clean up vomit. I spoke to her Father who told me she had been feeling dizzy the entire flight; and he had started feeling dizzy himself. He did not want me to call for med assistance; however. This sounded familiar to me; so I called pilots and asked for them to turn off one pack in order to bring more fresh air into cabin. Captain said that was impossible. Very interesting response; considering Captain on my March flight told me the opposite. Please refer to my IOR regarding the air quality issue. A passenger on that flight passed out and needed O2. Captain said there was a 'known issue with air quality on the 737' and that he 'felt dizzy himself when riding in cabin; and not in the cockpit.' I am noticing passengers passing out or feeling dizzy on every 737 flt I've worked; so I think Captain xx has a point. 4) Noticed some vomit on the FC galley floor. All yellow zip tie had been used; so I obtained an alcohol wipe from the kit and cleaned it up. Went to wash hands but sick girl was still in FC lav. Other lavs also occupied. I had nowhere to wash my hands as there is no water spigot in the galley--unlike all other aircraft we have. A few passengers wanted last minute drinks; but I couldn't do anything or touch anything until I'd washed my hands with soap and water-as per CDC guidelines. I don't know how an aircraft galley could even be constructed without a water spigot--as sometimes we need regular water for other things. Bottled water almost always runs out; as well. There are many times when a FA needs cannot get into the lav--but need to quickly wash his/her hands-for our safety and the safety of our passengers. (I will attach photos of wet galley floors on different aircraft; this particular 737 as well as other flights I've worked--to illustrate what a widespread problem the melting ice is; also the photos of food that I've noticed was warm and the meal I tested for temperature).
A Flight Attendant described her B737 experience on long flights in company aircraft which have had the galley chillers removed resulting in non-chilled food service.