[Anonymous]

[BarbicanLondon]

I find BA’s “commitment to the environment” message on board l when they ask people to leave their newspapers on the front row when leaving the aircraft to be recycled somewhat irritating. The idea is sound enough but the practicality is not.

My hands are generally full when leaving the aircraft as a lot of other passengers are as well.

It would be better to ask that newspapers are left on their seat and then the cabin crew then pick them up for recycling – far better!

[handbag]

Do not want to get into the debate as to whether is is the right thing to do or not, but here is why Crew would not do it.

Cabin Crew are told to leave the aircraft asap after landing, so that cleaners, caterers, security etc. can be done for the next sector of that aircraft. The others should not really board until Crew have got off.

Unfortuantely none of the above would be impressed if we delayed them. I do not know if the cleaners recycle those that are not left on the front seat.

Crew getting off, catering, crew getting on etc. , is all timed and any delay is put down to the relevant department.

[NTarrant]

I’m all for recycling, but would expect newspapers to be collected by the cleaners rather than expecting passengers to carry to the front or expect cabin crew to collect them.

[SimonS1]

Why not go the whole hog and ask passengers to tidy up around their seats, rearrange the seat pockets etc. Maybe a duster could be provided in the same bag as the blanket.

[canucklad]

I suspect Simon is closer to the truth than he thinks. Think about the old adage….. Many hands make light work.,… This is exactly what this. Exercise is, probably. Get 200+ people trained to rmove a mass of bulk paper to a central collection point! After all we all love planet home don’t we? Now do the economics.– at least one less cleaner required per crew per flight. BA management are genius. Sneaky but clever all the same! I would have expected the papers to have been re-cycled before this ruse!

[stevescoots]

sorry, I dont see the issue. either carry the paper to the front, or just leave it where it is.

Its a request, not a demand.

what BA have done isnt sneaky, its just what most companies would do. In reality almost no company engages in green policies voluntaraly to save the planet, Companies use green tag lines to market uninteresting or unpolular actions that save them money, wrapping them up in a pretty bow.

[canucklad]

Don’t see it as an issue either…what I will say is that phrasing a request in a particular manner, turns it into an instruction rather than a request by clever use of words.

And stevescoots you’re right about companies using green tag lines as an excuse, although I would commend BA on it’s “One Destination” programme.

If done correctly corporate responsibility should be an integral part of of a companies culture…the employees of that company taking responsibility for trheir own behaviorial change…and the company influencing for the better the behaviours of it’s customers.

I work for a company that decides certain policies based on enviromental impact , and as such, my opinions on green issues are more treehuggy than they were 10 years ago !

So when I am “asked” to move my papers to the front i will comply for fear of guilt from other like minded tree huggers! Even though I know that it is more to do with a time and motion cost saving exercise than BA saving the planet!…As I said earlier ,as a company that has a corporate responsbility I’m sure they would have instructed their out source partners to be green and recycle not just papers .

My green credentials are now ….

1) Endure the train rather than fly even though the cost of rail travel exceeds airfare.
2) Everything at my place of work is recycled including food which is composted into the garden used to grow herbs and vegetables for the outsourced catering company!
3)Free bikes and incentived public transport
4)Energy efficient buildings and equipment…annoyingly self switching PC’s off etc.
5)Any company bidding for our tender must align its self to our values….i.e. we will not use taxi’s who don’t use Priuses etc.
6)Volunteering in the local community…raising money for the rainforest etc

It would be interesting to find out how many other people know about BA’s Corporate responsibility “One Destination” programme ?

[Eastbourneguy]

The Recycling announcement is only made on Domestic and European fights, I have never heard it on BA long haul? Why not?

Could it be the cleaners pick up of the seats????

Also to comment on Handbags early comment abut the crew having to leave ASAP after landing …..this would apply to under 35 percentage of flights only, because most flights operate a return sector with the same crew, or sometimes they remain on the same aircraft to operate another flight on the same aircraft.

[FrDougal]

9 times out of 10 you carried that paper onboard, im pretty sure you can carry it off with you too!

[d1rector]

I am in sympathy with many posts here. Everything these days seems to require the customer to do it themselves (at their inconvenience and effort) – despite us paying business fares etc for a premium service. Clean your own phones in the office; use online help (heaven forbid you should ever want a human being to help you out!); go online for your own bills and balances; send in your own gas and electricity readings; accept paperless billing; etc.

Who is kidding who?? All – ALL – these “innovations” are to help and reduce costs for the service providers, NOT the environment (though that’s the excuse) and NOT the customer.

Latest gem I have seen in Figaro (French newspaper) is that RyanAir want wider doors so they can off- and on-load people more quickly for a faster turnaround. 25 minutes apparently is too long, for God’s sake. Strikes me that bomb doors would be a good solution to evacuate the whole PAX load in an instant. But I won’t be flying Ryan.

[Author]

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