Personalized Airplane Seat Covers Not OK for Onboard Use
October 11, 2007 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Air Travel, Products & Resources
It seems like every time I turn around there is a new travel gadget out there that promises to make travel germ-free — or at least as germ-free as you can get on an airplane.
I previously wrote about why the personalized air filters cannot be used. Now, the latest gadget making an appearance is the personalized airline seat cover.
These are going to be no-go items when it comes to flying, though.
Airplane seat cushions and covers must meet stringent flammability standards before they are certified for onboard use. The personalized seat covers that are now being marketed, and that have been seen on several televisions news shows, will not meet the certification requirements. The FAA has recommended that airlines not allow these devices to be used onboard.
Based on the FAA’s current recommendation, I cannot imagine any carrier allowing these to be used. If you’ve purchased one of these already, you may want to check out the company’s return policy.
______________________________________________________
How is this different than brining a blanket and sleeping on that?
The FAA has very strict rules about flame retard material. And because the implied purpose if for in-flight safety; permanent or semi-permanent(i.e. seat covers, (only because in nature of the reaction time to remove and dispose in case of fire)) are in violation of FAR23.825. A blanket technically does not follow with the regulation’s parameters as well, however, (in professional speculation), hence it is able to be easily disposed of in such event, yields the exception to the rule.
There are many Aircraft/pilot shops that do sell seat covers in accordance with the FAR. But are very costly($375.00 on average!!!)
A blanket does not attach to the seat. When something attaches itself to any part of the airplane, it must meet a higher standard.
The seat covers that have been promoted recently attached to the seat in a way that is similar to a car seat cover.
Gee, these covers seem OK to me, and I agree with aop’s comment. When you say the “FAA has recommended” against the seat covers, do you have a link to the FAA website or some news article? After all, when my seatbelt is on, I am attached to the seat as much as a carry-on seat cover could be, so do my pants have to pass a flamability test, too?
The FAA makes recommendations to the airlines, NOT the general public, and in this instance has told airlines that they recommend these seat covers not be allowed. In talking with other Flight Attendants, representing 3 US airlines, all of carriers have put out emergency bulletins to Flight Attendants that they are not allowed.
Flight Attendants to not have the luxury of picking and choosing which rules to enforce, especially when doing so can mean being fired. It doesn’t matter if I think it makes sense, I just have to follow the rule.
And as for your pants. . . I’ve never heard anyone claim that they are part of the airplane! I think they actually stick with you, not the plane.
Mary Jo,
You are wrong! I am the creator of PlaneSheets personal airline seat covers. I have an e-mail from the FAA in Washington DC that I will share with you below. Before we ever went into production with our product we went to the FAA to make sure our product was okay. They said, as you see from the e-mail from the FAA below sent on October 12, 2007 that as long as the seat cover is not affixed to the seat it is okay. I travel 10 time out of the month and every time a flight attendant sees my PlaneSheet they ask where they can buy one for themself. The information you are spreading is wrong.
Leslie Danelian
President
PlaneSheets
Travis.G.Blower@faa.gov
Sent: Fri Oct 12 9:17
To:
info@planesheets.com
Priority: Normal
Subject:
Message from FAA on Planesheets
Type: HTML Msg
This is the email that was sent to all Cabin Safety Inspectors at the FAA accross the United States. They are each assigned an carrier to provide this type of information to.
I would like to provide some additional information on the Planesheets issue. After extensive research and discussions with several groups within the FAA. It has been determined since the device does not alter the seat or its proper function, nor is the device attached to the seat . There is also no regulatory requirement that explicitly prohibits the use of such a device. There is also no regulatory requirement that an air carrier permit the use of “planesheets”. In addition, if an air carrier decides to implement an operational policy that is not inconsistent with the regulations, that prohibits the use of such a device, they have the operational flexibility to do so. The certification group has submitted comments on this issue that were taken into consideration.
Thanks again for the comments!
Travis Blower
Aviation Safety Inspector – Cabin Safety
Washington, DC HDQ AFS 200
202-267-7480
Folders Logoff
One more thing. If the airlines don’t like airline seat covers, than why are we featured in Lufthansa’s In-flight magazine this month? Or United Airlines in flight magazine last year? Or in all the Delta’s Sky Mall Magazines last holiday season? While the FAA has NO regulations that prohibit the use of PlaneSheets by passengers who bring them onbord an aircraft, if a particular airline chooses to ban a harmless piece of fabric used to protect the passenger from the dirty airline seat, than that is up to them. I suspect that the airlines would like their passengers to be as comfortable as possible though. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be supported in their own in-flight magazines.
Hi Leslie. First of all, thank you for taking the to read and comment.
The letter you received from the FAA does not actually allow your product. In fact, it explicity refers to the product not being attached to the airplane in any way. Yet, when I look at your website, the description references being attached to a seat. Additionally, the photos of the product show it looking like a fitted seat cover. If it wasn’t attached, and was like a sheet just thrown over the seat, this wouldn’t be an issue.
But, as stated in the letter which you provided, if something is attached to the plane, it is not permitted.
Additionally, the letter makes it very clear that the product is NOT specifically permitted. Rather, in typical government-speak, it says that it is not specifically prohibitted, and leaves it up to each airline to decide. That airline policy must then be followed.
At my carrier, they are prohbibited BECAUSE they are attached to the airplane.
To follow up with your second comment, Leslie, let me very clear that I am not suggesting that you cannot bring them onboard. What I am saying, is that they are prohibitted from being attached to the airplane in any way. Your letter from the FAA confirms that.
As for why airlines make the policies that they do is often beyond my understanding. However, they are my employer, and I am obligated to follow the rules and diretives that they put into place.
So please, just because you make take issue with a particular policy, don’t take it out on the front line personnel. We don’t make these decisions, but we are obligated to uphold them.
Mary Jo,
PlaneSheets are NOT affixed to the seat/ The fit over the headrest and the rest is just a loose piece of fabric. Once you tuck the fabric in, it looks fitted. I used to take my pajminas and throw them over the headrest and do the very same thing. That is how I came up with this. As I said before, the FAA told me IN PERSON after reiewing the product IN PERSON that this would not be BANNED by the FAA because it DOES NOT AFFIX OR ATTACH to the airline seat. In otherwords, it is not a part of the airplane and does not pose any kind of threat. Actually, we sell to hundreds of people with life threatening food and nut allergies. OUr product protects them immeasurably. I think there is alot more threat of people bringing on pets then a measly piece of fabric draped over the seat. I would appreciate, Mary Jo, if you would do your research before bad mouth something my husband and I worked very hard for. We have put our heart and soul into this business and we take it very seriously.
We also know that any travel accessory that adds to the value of a travelers flight and may help them decide whether or not to buy a ticket is clearly a benefit to the airline. Our product will also help minimize the complaints that even many flight attendants have had about the cleanliness of the aircraft and the satisfaction of their customers. We would think you would be most concerned about this first.
Leslie — The following instruction is listed on your website:
Simply secure the top of the PlaneSheetTM
over the headrest, tuck and sit.
That sounds like an “attachment” to me.
Please understand that I am not disparaging your product. I think the idea is great, and as someone exposed to a cabin more than most people, I have great concern for my health. I acknowledge that the cabin is not a clean environment.
But you need to recognize that the people who sign Flight Atltendant paychecks get to make the decision about this. My airlines says NO to your product.
Ironically, I just received another employee memo on tnis topic, which addresses your product by name, and reaffirms our airline’s position that they are NOT permitted to be used on our flights.
You may dislike this decision, but need to understand that it is not up to you to overrule an airline decision. Take it through appropriate channels with the carrier, but till then, I’ll be telling you that you can’t use them on my plane. The company gives me direction on what’s allowed, not passengers.
Rick — Thanks for commenting as well.
You won’t get any argument from me about whether the plane is a clean environment. And of course, Flight Attendants are concerned about health issues for our passengers and for ourselves.
But you miss the point — you say they should be allowed because they are a great product. My employer says they are to to be allowed. Whose directive to I follow?
We are front line employees, and not policy makers. To refuse to follow a company directive could result in being terminated from employment. To suggest that we violate our company policy and allow your product to be used, does us a huge disservice and a risk few of us are willing to take.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
I would be very interested to see the memo. I assume you are a flight attendent for US Air. I am aware of a situation on a US AIr flight. That is how this all started. They were under the impression that our product was something it was not. If they choose not to allow it, it is their choice but one that I feel impedes on the passengers comfort. With the influx of the superbug, I can tell you that it will only be a matter of time that the airlines will either have to insure that their seat if perfectly sanitary or allow every passenger the right to protect themselves.
Leslie,
If you’d like to discuss this specifically, as opposed to the general conversations that I try to have on this blog, please use the email link in the side bar.
I do not publish the name of the airline that I work for, because I speak for myself on this blog, and do not necessarily represent the position of my carrier. This blog reflects my opinions and experiences as a flight attendant and traveler.
I am not at liberty, for obvious security reasons, to publish documentation found in our company manuals. However, I will be happy to have a private discussion with you about the matter.
Please understand that while I may find your product interesting and/or desirable, that fact in no way allows me to disregard the mandate of my carrier.
Hi Mary Jo,
I read the back and forth with the PlaneSheets inventors, What’s your take on the headrest paper attached to most airline seats? Does your airline accept/offer these?
Bernice
Hey Planesheets…
Uhhh…wouldn’t it just be easier to construct the covers out of materials that are in compliance with FAR 25.855/853, the FAA standard for seat cushion flammability)???
Garnett,
The FAA does not have a problem with our seat covers. We are, in fact, supplying United Airlines with our Disposable Polypropylene PlaneSheets. To date, we have sold thousands of PlaneSheets and have had under 5 returns.
Best,
Leslie Danelian
PlaneSheets
Hi Leslie,
I guess I’m not fully comprehending the situation. If the FAA doesn’t have an issue, what is the issue? From what has been posted, it sounds like some airlines (United, Lufthansa) are using them, but some are prohibiting them. Of those that are prohibiting them, are they prohibiting them based on FAR 25.853…or some other reason?
To “cut to the chase”, do PlaneSheets pass FAR 25.853?
Thanks,
Garnett
The FAA has now approved Plane Sheets. I wrote an updated post and explanation.
I’m traveling now, but as soon as I get to my hotel for my overnight, I’ll append the update to this post.
Dear Garnett,
PlaneSheets are not made out of flame retardant material. That is not to say we could not make them out of that fabric if we so wish.
United Airlines is not buying PlaneSheets for their passengers, rather for their inoperable seats. (We redesigned the PlaneSheet to suit their needs and it is not an airline seat cover, rather a tent-like apparatus to insure no one sits in the airline seat. As much as I would like to say that United Airlines is jumping on board to supply their passengers with sanitary seat covers, that is not the case)
The airline industry is trying to get out out of debt right now, and they are not interested in supplying their passengers with any kind of airline seat covering or even a headrest cover, or blanket. It is up to the passenger to bring on their own creature comforts. The issue with the FAA was that they believed we were impeding the seats safety devices and that our product was much more elaborate than it is. Once they had a chance to review it, they realized that it was just a simple travel accessory.
To date, we have had only one problem with a customer and an airline. I think the flight attendants have many other things to worry about that a simple protective seat covering.
Don’t know if that answers your question or not!
I know that several changes have been made since the beginning of this discussion regarding Plane Sheets. I am now a current (SUPER SATISFIED) customer of Plane Sheets. I have nothing but praise to say about the owners and their product. I fly AA for the most part. No problems there. Being a business exec, I travel often. If an airline chooses to make my life more miserable (on top of all of the EXTRA FEES AND BS) by not allowing my Plane Sheet, I WILL and have the power to CHOOSE a different airline that will allow it. Thank you Plane Sheets for making my hectic (but fun) travel life a little more relaxing!
Mary, I have nothing against you. I just hope that you work for an airline that at least cares about it’s employees more than they do their customers who make it possible for all of you to receive a means to an end.
Warm regards,
Toni Duclottni (A Content Passenger)
Principle, Duclottni Marketing Services
Hi Toni,
Yes, several changes have been made — the biggest one is that the FAA has said that Plane Sheets are allowed to be used on the plane. It was a hurdle that had not yet been cleared when I wrote the first article.
After this article was written, the inventors of Plane Sheets (who are great people) got in touch, and I was able to steer them in the right direction toward eventual approval. Since then, I’m not aware of any carrier that has banned them.
You can read the update here: http://www.blisstree.com/flyawaycafe/planesheets-are-plane-friendly/
Thanks for reading, Toni, and I wish you continued happy travels.