Leading the way

[Walktall]

Another first in the UAE..

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/Video-Exiting-Dubai-airports-Keep-passport-away-just-show-your-face-

[emerydc8]

They did this to me on a commercial out of DXB back in 2013 and I wasn't too happy about it. As a flight crew member operating into the UAE, and then commercialing out of DXB, it is imperative that you get an original blue stamp on your inbound Gen Dec even if you are deadheading in with the crew https://www.icao.int/safety/aviation-medicine/guidelines/AvInfluenza_declaration_en.pdf otherwise you are screwed if you try to commercial out.

I can remember getting into a disagreement with the officials at DWC who only wanted to give us one blue stamp on the Gen Decs as if it would cost them a fortune in ink to do extras for crew members commercialing out. Rather than escalating things in their fiefdom, I think we resorted to a color copy machine at the hotel.

[Hardy Heinlin]

Details of each disinsecting or sanitary treatment (place, date, time, method) during the flight. If no disinsecting has been carried out during the flight, give details of most recent disinsecting.

Is this about insects? Or about disinfection?

They wrote this Latin word in other ICAO languages too, e.g. désinsectisation ...
I don't understand the Chinese and Arabian version, but Google translates them with insects too.

Is this a multi-lingual supertypo?

[emerydc8]

I think it's referring to insects. Certain countries like New Zealand require freighters to empty multiple cans of insecticide on the main deck towards the end of the flight. Usually prior to T/D the mechanic or loadmaster would do it. They always wanted to see the empty cans.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

When flying to Australia via London and Kuala Lumpur 15 years ago, I was surprised to see the flight attendants walking the length of the aircraft in pairs through both aisles, each with a spray can in either hand, and emptying them right on top of the pax. "No health risk", yeah right, uche uche uche.

Hoppie

[Will]

I recall seeing that too, Jeroen! But I can't remember where it was. It wasn't Asia, and I've never been to Australia, so it would have been Central America or somewhere in Europe. But yes, I remember that. Psssssshhhhhhtt, all the way down the cabin, on both sides.


While that seems pretty disgusting, it's worth at least mentioning that the active ingredient in Raid, one of the most popular insecticides in the United States, is also available by prescription as a topical medicine for the treatment of scabies or lice. Not that you'd want to actually inhale it or eat it, but still, under physician's orders, people shampoo with it or rub it on their bodies in lotions and creams.

[Phil Bunch]

I experienced the end-of-flight spraying (from spray cans) when I landed in Australia and I think NZ.  Can't recall if this was done in my other Asia/Pacific airports.  (I was on a 6-week lecture tour around this area on behalf of my company.

I didn't recognize the smell of the sprays - they smelled lightly perfumed and not strong or unpleasant at all.  Nothing like Raid or other US-sold garden store insect sprays.  No clue what they were.  The spray cans didn't seem to have any familiar commercial or vendor labels or trademarks.  I even wondered if the airlines didn't carefully select low-risk sprays since the fumes just didn't smell like any real insecticide I've personally used.  I don't recall anyone complaining or experiencing respiratory difficulties.  I haven't read any current spraying regulations and am not familiar the regs that were active some years ago when I made this trip.

[Roddez]

When travelling to Australia and New Zealand, it was common for them to spray the aircraft.  Sometimes the cabin crew would do it and other times Quarantine staff would enter the aircraft when it arrived at the gate and spray the aircraft.

Come to think of it, it is some years since I have seen this done.

The reason is/was for bio-security.  Australia and New Zealand are fairly remote countries and we are quite lucky that many insect and plant diseases found in other parts of the world are not found in Australia or New Zealand.  These steps are all an attempt to keep it that way.

Rod.

[emerydc8]

As long as they can keep the land snakes out of NZ they're doing good!

[Will]

Just as trivia, I'll mention that you can buy and use insecticides based on mint oil or lemon oil. They kill insects, because the oil covers the bugs' lung inlets and so they suffocate. The sprays are real deal, legitimate bug killers.

But since the "poison" is just plant oil, they are completely non-toxic for humans. The mint sprays smell like you could just shpritz them over Christmas cookies, or maybe on your next birthday cake. Or over a cup to tea, so it soothes your stomach. And indeed you could; you could actually season your dessert with bug spray.

This can be quite entertaining at parties, since the spray cans usually have large pictures of roaches on them.

The bug sprays usually use mint oil since it smells pleasant enough when wafting around your home, but they could just as effectively use olive oil or sesame oil. But people don't often want those fragrances in their living rooms.

So for airplanes, to be completely not-toxic, the cabin crews could just douse all the passengers in aerosolized mint oil. Advantage: non-toxic, possibly organic, and actually quite tasty. Disadvantage: you smell like mint until your next shower.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I know some maintenance engineers who would *love* to cover the aircraft in sticky oil    :-P

[asboyd]

Nowadays I notice the spray is injected into the air con when coming from NZ to Aus and vice versa.... I guess spray cans made people gag....

Cheers,
Alex B