I’m not sure how I missed this story last week, though it certainly ranks among the stranger airline policies I’ve heard of. Russian low cost airline Pobeda has banned chewing gum from their flights, citing a cleanup cost of ~$1,750 per piece of gum.
Via The Moscow Times:
Russia’s low-cost airliner Pobeda, a subsidiary of national carrier Aeroflot, has banned chewing gum on its planes citing the high cost of scraping off the dried gum left by shameless passengers, news agency Interfax reported Tuesday.
“The ban on chewing gum use has been in place since the middle of June and is connected to losses sustained by the airline,” Pobeda’s press secretary Yelena Selivanova said.
Prior to the ban, cleanup was costing the company up to 100,000 rubles ($1,749) per piece of gum, Pobeda CEO Andrei Kalmikov told news website Gazeta.ru previously.
Are they scraping off the gum with special edition, caviar-lubricated mother of pearl spoons, or how is it costing them ~$1,500 to remove one piece of gum?!
Regardless, my bigger question here is how they plan on enforcing this policy. As someone who obsessively chews gum all day long, I guess I’ll put them on my list of airlines to avoid. Now as long as Transaero doesn’t adopt a similar policy!
This is terrible. Chewing gum should NOT be banned. Gum helps our ears. Pinching and blowing doesn’t work for everybody. Screw any Russian airline that’d do such horrid ban. This is necessity to relieve pain,especially for children. I don’t care if gum has to be scraped or not once in a while. This is a shame. Bring chewing gum back on this airline or some folk will protest this ban and Pobeda Russian airline especially myself.
It's well-known that chewing gum is banned in Singapore (unless prescribed by a doctor or dentist). So does Singapore Airlines allow it?
The only logical explanation for gum removal costing upwards of $1750/seat is that they're replacing the entire seat rather than trying to clean it. While this may not be the most cost effective solution it likely takes a lot less time to unbolt a seat and slap a new one in than it does extracting gum's tenacious hold on every fiber of seat fabric. As someone who has experienced a gummy ass on several occasions I appreciate this no compromise solution.
Totally in favor of such a policy. One is very shortsighted if they think that the damage is limited to scraping if off of a surface. It is most annoying to have to listen to, especially in close quarters.
@eponymous coward the best way to relieve the pressurization ear pain is to pinch your nose closed then breathe slowly through it. no more need for chewing gum.
Being able to give chewing gum to my young daughter helped a lot when she had terrible ear pain from the changes in pressurization from flying (takeoff and landing).
But hey, I guess people prefer sobbing children in pain to chewing gum, right? ;)
If you amortize the cost of replacing/repairing garments it could make sense. Sat down on an American flight this morning in fact and had the pants of a very expensive suit ruined by gum that was hidden on the seat and belt. Ban the stuff or clean the planes!
I agree with @Kris. I once was on a flight in business, a middle aged business women engrossed in her works sat the entire flight loudly chewing and popping her gum. To say I wished her ill would be an understatement. Behaving like a 14 year old cheerleader on coke is not a good look and that is how most gum chewers come across, especially with the snapping and bubble blowing. Really, grow the F&*k...
I agree with @Kris. I once was on a flight in business, a middle aged business women engrossed in her works sat the entire flight loudly chewing and popping her gum. To say I wished her ill would be an understatement. Behaving like a 14 year old cheerleader on coke is not a good look and that is how most gum chewers come across, especially with the snapping and bubble blowing. Really, grow the F&*k up you are not alone in a public space, that is why it's called a public space, so maybe you might want to just consider the impact of your antisocial behavior on others? Just a thought.
In my not popular opinion Gum should be banned from all forms of public transport. It is a rare case where I actually agree with the government of Singapore. I am most disappointed that Ben admits to being addicted to gum. Your parents seems so nice, how could they have gone so wrong? ;-) Might I suggest breath mints?
As a person who absolutely cannot stand the sound of other people chewing, I love this :p
I'm surprised gum isn't banned in SQ! ;)
"Russian low cost airline Pobeda has banned chewing gum from their flights, sighting a cleanup cost of ~$1,750 per piece of gum."
Don't you mean citing instead of sighting?
@ Nolan -- Good catch. I haven't had enough coffee this morning, apparently!