What's the current state of hot towels?

[MEL_Traveller]

i assumed they were washed and reused, no?

I read that most are thrown away! The cost of transporting, washing in hot water and repacking is prohibitive. And to make them is also fairly resource intensive, especially if cotton.

Not somewhere I would ever visit, but I where I have had bus transfers the busses have been waiting and air-conditioned so not an issue.



Personally I prefer to wash my face properly with running water. I dont use a face washer at home and find a hot towel to be similar, not kind on the skin at all.

Trying to wash your face with running water in those tiny airplane bathrooms these days is quite an accomplishment! Especially now with space saving ‘initiatives’ the wash basin is often set back under the tap and mirror

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Apparently hot towels - cloth variety - are really bad for the environment, As is ‘really really’ bad!

I fail to see how it is bad for the environment. Certainly if I’m flying in business long haul, it’s a positive benefit for my environment to have that refreshing hot towel.

However… some airlines are going to more flimsy, but I guess biodegradable?, options.

I haven’t seen that before. Then again I’ve only flown a handful of airlines long haul in busineess.

While I can dispense with a hot towel on boarding, or before and after a meal, it is really nice to have one first thing in the morning or when people wake up before landing.

Disposable antibacterial wipes are a must these days.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I fail to see how it is bad for the environment. Certainly if I’m flying in business long haul, it’s a positive benefit for my environment to have that refreshing hot towel.

I haven’t seen that before. Then again I’ve only flown a handful of airlines long haul in busineess.

Disposable antibacterial wipes are a must these days.

Really? You can’t see how growing, processing, manufacturing and transporting a single use item is bad for the environment? Cotton is also supposed to be pretty water intensive.

We managed for years without antibacterial wipes. People are a bit more sensitive these days perhaps?

 

[MelbFlyer]

I had 2 recent international flights in business last month -

Qantas - Melbourne to Tokyo :
No hot towel, a welcome drink provided

Japan Airlines - Tokyo to Melbourne :
Hot towel provided, no welcome drink

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Really? You can’t see how growing, processing, manufacturing and transporting a single use item is bad for the environment? Cotton is also supposed to be pretty water intensive.

It is my understanding that cloth and cotton hot towels are laundered and reused again. If not, then yes that does seem quite wasteful.

We managed for years without antibacterial wipes. People are a bit more sensitive these days perhaps?

Yes and we weren’t in the midst of a global pandemic either. Realize too that some people have medical conditions that require the use of things like hand wipes and hand sanitizer. For instance, I am on medication that suppresses my immune system, so I have to be careful. To give you some perspective here, I had food poisoning back in 2016 (salmonella if you really must know) and it took well over a month to recover from it.

-RooFlyer88

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It is my understanding that cloth and cotton hot towels are laundered and reused again. If not, then yes that does seem quite wasteful.



-RooFlyer88

Apparently not laundered and reused… hence the move away from the cloth variety.

 

[p--and--t]

It is my understanding that cloth and cotton hot towels are laundered and reused again.

Very much doubt that statement - any recent supporting data points?

I can't recall which flight, but I've seen CC collect them and immediately dump them with general rubbish.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Very much doubt that statement - any recent supporting data points?

I can't recall which flight, but I've seen CC collect them and immediately dump them with general rubbish.

A quick Google search seems to support your observation that these towels do seem to get chucked out which absolutely that’s a huge waste.

With that being said I fail to see what harm a paper towel coated in sanitizer/scent has environmentally.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

A quick Google search seems to support your observation that these towels do seem to get chucked out which absolutely that’s a huge waste.

With that being said I fail to see what harm a paper towel coated in sanitizer/scent has environmentally.

As I mentioned in a post a few up… some airlines are supplying non-cloth - and presumably biodegradable - alternatives.