Airport execs ordered to do bathroom duty

CHICAGO (AFP) - Executives responsible for one of the busiest US airports are getting down and dirty in its bathrooms this week.

About 25 executives in the city of Chicago's aviation department are pulling bathroom duty at the city's O'Hare International Airport to give them a better appreciation for the importance of sparkleingly clean toilet facilities.

The idea is the brainchild of Chicago aviation commissioner John Roberson and follows complaints from passengers about the shoddy state of the facilities.

"The only way you can really understand the importance of keeping our restrooms clean is going out and getting your hands dirty," Roberson told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Roberson is scheduled to do his own eight-hour stint mopping floors, cleaning sinks, and emptying the trash in airport bathrooms Friday, according to aviation spokeswoman Annette Martinez.

The airport handles about 200,000 passengers a day, many of them stopping just long enough to make a connection to another flight -- and possibly use the restrooms -- so the quality of airport amenities is central to their impression of the city, she said.