If there’s someone to take travel advice from, it’s probably flight attendants. They’re the ones who know pretty much everything there is to know about flying, whether that’s the safest seat or how to become a star passenger.
Sharing her knowledge and helping people hack the airline system, flight attendant and content creator Cierra Mistt makes educational videos explaining how passengers can snag seat updates or check in their bags for free. Giving us a peek behind the scenes of the cabin crew, she reveals myriad travel tips and secrets that make flying a much more pleasant experience.
To find them, all you have to do is scroll down!
#1
Image credits: cierra_mistt
One thing that Cierra reveals in her videos is the cleanliness of airplanes, or rather, the lack thereof. “While it is true that cleaners do come on most flights after passengers are done getting off the plane, they don't do a deep clean like you might think they do,” she says.
Indeed, the media outlet “Which?” in their 2023 investigation found that a team of cleaners can be given as little as 8 minutes to wipe down a 180-seat plane between flights, even with some more expensive airlines. With a typical team of 8 people, two clean their way down the aisle while others take care of the gallery and toilets, giving them about six seconds to clean each seat.
#2
Image credits: cierra_mistt
#3
Image credits: cierra_mistt
On shorter flights or with cheaper airlines, there might be no cleaning between flights at all. Instead, planes are cleaned only at the end of the day.
EasyJet, with one of the lowest ratings for cleanliness, commented on this by saying, “We deploy the highest standard of aircraft cleaning procedures in line with the latest recommendations, and every EasyJet aircraft is cleaned at the end of every flying day. A recent assessment indicated that the hygiene levels on board EasyJet’s aircraft after cleaning are as high as the national food hygiene requirements.”
During a tight turnaround, airlines usually focus on making sure that the cabin is visually clean so they can welcome passengers onto an orderly aircraft. According to travel company Trafalgar, this typically involves tasks such as collecting trash, wiping surfaces like tray tables and seatbacks, and changing products like earphones, blankets, or linens.
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#5
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After midnight, there’s usually time to do a more thorough scrub, which includes cleaning the toilets, seats, overhead compartments, and aircraft kitchenette, as well as wiping and disinfecting tray tables. Most airplanes go through a more intense cleanse every four to six weeks, which takes several hours.
A microbiologist who collected samples from four flights in 2015 found that bathrooms were some of the cleaner surfaces on an airplane. Meanwhile, the tray tables were one of the most bacteria-contaminated, followed by belt buckles, headrests, and blankets.
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#7
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In order to protect yourself against bacteria or other debris, experts advise bringing sanitizer or disinfecting wipes to clean your hands after touching any surface during your journey. Flight attendant Cierra also recommends, “Whatever you do, do not walk barefoot into that bathroom. I can promise you the liquid on the floor is not water, and you do not want to be stepping in it.”
While airlines were more than ever concerned about hygiene and cleanliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, today tight turnarounds are back and planes don’t look much more pristine than in 2019, although hand sanitizers and wipes have become more common.
#8
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#9
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According to Cierra, another thing that airlines or flight attendants don’t talk about is the quality of water on planes. A 2019 study found that tap water in US carriers was contaminated with varying levels of E. coli and coliform. It further states, “The quality of drinking water varies by airline, and many airlines have possibly provided passengers with unhealthy water.”
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#11
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The water in question is used to wash hands, and what most flight attendants use to brew coffee or tea. Bobby Laurie, a travel expert, says, “A lot of flight attendants do not drink the coffee and tea made with the onboard potable water. It is rare that those tanks are emptied and cleaned. Also, consider the coffee machines on the plane, never mind the water itself.
The hot water and coffee come from the same machine, which is rarely removed unless broken; also, it's not an item that they clean between flights. Then remember where the machines are usually located. Right near the bathrooms. No, thank you!"
#12
Image credits: cierra_mistt
#13
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The study even advises against drinking water onboard that isn’t from a sealed bottle or drinks made with water from the airline tap. Researchers also recommend people avoid washing their hands with it and opt for a hand sanitizer instead.
However, this shouldn’t deter you from traveling and seeing the world, but rather serve as a reminder to take care and stay safe out there!
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#15
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#16
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Whatever you do, do not walk barefoot into that bathroom. I can promise you the liquid on the floor is not water and you do not want to be stepping in it. Not to mention, that bathroom never gets cleaned unless it's bad enough that we have to literally close it off for the rest of the flightWhile it is true that cleaners do come on most flights after passengers are done getting off the plane, they don't do a deep clean like you might think they do. In fact, they only did that during COVID and the only things that they really deep cleaned were the tray tables and seat belts. Nowadays it's more like just to tidy up and getting the trash off the floor. That being said, there is a reason why we offer you those wipes right as you're boarding the plane. If I were you, instead of wiping down that tray table and seat belt they just cleaned, I would use that wipe to clean off the window that you're sitting next to because just like the bathroom floor, those things have never been cleaned eitherIf you want a cheap flight, look for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, that's when they'll be the cheapest. Not only that, but I highly suggest that you use a VPN so they don't know what country you're searching flights in, because normally if you're looking in the United States they're going to jack those prices way upThe majority of the flights, we have to move people for weight and balance purposes. That being said, if you want to fly first class and not have to pay for it, I highly suggest that you choose sitting in the last row, because if we do have to move people for weight and balance purposes, that's where the flight attendants are gonna goAfter the first service of giving you food and drinks, the flight attendants will normally dim the lights. This is not only for your chill time, but our chill time also. That being said, instead of ringing a call button to ask for seconds, all you have to do is walk to the back of the plane and see a giant snack box sitting there for any passengers to get. The majority of all long-haul flights have this featureIf there's a baby or a toddler crying and screaming on a plane, try this. Ask for a cup of hot water and some napkins or paper towels. Once you get those two things, put the paper towel napkins in the water, let it cool down for a second (because it is boiling hot water), you're going to take that and put it on the child's ear. The reason that they're probably crying is because their ears are very sensitive to pressure change. That being said, the most normal time for this to happen is normally when we're about to land. This also helps for the adults that have, like, a cold or sinus infectionWhen it comes to parking and you want to make sure that your vehicle is safe at the airport, especially on those long trips, park in either the top floor of the parking garage or the very back of economy parking. At this point, you may be thinking, Ciara, why would I do that, it's the furthest away and it's probably not guarded at all. This is actually the parking for all the employees of the airport along with crew members that are going to be on trips. Park security is constantly monitoring that area to make sure that no one breaks into those cars and the shuttles are over there more than any other place because they need to make sure that their employees get to work on timeYou want free upgrades to first class on your next flight, free unlimited drinks, like anything you want, the special treatment, bring us a gift card. Doesn't matter if it's a $5, $10, $100 or even $1 gift card, we're not going to find out on that flight anyway, just bring us a gift card. Things that we do for passengers who bring us like, the silliest little gifts and quirky shit, like anything that gives us just a sliver of joy in our lives because we are peasants, flying flight attendants are scavenging peasants. And I know there's some little pesky employee who takes his job way too seriously, that's probably going to send this to HR and be like ‘this is an example of what people shouldn't do’ and like, send it to their newbies like, ‘Don't claim any of those tips.’ Don't listen to her. Hey, guess what, nobody likes you. Not even your own company likes you. In fact, the only reason they keep you around is because they needed a rat to be able to tattletale on others. You’re a rattletale. I digress. Anyway, get your flight attendant a gift or gift card and then watch the magic strings that she'll pull for youSit in the very last row. Now, you might be thinking that sounds a little weird, but let me tell you why. On flights that aren’t full, we normally have to move passengers for weight and balance purposes, and when we do that, it's normally from back to the front, and if that's the case, the flight attendants are going to choose the people in that very last row to go up front because then they can sit down there after doing their service because it's a lot more comfy to sit in those passenger seats than it is in the jump seatsYou'll know if your flight is full and even overbooked because the gate agents will normally make an announcement at the beginning telling you that it's overbooked and that they need volunteers. They normally start really low at like 2 to 500 as an airport voucher. Here is what you do instead: first go to the gate agent, second, give them the price and say that you want that in cash. Last but not least, when the gate agent is rebooking you for that next flight, make sure that they put you in first class to compensate for your time that you're losing because you had to get kicked from that flight. Over 99% of the time this worksFor the ones who want special treatment on their flight. So, first thing not to do is bring gift cards. So, the majority of the time that this happens, passengers don't know how many crew members are going to be on that flight, meaning the majority of the time at least one person gets left out. Here's what you're going to do instead. On your way to the airport, stop at the nearest Costco or Walmart and get a bag of your favorite candy. Pack it in your carry-on and as you're walking onto your flight, make sure that you hand it to the flight attendant at the very beginning. We're always in constant communication between the pilots and the flight attendants so everyone on board will know who you are and what you did for usInstead of getting a $5 gift card for every single crew member on your next flight, here's what you're going to do instead - combine that money from all those gift cards and put it into one. Treat everything like it's normal until you're up in the sky and the first flight attendant comes for the first round of service. That flight attendant will be your flight attendant for the rest of the flight. Once you realize what flight attendant is going to be providing you service, make sure that they are the ones who get that gift card. You don't even have to insinuate anything, you can literally just say ‘I just wanted to give you this to say thanks.’ Over 99% of the time they will then make sure that you are the star passenger and they will cater to your every need, including giving extra points to your status, extra miles toward your status, free upgrades and even free drinks and foodCommercial airlines know when a flight should have gotten canceled, but they'll still put it on a delay and they won't tell you how long it's going to take because there's actually a loophole in the FAA. You see, per FAA federal regulation, if a flight has to take a delay, and the reason for that delay is outside of the airline's control like weather or an employee strike, whatever the case may be, then the FAA has made it to where the airlines don't have to give refunds to their passengers. However, if a flight is canceled, it doesn't matter what reason they give, they're still obligated to pay each passenger a full refund. So if you ever find yourself in the situation that I just described, where your flight is delayed hours on end with no end in sight, and they normally just blame weather maintenance issues, employees, whatever, this is what you're gonna do. Go to the Google Flights website and type in the airport you're currently at and the final destination you're trying to get to. Also, when you add how many passengers are flying, make sure it's at least the amount of your party and then add three more passengers. So, for an example, if you had a party of five people that you're trying to get somewhere, put 8, 6, 9. You know, you get it. Then you're going to look at all those different routes. It doesn't matter what airlines they are, but pick three of them. Next, what you're going to do is pull up your airline that you are flying with, their policy on delays. Last but not least, go up to your airline's gate agent, our customer service agent, and tell them that you want to rebook your flight with one of those three options that you found. The fact that you know that there's at least three extra seats on those flights, not to mention the fact that you have their airline policy pulled up, that makes sure that they can actually rebook you on another flight. The gate agent or the customer service agent has nothing to argue against you and they have to rebook your flightIf you want to be in first class without paying for it upfront, here's what you do on the day of your flight. When you get to the airport, look on your phone at the seating chart and see if there's any rows in economy that are completely empty. Then what you're going to do is you're either going to change it on your phone or ask the gate agent to put you on that empty row and this works especially well on international flights. While you may not get the free drinks that first class comes with, you do have an entire row to yourself that you can lay out, just fall asleep. I honestly prefer it that wayYou can get any bag checked for free. Here's what you're going to do: walk into the airport and go through security just like you normally would. Yes, security is going to look at you a little funny, but they're not going to make you check that bag because they know this hack. So after you go through security and you’re at your gate waiting to board, be listening for your gate agent's announcement about voluntarily checking bags. This will not only get your bag checked for free, but you'll also be one of the first people able to board the flightWhen you go to the bathroom on a plane, don't use the toilet paper. Instead, use the paper towels. It's higher quality and it won’t rip or dissolve like the toilet paper would
