So, you've booked your holiday, packed your bags and made your way to the airport. It is time to relax, surely? Well yes, but also bear in mind some do's and don'ts for while you're unpacking your flight essentials and settling down for your trip. A flight attendant has revealed five things passengers should never do - including some hygiene tips that are pretty grim.
While cabin crew jet off to some exotic places as part of their job, the downside can involve seeing or handling some pretty awful situations. One flight attendant shared their experience with InsideHook and as a result, the Mirror reported on five things passengers should avoid doing on their next flight abroad.
Deanna Castro is a flight attendant with 16 years' experience under her belt so has witnessed all sorts from passengers. Sharing her experience, she details everything from simple etiquette to avoiding a major faux pas, as well as tips on a range of in-flight behaviour and even hygiene lessons.
Five things passengers should avoid doing on a flight
Step into your row
We'll start simple. The first tip is an etiquette item but also advisable for safety. When boarding and trying to get your bag into the overhead, Deanna said you should always step into your row to let passengers pass. She said it was fine to spend more time getting ready, but try to never block the walkways and cause congestion.
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She said: “When boarding, it’s polite to step into your row and allow other passengers to pass behind you. It’s okay to take a few extra minutes to get ready, but please step into the aisle and wait for a lull in traffic."
Keeping the aisle clear also goes for when you are in flight. She continued: “When you are dangling body parts into the aisle, flight attendants can trip and get hurt. Not only that, but you could get hurt — especially from a cart.”
Keep your sick bag to yourself
Okay, you might not what to think about this one, and it relates to anyone who is unwell on the flight and has to use a sick bag. The flight attendant said never hand your sick bags to the crew.
“Place it under your seat,” she said. "We can give you an extra bag to wrap it up in, but please don’t push that hot steaming bag of vomit into a flight attendant’s hands."
Whilst this one may be obvious, troubled fliers may be in a rush to get the sick away from themselves, but she asked fliers to spare a thought to who they were giving it to.
Beware when it comes to windows
According to the Mirror, cabin crew member Tommy Cimato says that some parts of the plane were dirtier than others and it seems that can include the windows. Tommy said: “Do not fall asleep or lean your head on the window”.
He warned that you never knew how many people had done the same and whether the window had been cleaned or not. Adding: “You are not the only one that has done that and you don't know how many people or children have wiped their hands or other things all over the window.”
Save your shorts for your holiday
Similarly, the crew member cautioned people against wearing shorts on the plane for the same reason. As travellers never know how clean the plane was and which bits would be, or would not be, cleaned, he recommended sticking to trousers at 12,000 feet.
“Don’t or try not to wear shorts when you're on an airplane,” he said. “It's the same thing as the window – you never know how clean it's going to be, so if you have pants, you're going to have less germs.”
Flush, just not like that
The final recommendation was a simple one. Never touch the flush button on the aircraft. Always flush they insisted, but never, under any circumstances, press the button.
Tommy was blunt in his description of it, calling it “pretty gross”. He said: “Do not ever touch the flush button with your bare hands. It's honestly just super unsanitary and pretty gross, so when you flush, use a napkin or tissue that's in the lavatory.”
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