A cabin crew member has recently shared her top tips on landing your perfect place aboard a plane - in a bid to save holidaymakers money on reserved seating. If you've ever flown budget with the likes of Ryanair or easyJet without forking out the extra charge, you've more than likely ran the seat gauntlet.
Budget holidays typically tend to randomise seat allocations for those who don't pay a surcharge, meaning that party members are usually separated from one another. And even when a plane isn't full, with wiggle room for seat changes for split up families and friends - staff will sometimes stop switches to keep the plane balanced.
Kristie Koerbel, who has more than 20 years' worth of flight experience as a cabin crew member has urged customers to be proactive and pleasant when it comes to seating arrangements. Writing in the Irish Times, she penned: "If your family is split up on the flight, the chaotic rush of boarding is not when flight attendants can solve it for you."
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The Mirror reports that she continued: "The gate agents have access to the seating chart and family reservations, so please ask them first if it is possible to change your seats. Some airlines even have a policy that families with children under 13 must sit together, so the gate agent is the best place to address the issue.
"Or even better: call the airline before coming to the airport."
Kristie alleges that she has bared witness to passengers becoming more and more miffed since the rise of the Coronavirus pandemic, with more extreme incidents of bad passenger behaviour witnessed turning violent. The flight attendant has pleaded that people be mindful of their manners while aboard, to not inadvertently rile others up.
Etiquette includes being gentle while reclining a seat, and cleaning up after children so overworked cabin crew staff don't have to. She also reminded people that overhead bins are given out first come, first served, and you don't have a right to the one above you.
When it comes to noise, Kristie urged that people keep the peace by refraining from Facetime, particularly when you don't have headphones at hand. She also split the debate of armrests, stating that the person in the middle is entitled to both comforts either side of them - a consolation prize for being squeezed between two others.
Should you become tired of stale conversation with fellow passengers, Kristie recommends putting on headphones. She also says that you shouldn't take your socks off, due to the likelihood of smelling bad and ruining others' experiences.
Kristie also insists that the call button is only used in rare situations, such as when a passenger needs medical assistance or someone else is being disruptive. Use it too much, and you risk alienating the flight attendants for the duration of your trip.
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