Are You a Frequent Flyer? Your Knowledge Can Still Not Compete With The Level That Flight Attendants Possess!

These days, a lot of people fly often and they know a lot of rules that are applied in the aviation sector. However, the flight attendant experience is way bigger, which is most clear when crew members travel as passengers.

Francesco Lentini, a flight attendant with major experience told HuffPost that working as a cabin crew completely changes your perspective on traveling via plane. For example, is very important to understand that not all the passengers are flying because are going on a holiday, most of them travel because of their work, for a funeral, or all kinds of health issues… The job helps you become more empathetic and gives you the chance to discover the world. It’s truly amazing!

Unfortunately, the job made Lentini also realize, how rude people can be with those who sit around themselves. They can be really inconsiderate and are never thinking about their fellow passengers.

HuffPost asked a lot of flight attendants what they avoid doing when they fly as passengers, and here are some of the most common answers:

What do flight attendants avoid doing when they are flying as passengers?

1. Walking around without shoes

Jay Robert, a former flight attendant and the founder of A Fly Guy Travels said that he’ll never be seen taking off his shoes, walking barefoot, or putting his feet all over the seats and walls. Believe it or not, most passengers do that! It’s not only about social decorum, there are hygiene reasons that should be taken into consideration!

Robert said that after knowing what is going on behind the scenes is impossible to behave like that. He would never expose his bare skin to the floors of aircraft.

Nobody has enough time to clean the aircraft properly. So, next time, you’re thinking about taking off your shoes while traveling, remember that aircraft cleaners usually just want to mask the smell.

2. Ringing the call button when there is no emergency

Christa Treat, a flight attendant with a major U. S. airline said that one thing she would never do as a passenger is ring the call light button unless it’s an emergency. The majority of people think that the button is for ordering snacks and drinks. But in reality, it should save your life.

Flight attendants never sit for too long. You’ll always see them walking around and doing things while checking that everything is alright. So, using the button to reach them, is something that Christa Treat can’t imagine doing. While they are doing safety checks, you can respectfully tell them that you want to have another drink. Or, if the belt light is off, you can go to the gallery to make a request.

Heather Poole, the author of: “Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 feet.” advises everyone to stand up for a stretch, this way, you can request what you need. But, flight attendants have more important things to do, other than serving drinks.

3. Using the lavatory during the boarding process

It’s essential to get your business done before boarding and takeoff. So don’t use the aircraft’s lavatory. Lentini said that by using the lavatory and don’t get to their seats as fast as possible, passengers can cause significant delays. “There are dozens of restrooms in the terminal to use. Using the lavatory during boarding can delay departure because then passengers are going against the flow of traffic to get back to their seat.”

4. Intruding into the crew’s space

Oh, for sure, most of the flight attendants will never do this: stand in the aircraft galley for a lengthy period of time. Lentini said that the flight attendant’s workspace is the place where they work and eat. So, having you doing yoga poses while they are trying to enjoy their lunch, could be really annoying.

Robert was the one who emphasized the limited breaks flight attendants have. The cabin crews are having really limited time. So, respecting their space a little bit would be awesome! “During flights on the London-to-Dubai route, our free time in uniform was a mere 15 minutes within a 15-hour time frame, usually spent hastily grabbing a meal that often got interrupted by someone needing assistance, ” he explained.

5. Handing trash to a flight attendant while boarding

It happens quite often for flight attendants to receive trash while boarding. A lot of passengers come with their trash from the terminal, inside the plane, and expect the cabin crew to throw it away. Isn’t that crazy?

Flight attendants have important things to do before the plane takes off. So, it would be really nice if all the passengers would try to dispose

their trash in one of the receptacles in the airport before boarding.

Image by Friends Stock from Shutterstock

6. Trying to bring an overweight carry-on bag

A lot of passengers prefer to stick to the carry-on bag while traveling, most of the time, not taking into consideration the size and weight restrictions. All the passengers should know that if they can’t lift their baggage and place it in the overhead bin, probably the flight attendants can’t either. Nobody wants a shoulder injury because you didn’t respect the weight restrictions. So, be more careful next time when you travel!

7. Making demands about food and drinks

If you are not in a special premium cabin, don’t expect a fancy meal on a flight day. You shouldn’t assume the airline will provide that for you on the plane. The airline is not responsible for taking care of your meals. So, you better buy a water bottle from the terminal and make sure you pack some food from home. “Airplane food is like astronauts food. Not worth getting upset over,” said Poole.

8. Acting unkindly

All the flight attendants who spoke to HuffPost would love everyone to understand that their primary job ensuring safety. Even though they served drinks and food, the pieces of training they had focused on skills like evacuating the plane, applying first-aid techniques, using emergency equipment, dealing with fires, handling dangerous items, and surviving in the event of a water landing.

Of course, for the cabin crew, it’s a big pleasure to see you comfortable, but their biggest pleasure is to take you from point A to point B safely.

“Working as a flight attendant will change your perspective the same way working as a waiter changes your dining experience, or how working in retail changes how you anyone who works in sales.”

In the U.S., flight crews aren’t paid until the plane door shuts. So, their efforts during the boarding and deplaning process are not compensated. So, the kindness received from passengers can really go a long way, considering the many unpaid hours.

9. Boarding before getting organized

“What has changed the most for me since becoming a flight attendant is how I prepare myself before boarding the aircraft,” said Sif Björnsdóttir. She is a deputy manager of cabin crew training at the Icelandic airline Play. She also emphasized the importance of getting organized before the boarding process.

“As a passenger, I have everything I need in my seat ready to go and everything else goes in my in-flight bag so that when I board, it gets me seconds to get to my seat.”

Before leaving, check out another related article found on our website: 12 Facts We All Know That Are Completely Wrong.