Travel by plane can mean many things to different people: for some, it is a way to meet loved ones, for others it is the quick way to get to a dream vacation. However, for the crew, getting on a plane is just one more day of work.
This is why it is important to take care of our behavior in the office of the hostesses and pilots, not only for their sake but also for the well-being of our fellow travellers.
To help us in this task, Caroline Mercedes, a young flight attendant, communicated to the Insider portal the attitudes of the passengers that most annoy the flight attendants.
Ignore the flight attendants who meet you at the door
What seems logical and a simple sign of good manners may not be so clear to everyone. According to her, many of the passengers who board the plane do not bother to greet the flight attendants who meet them at the door of the plane.
This attitude causes annoyance to staff who are just doing their job with a smile.
“You’d be surprised how many people step on board and won’t even make eye contact with us but will still try to hand us their trash on their way in without saying a word,” explains the young woman.
Asking if you will have time to make a connection
This annoying attitude is especially infuriating when the passenger buys a ticket that leaves very little time between flights.
That is why the flight attendant advises to stop buying tickets on websites that do not even give 30 minutes between flights. This, according to Caroline, is a very short time and the chances of losing the connection are very high. Less than an hour, it is an unnecessary risk.
“I can’t tell you how many times a passenger has asked me if they’re going to make their tight connection when our flight is landing right on time or early. Unfortunately, if you have to ask, the answer is probably no,” says the flight attendant.
Waking up your neighbor for food
At this point, Caroline is empathetic: For no reason should you wake up your unfamiliar seat neighbor just to enjoy a hearty airplane meal.
In addition, there is always the option of calling the flight attendants at any time to ask for something to eat or drink.
Ask where the plane is located
Many times the flight attendants work on several different routes and do not have one assigned, so they do not know exactly where the plane is on the globe.
Get up during turbulence
Not only is it something annoying for other passengers, it is actually an action that puts you and even those around you at risk.
“I think sometimes people forget that you’re 30,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube and that the weather isn’t predictable,” says Caroline.
Not watching your children
We have all encountered a family that seems to pay no attention to what their young children are doing, who feel free to annoy other people. However, in an airplane thousands of feet above sea level this goes from being annoying to being dangerous.
“I love kids and am happy to help you if you need it, but just because I’m a flight attendant doesn’t mean I am automatically a babysitter. Each day I see so many parents get on a flight and immediately fall asleep or just not pay attention, leaving their children unattended,” says Caroline.
Get up to use the bathroom as soon as you get on the plane or the aircraft takes off
The flight attendant recommends using the bathroom in the terminal before boarding or waiting until the flight attendants offer the drinks.
Doing it as soon as you get on the plane can delay the whole process.
“When we have a long line of people trying to use the bathroom, it’s hard to get the service started,” says the stewardess.
Discuss mask policy in times of COVID
Traveling during pandemic has become an extreme sport, with many restricted hours and a new travel etiquette that includes wearing a mask for an entire flight. And while this can be uncomfortable, the crew has an obligation to enforce this rule.
However, this does not usually sit well with many passengers who are against this policy or who simply get tired of spending many hours with the mask.
“Regardless of where you or I stand when it comes to masks, it’s still my job to enforce the mask policy on the airplane as long as the CDC and the Federal Aviation Administration require it during air travel,” explains Caroline.
Ask for a blanket when there are not as many on the plane as passengers think
Everyone who has traveled knows that airplanes and airports are not the warmest places in the world. However, many insist on traveling uncovered and requesting a blanket on the plane, although the truth is that airlines do not have one for each passenger.
Caroline recommends always dressing warm, no matter if the final destination is hot.
“I’m not sure where everyone got this false idea that we have hundreds of extra blankets stored on the plane,” she says.
Ring the bell to give the garbage to the flight attendant
Despite the fact that after food service the crew stops by to pick up the waste, there are always things that pile up. However, it is annoying for workers to be called just to take the garbage away.
This is why Caroline advises using the motion sickness bag or any other bag to be able to put all the waste there and hand it over to the staff at the end of the flight.
“It’s frustrating when someone rings their call bell so we can pick up trash, because we were probably just there, and we may not have gloves on or a trash bag with us,” confesses the flight attendant.
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