Things To Never Do On A Plane According To Flight Attendants

Currently, air travel does save time when traveling, either for business or pleasure, but sometimes a flight can be a total nightmare. Getting from A to B can be ruined by the actions of other passengers, spoiling your travel experience. According to flight attendants, the following are things you should never do when on a plane, to respect your neighbors and flight staff.

Don’t use your phone on speaker mode

Now passengers are allowed to use their phones during the flight, but sometimes this can be unpleasant. When having a Facetime, or watching a TikTok video, use headphones. No one else is interested in your conversation and the sound of you chuckling while a tinny TikTok is playing is just plain annoying.

Meanwhile, flight attendant Kristie Koerbel shared the advantages of bringing your own headphones with the New York Times. Not only does this shut the sound off for other passengers, but it is also a great strategy to avoid a conversation with an annoying neighbor. Even better, if the headphones are noise-canceling you get to reduce the noise from other passengers, even crying babies.

Keep your shoes and socks on during the flight

Social media is full of videos where people remove their shoes and socks while on a flight. It might sound more comfortable, but it is likely a bad idea. Should passengers walk the aisle in bare feet, it is probably dirtier than it looks. Meanwhile, the scent of smelly feet tends to get trapped in the cabin.

Correct use of plane bathrooms

A plane’s bathroom is handy for changing a baby’s diaper, but parents should ensure the results are dealt with appropriately. Make sure you carry spare plastic packets to dispose of the diaper and ensure that you correctly flush the toilet should you use it. There is nothing worse than a fellow passenger following you into the bathroom to not only find the result of your visit but also the smell. If you have a problem finding out how to flush the toilet, ask for a flight attendant’s help.

Don’t ask people to swap seats on a flight

A recent viral TikTok video was part of a popular debate about asking other passengers to change seats. Yes, everyone understands that a family prefers to sit together on a flight, but asking someone to take a worse seat is just plain rude.

The best way to avoid this is to plan ahead and select seats together, even if it means paying more for the flight. Meanwhile, the TikTok video gives a perfect example of a mother wanting to sit together with her child, who was all of six-feet or more in height, wanting her to move from a window seat to a middle seat.

@surya_garg

for real like was I wrong #nyc #airplane #airplaneseats

♬ original sound – Surya Garg

Gas-inducing food before or during the flight

Everyone is different, but air pressure on a plane can affect passengers’ stomachs, often leading to gas. For this reason, it is a good idea to choose carefully what to eat before and during the flight. Not only does having a bloated stomach make the journey very uncomfortable, you could also ruin your neighbor’s flight experience.

Meanwhile, passengers who have eaten strong-smelling foods (garlic for example) are among the most annoying. Also, bear in mind that carbonated drinks or beer can also give you that bloated and uncomfortable feeling.

Don’t drink tap water on the plane

On the subject of stomachs, flight attendants know to always avoid drinking tap water on planes. Meanwhile, they recommend that passengers should also do the same. While it might be fine and dandy to drink from the tap at home, studies have revealed that tap water on airplanes with regular commercial airlines could be full of E. coli and coliform. Rather opt for bottled water every time.

Don’t abruptly recline your seat

While it is fine to recline your seat during a flight, it is always polite to warn the passenger behind you before doing so. Not only could this spill their drink, but according to Koerbel, laptops have been broken by passengers abruptly reclining their seats. Not only that, she said this has turned into fistfights on occasion. It takes seconds to warn the passenger behind you, rather than just slamming the seat back.