Being a flight attendant can be a bit of a thankless job. 

It means spending weeks away from home, having to deal with rude passengers and spending hours a day in a pressurized cabin at 35,000ft.

The training for cabin crew is intense and incredibly thorough: from dealing with possible emergencies,

whether that be a health issue with passengers or calming nervous flyers to dealing with drunk passengers.

The one thing that cabin crew believe is the most challenging aspect of their jobs is dealing with us, the passengers.

A flight attendant has spoken about the things flight attendants would hope they’d never have to deal with.

Charlotte, an ex flight attendant speaking to Conde Nast Traveler says, “We used to refer to the cabin as the jungle.  There were so many people with different perspectives, demands and expectations, all crammed into a flying tin”, she explains. 

“There are so many variables and things that could happen that are really out of your control”. 

“Every day we wondered whether we’d have a passenger do something that most people on the ground would think is absurd”.

Here are things flight attendants would prefer you did and didn’t do:

Don’t drink excessively

This could seriously disrupt the flight and will likely cause you to be refused any further alcohol.  There is less oxygen in the cabin which means you’ll feel drunk faster than you would on the ground. 

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No Smoking

Smoking on planes is dangerous. Not only for the risk of fire, but danger to other passengers.  

One passenger covered his head with a blanket and started smoking.  He was arrested when the plane landed.  

Another placed his cigarettes and lighter on a tray table and told the  crew he was ‘just looking at them’. After

a few drinks he tried to light one. The drinks were stopped. He went on to insult Charlotte by saying,

‘You just look really sweaty’.

Don’t fight with passengers

People can be nervous about flying which can raise tensions. Charlotte says, “Once a passenger accused someone else of stealing their bag.  I had to stand between two grown men.  We are taught restraint but having to do it in reality, felt scary”.

Since the pandemic, reports of incidents have increased.  Sara Nelson, a flight attendant and President of the National Flight Attendants’ Union told The Guardian, “This is happening every day now”. 

Don’t get annoyed if the person in front reclines their seat

This is an age-old issue.  If a passenger pays for their seat, they should be able to recline and it is a passenger’s right to do so. 

“One woman repeatedly pressed the call bell for our attention and demanded an upgrade because the passenger in front was reclining their seat.  There’s really nothing we can do”, Charlotte says.

Tidy your mess

All flights have an attendant coming through the cabin with large garbage bags at the end of a flight. Hand over your rubbish then and not when they are doing other things. 

Keep the toilet clean for other passengers.  “Don’t leave paper towels on the surface of the toilet – the bins close automatically for a reason, and leaving anything on the surface is a fire safety hazard”. 

Keep your socks on

“Do not put your feet in other people’s personal space – especially if you’ve taken off your shoes”, says Charlotte.  “There’s no need to put your feet on the armrest of other people’s seats, stretch them across into other people’s space, or block the aisles – it’s a serious safety hazard”. 

Don’t stand until the seatbelt sign is switched off

As soon as the wheels hit the tarmac, many people stand.  Don’t. Wait until the plane has come to a complete stop. 

“We are in charge of when the doors open, so standing up won’t get you anywhere any faster”. 

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