I’m a flight attendant – the bad plane habits you shouldn’t do & why the middle seat gets BOTH armrests
TRAVELING by plane is stressful even when you're an experienced flyer – maybe that's why passengers forget their manners so often.
One flight attendant shared the worst habits she encounters on the job, and what you should avoid next time you fly.
Deanna Castro, a flight attendant with 16 years in the industry and the founder of training center Future Flight Attendant, said she's seen baffling and disgusting behavior from passengers in her workplace.
Speaking to Inside Hook, Castro recounted she's been forced to face.
For starters, when you board the plane, don't ask the crew to turn off the air conditioning, no matter how chilly it is.
"Airplanes are meant to be cold. Cold air helps with air sickness and the dryness isn’t as bad when you keep the plane cool," Castro told the outlet.
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If you don't do well in cold temperatures, bring a sweater or blanket when you fly. "Plan ahead," Castro said. "We want you to be comfortable.”
She also described a phenomenon that's common on airplanes, but still uncomfortable.
"When you come into the back galley, somehow your bottom always ends up in the flight attendants' faces," Castro said.
You might wander to the back of the plane to ask a question or wait for a bathroom to open up. While you're back there, make sure to angle your body away from the flight attendants who are seated in the galley.
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"Think of it like this: what if you were in your office and someone put their bum in your face?" Castro asked to emphasize how unacceptable the behavior is. "Just because it’s an airplane, doesn’t make that okay."
In fact, Castro recommended keeping your entire body to yourself. Keep your feet on the floor (and covered with shoes and socks), keep your knees and elbows out of the aisles, and keep your arms on your own armrest.
When you're unfortunate enough to be saddled with the middle seat, you can spread out a little more. The flight attendant confirmed that if you have the center seat, you're allowed to take up both armrests.
“It’s difficult to travel in the middle seat," Castro explained, "and the [only] thing you have is two armrests.";
No matter how badly you need another cranberry juice cocktail, don't whistle, snap, or grab at your flight attendant to get their attention.
"We can hear," Castro said. "You don’t need to poke us to ask us something. A simple ‘excuse me’ will do."
And while using headphones is the polite thing to do when you're listening to music or watching a movie (Castro said a surprising number of passengers will let their phones blare throughout a flight), know when to remove your earbuds.
"Take them out when speaking to the flight attendants," Castro said. "Flight attendants have a lot of people to take care of and it’s polite to be ready when they get to your row."
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Remember that flight attendants aren't your maids or personal caretakers. They're staff serving a whole planeload of people and keeping the cabin calm and orderly.
Be respectful, stay in your seat as much as possible, and clean up after yourself. You'll impress the flight attendants with your polite demeanor, and in turn, you'll have a more pleasant flight.