The everyday machine in the plane galley that cabin crew are banned from using
DON'T you hate it when stupid people ruin good things for the rest of us?
It's something for you to think about next time you're struggling to eat a cold meal on board a plane.
On some aircraft, in the not-too-distant past, us flight attendants could easily take your food, pop it in the microwave and warm it through.
However, that's no longer something we're allowed to do, simply because some people are idiots.
In this week's blog for Sun Online Travel, I'll explain why we can no longer use microwaves on board planes, even though some of them still have the machines in the galley.
For a fun period, we had them on board our planes and we could warm up anything we needed to.
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But they've sadly been disconnected because people simply cannot be trusted.
We had passengers putting metal items in them,as well as drying out pieces of luggage, including shoes.
As a rule, something that goes both on your feet and on the ground outside should not be anywhere near a machine that prepares your meals.
However, some people didn't think about that and just went right ahead and thought microwaving their footwear was a good idea.
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The same with tin foil, forks and other metal items that could easily cause a fire, which is the last thing we want to be dealing with during a flight.
So, with too much potential for disaster, danger and because some people simply cannot be trusted, we had to ditch them.
Some planes still have the machines there in the galley, unplugged and redundant.
We still get people to this day asking us if we have one on board that we can use to heat up something they bought in the airport for the flight.
I have to politely explain that, even if they've seen a microwave when they got on board, they still can't have hot food.
If you really want us to make something for you on your flight, your best bet is a cup of instant noodles.
We always have hot water and we're more than happy to give you some so you can have a quick snack, but I'm afraid anything more than that is likely to be beyond what we can offer.
So for plane snacks, sandwiches, crisps and things that don't need heating up should be your go-to.
It's annoying for us too because we could bring microwave meals with us on the flights, but now we will usually eat what the passengers do on longer journeys.
Meanwhile, the microwaves just sit there, flying all over the world, but never in use.
The unused machines are one of several strange safety features on board planes, including tiny holes in the plane windows.
A lot of people ask me what they're for, with some assuming it's dangerous.
They're perfectly normal and are known as "bleed holes" and help to regulate the air pressure, reducing the force being put on the windows.
Another thing passengers commonly ask me about are the ashtrays in the toilets that are still built into every plane - even newer ones, despite the fact smoking has been banned on board for years.
The ashtrays are still a requirement and come in handy when people who can't wait any longer decide they need to spark up in the bathroom.
Those people are pretty much always caught and more often than not punished.
But we still need somewhere to put the cigarette and the bins are typically full of flammable materials, so it's always safer to be prepared for such eventualities.
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Meanwhile, this hidden feature will keep you safe on board planes and stop you annoying other passengers.
And this is how to recline your seat without annoying other people.
