Flight Attendants Reveal the Things You Should Never Do While Flying

From hygiene to baggage and everything in between, experienced flight attendants have revealed what passengers should never do while traveling.

Chris Price and Isold Wilberg Antonsdóttir cited walking barefoot, changing diapers in their seats, leaving trash behind and being disorganized with luggage as the ultimate passenger blunders.

And they urge nervous travelers to think carefully about which seats they choose, especially if they want extra legroom.

Prepare to be surprised, and maybe even a little disgusted, at the world of flying bacteria and passenger annoyances.

Two flight attendants have revealed what a passenger should never do during a flight (pictured: Ísold Wilberg Antonsdóttir, flight attendant at PLAY, a low-cost airline from Iceland)

Sean Price, a part-time flight attendant who worked for a major airline in Canada for nearly 20 years and is the academic program manager for the Flight Services program at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, has talked extensively about the do’s and don’ts of airplane etiquette

Don’t go barefoot

Price, a part-time flight attendant who worked for a major airline in Canada for nearly 20 years, said he finds passengers especially reluctant to take off their shoes and socks once they are seated.

Passengers often walk barefoot through the aisle and to the toilet.

He told CTV News: ‘In general, all substances you come into contact with in that toilet are probably undesirable. You also see those same feet in the cabin, sometimes on armrests, sometimes on table tops.

‘We therefore advise against going to the toilet barefoot, as there is a high risk of cross-contamination.’

He added that flight attendants only thoroughly clean the planes once they arrive at their destination.

“You can imagine flights from maybe Vancouver to Sydney can be 16 hours,” Price said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for substances to accumulate in that toilet and then on your foot.”

Do not change babies in your chair

Price also advises parents to change their baby’s diaper on the toilet rather than in their child’s chair, and they recommend using the designated bags to dispose of the dirty diaper.

“We have a lot of baby changing tables on the plane,” he said CTV. ‘We can help you in any way we can. But we would prefer that you use the toilet where there is a changing table that is safer for (the) baby and cleaner for everyone who uses the chair.’

Do not use devices without headphones

The flight attendant added that passengers should always use headphones or a headset when using their personal devices, whether to watch a show or receive text message notifications.

“You can imagine yourself on an overnight flight … trying to get some sleep,” he said.

“If you have 30 people in the cabin watching a TV show at full volume, it can be quite chaotic and disruptive.”

Price also recommends changing babies’ diapers in the toilet rather than in your seat, and using the provided bags to dispose of the dirty diaper.

Don’t leave any litter behind

Price also urged passengers to give their trash to a flight attendant instead of hiding it somewhere around the seat.

Flight attendants do come by after passengers have disembarked to clean up litter, so that the next flight is not delayed. But often the rows are littered with ‘pretty heavy’ amounts of litter, which can delay the journey.

He said: ‘TThe cleaner the plane is, the faster we can clean it on the ground, the faster we can get you to your next destination.’

Don’t board unprepared

Price said it’s important to be prepared. Some flights may not offer food, so he recommends bringing an empty water bottle to fill once you get past security at the water stations inside.

He added: ‘If you are taking snacks on board, it is better to prepare yourself and at least have some spare in your bag.’

Additionally, temperatures in the huts can vary, so Price recommends wearing layers, especially in case of emergencies.

“Let’s say we land in Toronto and there’s an emergency and we have to evacuate the plane, you’re going to evacuate the plane in flip-flops, shorts and a tank top and it’s -25 degrees in Toronto,” he said.

Don’t buy luggage at the last minute

Antonsdóttir, a flight attendant for Icelandic budget airline PLAY, stressed that there is an advantage to checking in baggage.

“Carry-on luggage can save time, but checked luggage can be more convenient for longer trips,” she said CTV.

While there are baggage fees, Price said airlines sometimes allow free check-in at the gate or during boarding if overhead bin space is limited. This is especially true on smaller planes with limited carry-on storage.

“So carrying a carry-on bag seems like the most economical solution. But remember that different aircraft have different sizes and this is not a one-size-fits-all scenario,” he said.

Passengers on long-haul flights often have difficulty stowing their hand luggage in the overhead bin on the main flight, but on smaller connecting aircraft this is difficult.

“There’s often a bit of tension in the cabin when this happens,” Price said. “If it doesn’t fit in the bin, trust your flight attendant.”

He also told us to be careful and take a small carry-on suitcase. He added that we would have to pay for luggage before the flight, as it is more expensive to book a checked bag at the airport than to buy it beforehand.

Price also said passengers should always use headphones or a headset when using personal devices, whether it’s to watch a show or receive text message notifications.

Do not sit on these chairs

If you want extra legroom, Price recommends making a wise seat choice.

“Remember that often a seat at an emergency exit cannot be reclined because a seat that reclines at an emergency exit is not suitable for a seat that reclines. That would prevent someone from evacuating,” he said.

He also pointed out that seats near restrooms and galleys can be noisy and that it’s best to check online seating options for specific flight details.

Do not remove the seat belt

Even though the seat belt indicator light is off, Price recommends keeping it on at all times during the flight, as you could be thrown around by unexpected turbulence.

He said you should unbuckle your seat belt, but “limit the amount of time you spend walking around in the cabin without your belt on because it’s not safe.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Price and Antonsdóttir stress that passengers should not hesitate to ask for help.

“A flight attendant would never ignore a passenger who needs help,” Antonsdóttir said.

If a passenger is anxious about flying or worried about departure, Price says flight attendants can help ease the tension in several ways.