I Used to Be a Flight Attendant – These Are the Most Annoying Things Passengers Do on Planes

A former flight attendant has revealed the most annoying things passengers do on a plane and explains how to avoid having to deal with such behaviour.

Marisa Mackle from Armagh, Northern Ireland, recently spoke about her experiences with passenger behaviour during her career, and one particularly annoying habit came to light.

The author of Confessions of an Air Hostess told Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live radio programme: ‘One of the most annoying things I’ve ever experienced was when people blew their nose and then gave you a tissue.

“When you walk down the aisle to pick up the trash, sometimes people say, ‘Oh wait!’ and just blow their nose.”

Marisa remembers one incident in particular, where a rude customer threw his used tissue on her plate of food.

A former flight attendant revealed the most annoying things passengers do on flights on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live radio show (stock image)

She said, ‘I remember coming back from LA one time and I had the curtain closed.

“An American passenger pulled up the curtain and said, ‘Hey, I have something for you,’ and then threw the handkerchief on my plate while I was eating. He thought he was doing me a favor.”

Another annoying habit that many passengers have is parents wanting to entertain their children during a flight.

She said: ‘Another example is people who play musical instruments for their children in the middle of the night.

“I had to go down and say, ‘Can you please turn that off, because people are sleeping?’ There are other ways to entertain your kids… but please don’t bring musical toys and play them at 3 in the morning. I couldn’t believe it… some people just don’t think about other passengers.”

She added: ‘The other problem is they let their children run up and down the aisle; that’s a real safety hazard.

‘You have a pot of boiling tea or coffee in your hand and you can easily create turbulence.’

Elsewhere, the former cabin crew explained that she was always amazed by the fact that some passengers walked around the cabin barefoot.

Former flight attendant Marisa Mackle from Armagh, Northern Ireland (pictured) recently shared her experiences of passenger behaviour during her career and pointed out one particularly annoying habit

Marisa remembers one incident in particular, where a rude customer threw his used tissue on her plate of food

She added: ‘The toilet floor is always wet and yet they walk up and down, especially when you try to help them.

“The other thing is they’re running their kids up and down the aisle; that’s a real safety hazard. You’ve got a boiling pot of tea or coffee in your hand and you can create turbulence.”

Marisa explained that people shouldn’t feel embarrassed to ask for a spit bag if they’re not feeling well.

She said, “As soon as you feel sick, you should ask for a spit bag. The crew would rather give you a spit bag than have you vomited on.”

“A woman came in, I was just standing by the toilet, and she threw up on my legs. I had to take my pantyhose off and do the whole service bare-legged. She was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I was just too embarrassed to ask for a sick bag.'”

Another recurring problem she faced as a flight attendant was drunk men asking for a kiss or asking which hotel she was staying at.

This comes after another cabin crew member revealed that it is never a good idea to flirt with the crew during the flight.

Tyra, who posts on TikTok using the username @wheelsupwithtyraexplained in a video to her followers that it just feels “awkward” to ask out flight attendants while the plane is still in the air.

She even captioned her post, “If you see a pretty flight attendant and want to start a conversation, please don’t.”

Fortunately, the cabin crew member, who according to her bio worked at “40,000 feet” for six years, also indicated that there is one approved way to “fire your shot.”

In the clip, which has been viewed a whopping 25,000 times since it was posted, Tyra says: “Here are some tips on how not to flirt with a flight attendant.

‘Okay, don’t hit on a flight attendant on the flight… during the flight, whatever. Don’t do that because it makes you uncomfortable.

“And you know what, the flight attendant should just be nice to you. It’s just a very uncomfortable situation and we don’t like that.”

Most would agree that this is logical. Consider that you may not like being approached during work hours either.

Tyra revealed, “If you want to take a picture, the best thing to do is give your number to the flight attendant when you get off the plane.

‘Then you don’t make it awkward and you leave it up to the flight attendant to decide whether or not she wants to send you a message.’