I am a former flight attendant and these are the most disgusting things I have seen in a cabin
I’m a former flight attendant and these are the most disgusting things I’ve seen in a cabin, from urine bags to passengers wiping their armpits with hot towels
Former flight attendant Marika Mikusova
Do you think the life of a flight attendant is one big party?
A former flight attendant has set the record straight in a book that compiles her diary entries she made for a “luxury airline” over five years.
‘Diary of A Flight Attendant’ by Marika Mikusova is a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at 38,000 feet. Read on for revelations about some of the most disgusting things she’s seen on a plane, from used diapers in seat pockets to urine bags on the floor.
ATTACK OF THE STINKING FEET
Marika reveals that “hardly any flight is without smelly feet” and recalls a flight where a passenger took off his shoes and stretched his legs in the aisle “so that his toes peered into the galley from behind the curtain.” The aroma, she says, was one of “pretty old cheese.”
A passenger wipes his armpits thoroughly with the towel and hands it to me with two fingers
To combat this, her colleague sprayed the carpet outside the galley with perfume.
BAGS OF URINE ON THE FLOOR
On one flight, a trio of Turkish passengers whom the crew suspected of stealing some perfume from the duty-free trolley were sent to their seats – and at the end of the flight “left a bag of urine on the floor.”
STAINS AND URINE COVERED WITH A BLANKET
Marika says that sometimes when the cleaners are in a hurry, they just cover up a stain or a wet spot.
She writes, “Sometimes they cover [period] blood or a wet chair with a blanket. Then the passenger who is supposed to be in the seat will notice. Very nice welcome indeed. However, it’s not always the cleaner’s fault. It belongs to their supervisor – the one in charge of the cleaning crew who pops the imaginary whip on them. There is never time for perfect cleaning.’
THE PASSENGER WHO WIPED HIS ARMpitS WITH THE TOWEL
Marika reveals: ‘On the Indian flights, passengers use [the hot towels] to wipe the soles of their feet. However, on one flight, a passenger went the extra mile and stopped me with his index finger as I tried to collect used towels. He thoroughly wipes his armpits with the towel and hands it to me with two fingers, clearly disgusted with himself.
“I hesitate for a moment, then I grab the towel with the tongs and toss it into the plastic bag.”
Diary of a Flight Attendant by Marika Mikusova is a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at 38,000 feet
SURPRISE ‘DIAPER GIFTS’
Marika recalls a passenger who changed her baby’s diaper at her seat during the flight – right before meal service.
Marika writes: ‘I am trying to point out to her that it may not be pleasant for other passengers, especially as we are just starting to serve meals.
The lady just smiles, “It’s okay, I’m done anyway.” At the end of the flight I find used diapers under her seat. This isn’t the only flight where I’ve found these ‘surprises’ at the end.”
Marika adds: ‘Parents [also] leave used diapers in the seat pockets.’
HOW ARE THE CREWS WHEN CLEANING THE TOILETS?
Marika says, “For many of them, when the crew ‘goes to clean the toilet’, it actually means locking themselves inside for five minutes to check their cell phones.”
CLEANING ABOUT THE CLEANERS
After one flight, Marika witnessed a cleaner wiping the surface of the galley “with the same cloth he just used to wipe the toilet floor.” She adds, “I’ve seen it so many times, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Diary of a flight attendant is out now. Click here to order a copy. You can find Marika tweeting at twitter.com/letuska_m and her Instagram account is here.