17 Things Flight Attendants Want You to Know: Air Travel Tips from the Pros
We’ve been researching and chatting with many flight attendants recently, and we’ve compiled this list of 17 things flight attendants wish passengers knew before boarding a plane. Knowing these things will make your flight better, and make their jobs easier.
Air Travel Tip #1: Flight Attendants are Not Your Mother
The number one job of a flight attendant is your safety, not helping you do things like put your bags in the overhead bin. If your bag is too heavy for you to lift up, then it’s not fair to ask them to lift it for you. This could cause them an on-the-job injury if they throw their back out. Repercussions are worse if they are hurt doing something they are not supposed to do; they could face denied insurance claims or time off requests.
Air Travel Tip #2: Don’t Blame Flight Attendants For Delays
Most things that happen with air travel are way beyond the control of the flight attendant, so don’t take it out on them when weather delays your flight. Yelling at a flight attendant for something out of their control will not help you at all. In fact, their number one job is your safety, so it’s best to stay on their good side at all times.
Air Travel Tip #3: Plane Travel is Public Transportation
Air travel these days is glorified public transportation. Regardless of how much you paid, or how many miles you have with this airline, everyone in your cabin is equal. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are more important than the person sitting next to you. You all basically have the same rights.
Air Travel Tip #4: Have Your Stuff Ready When You Board the Plane
Blocking the aisles while you sort out your belongings can actually cause flight delays. If it takes too long to board the plane, the pilot can miss their departure window and have to wait for the next one. The best thing travelers can do is to be prepared when they board. Have whatever you want during the flight in the outside pocket of your carry-on so you can easily remove it before putting your luggage away.
Air Travel Tip #5: Have Your Meal Order Ready in Advance
We all know, it’s chicken or pasta, it shouldn’t take forever to decide and give your order to the flight attendant. They have to walk down the aisles saying “chicken or pasta?” 400 times. Save them the hassle of having to ask one more time by having your order ready. There is almost always a menu card in the seat back pocket, or an announcement before they come around, so there’s no reason to be indecisive while they wait.
Air Travel Tip #6: Be Specific With Drink Orders
Flight attendants are serving global customers on a daily basis. “Regular coffee” might mean one thing to you, but something totally different to someone else. Be very specific with your drink order so they don’t have to clarify what you mean. Coffee, black will suffice.
Air Travel Tip #7: Have Your Kids’ Orders Ready
If you are flying with children, have all of their orders ready to go, too. If you have the whole families order ready to go, it can really speed up the process and the flight attendant will love you for it.
Air Travel Tip #8: Diet Soda is Not a Thing
Again, be specific. Diet soda isn’t actually a thing; you have to order a Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, or whatever it is that you specifically want. (Again, the menu card in the seat back pocket will tell you what beverages are served on board.)
Air Travel Tip #9: Tell the Flight Attendant About Any Allergies When You Board
If you have any serious allergies, be sure to let them know as you are boarding the plane. They can’t help you avoid any issues if they don’t know ahead of time.
Air Travel Tip #10: Do Not Count on Flight Attendants for Help With Medicine
If you are diabetic or have any condition that requires medicine, water, or food, do not count on the flight attendants to provide it. Do not count on the plane to have anything for you. Small, short flights may not even have a beverage cart. If you have a delay and are sitting on the tarmac, the flight attendants can’t get up and serve you water, so it’s best to be self-sufficient and bring anything you might need. This also applies to flying with kids; have snacks on hand for them.
Air Travel Tip #11: Pay Attention to the Safety Briefing
The main job of the flight attendant is to keep you safe. If you have no idea how to react in the event of an incident, they will have a harder job to keep you safe. Even if you fly all the time, things change. New planes, new configurations and new safety rules pop up all the time, so take a few minutes to pay attention to the safety briefing.
Air Travel Tip #12: Save The Flight Attendant Extra Trips
If your neighbor rings the call button to order something, use that opportunity to order something as well. Don’t wait and call them back again a few minutes later.
Air Travel Tip #13: Give The Flight Attendant Your Trash Before Landing
As the flight descends, the flight attendants will come through for a final sweep of the cabin. There isn’t always a cleaning crew scheduled between flights, so it’s very helpful to give them your trash when they are coming through. This will help them turn the plane over for the next flight more quickly, and ensure they can get to their next flight on time.
Air Travel Tip #14: Stay in Your Seat Until the Seatbelt Sign is Off
When the plane lands, do not get up until the seatbelt sign is turned off. You may think you’re at the jet bridge, but if the seatbelt sign is still on, it’s on for a reason. If the plane moves forward and you’re up and about, you can get hurt or end up hurting other passengers. The real safety reason for this is in case of a fire. If there’s a fire and there’s luggage already blocking the aisles, this could be very bad.
Air Travel Tip #15: Flight Attendants are not Babysitters
Most flight attendants love kids, but they are not there to babysit. Parents need to take care of their children at all times. We’ve seen kids playing around the galley, which can be really dangerous for them. Having unsupervised, out of control kids annoys other passengers and presents many safety issues. The best thing parents can do is take advantage of play areas at the airport to burn off some excess energy before a flight.
Air Travel Tip #16: Bring Snacks & Entertainment for Your Kids
Make sure to have snacks your kids like, and sufficient entertainment to get them through a flight. Don’t hope your kids will like the snacks that are served on board. If the entertainment is electronic, make sure everything is charged up! Nobody wants a tantrum at 25,000 feet because the iPod died.
Air Travel Tip #17: Getting Drunk on a Plane Doesn’t Excuse You From Watching Your Kids
This is surprisingly common on flights to holiday destinations. Parents get drunk on the plane while their kids run wild up and down the aisles, disturbing everyone around them. Kids are still the responsibility of the parents, not the flight attendants, so keep that in mind.
These are things that flight attendants have been telling us for years, so we thought it was important to share it with our readers. Many thanks to all of the flight attendants who shared their stories with us. Remember, be nice to the flight attendants! It’s their job to ensure you have a safe flight and a positive travel experience. Check out some of our other travel posts and videos: