After gathering opinions from flight attendants everywhere about what they wish passengers would not do, Business Insider has compiled a list of 21 things that, as a civilized passenger, you should pay attention to in order to avoid causing obstacles, troubles and unnecessary problems so that you, other passengers and flight attendants can travel together comfortably throughout the flight.
1. Don't take up too much space in the overhead compartment of the plane.
It's best to keep just one suitcase in the overhead compartment, and small bags under the seat in front.
2. Smile and respond to the flight attendant's greeting.
A smile or a slight nod in response to the flight attendant's greeting when you board the plane makes them feel that their position is "acknowledged". Moreover, a pleasant initial attitude always makes everything easier and more convenient.
3. Only throw away trash when a flight attendant comes to your seat with a trash bag.
On the plane, littering also needs to be done at the right time and in the right place. Flight attendants usually come to each person’s seat at a certain time to collect your trash. Therefore, you should not ask them to take your trash when they are distributing food, litter in the seat or stubbornly throw trash in their cart.
4. Stop putting your legs up on the seat or on other passengers' seats.
This action is very impolite and causes inconvenience to surrounding passengers, not just the flight attendant!
5. Don't ask the flight attendant what they have when they're pushing the drink cart towards you.
The flight attendant won’t be able to list nearly 100 drinks in detail when there are 200 other passengers waiting to be served, just like you. Remember to always have a menu information pinned to the seat in front of you for reference beforehand.
6. Listen to the flight safety instructions
Even though you have flown so many times that these instructions are no longer unfamiliar to you, your observant attitude makes the flight attendant feel more respected when performing their duties.
7. Be proactive in telling the flight attendant about your coffee preferences.
Coffee is a more complicated drink to serve than other drinks. So when you order your coffee, tell the flight attendant if you want cream or sugar. You know, if you don’t say it, the flight attendant will have to repeat that little question about a million times to the rest of the passengers.
8. Be responsible for your belongings
Know the maximum weight limit for what you can take on the plane and make sure you can carry it yourself. The flight attendants can help you, but not everyone.
9. Do not use the toilet when the plane is landing.
This small action of yours will cause the entire flight to be delayed and cause inconvenience to everyone.
10. Remove your headphones when the flight attendant is speaking to you.
Take off your headphones when the flight attendant comes over and asks what you would like to drink.
11. Press the call button only when absolutely necessary
Don't press the call button unless your problem is serious and urgent, especially when you understand that take-off command requires everyone to remain seated, including the flight attendants.
12. Keep your hands to yourself if you need assistance from the flight attendant.
Flight attendants will be annoyed if you poke, pull, or nudge them just to ask for something. Speak up loud enough to be heard and they will get the signal that you need assistance, rather than being rude.
13. Do not use the restroom while the seat belt sign is still on.
Unless you have a 2-year-old, you can absolutely wait until the last minute when the seat belt sign is turned off. The flight attendants will not want to remind you in such a tactful way, so you need to be aware.
14. Do not show discomfort or make demands about meals
The flight attendants will be there to assist and serve you as best they can, but you should be patient and accept that the amount of food, the choice of dishes and other requests are limited. Remember, you are on a plane, not a 5-star hotel or restaurant.
15. Don't act like you're flying first class.
Be civilized and know your place.
16. Always wear shoes/sandals
Taking off your shoes/slippers can create an unpleasant smell around you. After all, you are on a civilized flight, so don’t go barefoot in the toilet or walk around the cabin. Very rude!
17. Always keep a pen handy
It is almost never the duty of flight attendants to provide you with a pen on the plane, and this is not an item that is provided by the plane to passengers. Sometimes you will need to write something down and the process of asking and returning it to the flight attendant for such small matters will be very inconvenient.
18. Avoid snapping your fingers to call the flight attendant.
It is considered very rude to wave your hand to call a flight attendant for help - even if you don't physically touch them like in #12. Remember, you can call them out loud or raise your hand.
19. Don't exercise on the plane
Flight attendants understand that you may be tired from sitting on a long flight, but stretching or even overdoing it in the cabin is not a good idea.
20. Don't be upset with the flight attendant if it's not their fault.
Flight cancellations, delays, trouble during the flight... are not the fault of the flight attendants. However, many passengers tend to blame them because they are the only ones who directly serve and interact with you during the journey. This is a very uncivilized action.
21. Flight attendants do not know information from the captain
Flight attendants rarely have all the information from the captain, so you should not ask them annoying questions like: what is the weather like, why are we taking a new route, why can't we land early... Trust in the safety of the flight and enjoy it to the fullest!
Quynh Anh
- Source: Business Insider
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