Getting on a flight can be an exciting experience but can equally be a challenging one for passengers as - unless you’re lucky enough to be flying First or Business Class - you’re in a confined space for a considerable time. Paul Alpant Reavey, who goes by Mr Plane Guy on social media, is a former flight attendant who has shared all the inside knowledge on what grinds cabin crew’s gears, and what makes a good passenger.
Speaking on behalf of Mega Casino, he’s shared some of the top annoyances for what you should never do on a plane, and how to make your trip much more pleasant for yourself and staff.
- Don’t stack the meal trays when you have finished your meal, you think it might be helping but it really isn’t. The trays have to be placed back in the trolley the way they came out, one at a time. If they are stacked you have to unstack them, getting chicken and beef all over you. Also, don’t take your meal tray to the galley. Would you take your plate to the restaurant kitchen? People act really strange on an aircraft.
- Don’t over-drink and ask the crew for more drinks, then ask different crew when they say no, you think we don’t talk to one another? Don’t get drunk on a plane, it's not cool and you will feel like crap getting off.
- Don’t start doing the ‘downward dog' in the middle of the galley. People start doing stretches and full on aerobics in the galley when we are trying to work in a small confined kitchen/galley area, organising and giving out drinks and food for 200-300 passengers while 42c is doing legs, bums and tums.
- Don’t go to the bathroom with nothing on your feet, that’s not water on the floor. Don’t drink water from the taps or tea and coffee from the galley, the aircraft water tanks have flown around the world, whilst I’ve seen people and engineers checking them, I just don’t know or trust how sanitised they are.
- Honestly people really lose it over the slightest thing, the arguments over the fact I had run out of chicken, I had to remind so many passengers I’ve run out of chicken not fuel, calm down. Not everything will run according to plan and relax and enjoy the ride, be kind to people and nice to yourself.
- Be nice, 2022 was horrific for airline workers, the sudden surge in demand combined with poor staffing levels resulted in huge queues everywhere at airports and not enough crew on flights. Travelling can be stressful anyway, but don’t take it out on the people that have showed up to take you on holiday.
- Being nice really does pay too, with my old airline we were really encouraged to spoil anyone and to go the extra mile. We called this ‘magic touches’ for example, for someone's birthday we would bring down a cake from Upper Class, frequent fliers we would give champagne, any honeymooners we would give a bottle of champagne here and there, and drinks were free anyway.
