6 Rules from a Flight Attendant on Proper Passenger Behavior and their Safety basis
Condé Nast has published the article below which identifies 6 things a flight attendant recommends passengers should avoid while flying. Good advice from the retired Flight Attendant, Charlotte, but the tone of this travel journal belies the seriousness of the safety considerations that mandate these behaviors.
[NOTE: the above panels depict these six points of advice. The upper left-hand image adds another point—be careful when greeting a friend in an airport or the plane IF his name is JACK—try Aloha Jack, rather than “HI____”.]
The cabin crew’s primary mission is SAFETY. As Charlotte explains to qualify for these glamorous (former??) positions the candidates undergo rigorous training to prepare them for all possible safety crises—on board disruptions, inebriated passengers, serious health incidents and a long list of problems. Their airline qualification syllabus focuses on the safety emergencies with subjects like:
CREW COORDINATION
COMMUNICATION.
PASSENGER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SAFETY CHECKS
BOARDING
PASSENGER AND CREW MEMBER SEATS AND RESTRAINTY BAGGAGE.
PASSENGER and CREW CARRY-ON BAGGAGE.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
PRE-TAKE-OFF AND PRE-LANDING CABIN PREPARATION
ABNORMAL SITUATIONS
TURBULENCE
INCAPACITATION8
FUEL DUMPING
FIRE FIGHTING
SMOKE/FUMES IN THE CABIN
RAPID DECOMPRESSION AND CABIN PRESSURIZATION PROBLEMS
EVACUATIONS
DEPLANEMENT.
To reinforce the importance of their safety criticality, the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR § 121.580 Prohibition on interference with crewmembers , for example) prohibit such actions and there is a detailed Advisory Circular which reinforces the need to protect the flight crew
Congress enacted 49 USC § 46504 to criminalize such actions[1]:
An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. However, if a dangerous weapon is used in assaulting or intimidating the member or attendant, the individual shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
Charlotte’s 6 rules must be remembered. Not all of them would result in civil or criminal sanctions; however, given the current sensitivity to inflight disturbances, steering well clear of these behaviors is the best practice
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6 Things You Should Never Do on a Plane, According to a Former Flight Attendant
Plus, a few ways to make your cabin crew’s lives easier on your next trip.
July 17, 2023
“It’s no secret that being a flight attendant is no easy task. From long hours and days away from home to potential delays and unruly passengers, it takes a special type of person to survive and thrive on the job. Cabin crew training is intense and can take months to complete and covers everything from food hygiene and incident reporting to fire fighting, terrorism awareness, and even how to deliver a baby. But many cabin crew claim that the trickiest and most challenging part of their days involves customer service: dealing with passenger requests, worries, nerves, and, at times, disorderly behavior. So we spoke to an ex-flight attendant to find out what you should never do on a plane.
“We used to refer to the cabin as the jungle”, says Charlotte*, an ex-cabin crew member who has worked on the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircrafts. “There were so many people with different perspectives, demands and expectations, all crammed into a flying tin. There are so many variables and things that could happen that are totally out of your control, so every day we wondered whether we’d have a passenger do something that most people on the ground would think is absurd.”
Below, Charlotte tells us some stories about her time as cabin crew, revealing what flight attendants hope you’d never do on a plane. Some may seem obvious, but all are experienced incidents that have happened at one time or another, so take note and try your best to make their job that little bit easier.
No smoking means no smoking
Without stating the obvious, smoking on planes is dangerous—not only is there a risk of fire, but it’s harmful to fellow passengers and has the potential to clog the aircraft’s pressurisation valves. “You’d think people would consider the risks by now, but the amount of times I caught passengers trying to smoke is outrageous. Once, a passenger covered his head with a blanket and started smoking underneath. We told him we could see and smell what he was doing, and he continued, so he was arrested once we landed. Not the best way to start your holiday,” Charlotte tells us. “Another time, a passenger had placed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on his tray table, and we reminded him he wasn’t allowed to smoke, and he claimed that he was ‘just looking at them.’ He then proceeded to get really drunk and tried to light one, so we intervened and banned him from ordering any more alcohol, to which he responded by insulting our appearances—he told me ‘You just look really sweaty’. He could have done better than that to be honest, but it was a weird experience.”
Don’t fight with other passengers
Stressed travelers, nervous fliers and panicked passengers are no strangers on flights. People get very anxious before traveling, and everyone’s emotions are heightened. “It sounds obvious, but at times passengers have resorted to aggression instead of rationally handling the situation,” says an ex-flight attendant. “Once, a passenger accused someone else of stealing their bag, and I had to physically stand between two grown men to prevent a physical altercation. I was 21 and 5 foot 5, so the situation felt very surreal—we are taught restraint techniques in training, but potentially having to do it in reality felt quite scary.”
Reports of in-flight aggression and bad behavior on planes have increased since the pandemic. Staff shortages, politicized Covid regulations, and post-pandemic travel surges have all contributed, but it’s still no excuse for unruly incidents. “This is happening every day now,” Sara Nelson, a flight attendant and the president of the national flight attendants’ union told The Guardian.
Don’t get annoyed if someone reclines their seat
This is a debate that travelers have argued over since the function became commonplace. On the one hand, if a passenger has paid for their seat, and that seat has the option to recline, then it’s part of the paid-for service. On the other hand, the passenger behind has also paid for a particular seat and amount of space, and a reclined seat in front encroaches on valuable leg space. However, “it is a passenger’s right to recline their seat,” Charlotte says. “There’s no point getting irritated or asking the cabin crew to intervene, as there is nothing we can do about it. Once a woman repeatedly pressed the call bell for our attention and demanded an upgrade because the passenger in front of her was reclining their seat. There’s really nothing we can do—the only time a cabin crew member would ask you to make your seat upright is during meal service, on take off, or on landing for safety reasons—getting cross or aggressive will solve nothing.”
Clean up your own mess
One of the most common reasons for delays is due to teams having to clean up after messy passengers on a flight. Hand your rubbish to flight attendants when they come around with bin bags: “This is the correct time to get rid of any waste—please don’t hand a flight attendant any rubbish when they are trying to do other important tasks, for example prepping the cabin for take-off or landing,” says Charlotte. Set a precedent for your fellow passengers by keeping the toilet as clean as you would like to find it. “Don’t leave paper towels out on the surface of the toilet—the bins close automatically for a reason, and leaving anything on the surface is a fire safety hazard.” It should go without saying, but the cabin crew does not want to be handed anything unhygienic when doing their duties.
Keep your socks on
We asked our travel editors whether they thought it was ever acceptable to remove your socks on a plane, and the general consensus was that not a single Traveler team member would defend going barefoot on a plane. “On that note, do not put your feet in other people’s personal space—especially if you’ve taken off your shoes,” says Charlotte. “There is no need to put your feet on the armrest of other people’s seats, stretch them across into other people’s space, or block the aisles—IT’S A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. It’s also going to hurt if we don’t see your bare feet in the aisle and accidentally run over your toes with the food cart.”
Don’t press the call bell (unless it is an emergency)
Most flight attendants admit that there’s a certain unspoken etiquette to using the call button properly. We asked flight attendants to tell us when it is actually okay to press the flight attendant call button, and while answers vary by situation, the general consensus is that if it can wait, let it wait—unless it is an emergency. “If it’s a request for food, drink or non-emergency assistance, we’d prefer it if you came to the galley and asked us—that way we can quickly and efficiently provide you with whatever it is that you need. On an A380, for example, there are around 500 passengers, so if everyone rang the call bell whenever they needed something, we’d spend the entire flight running up and down the aisles,” says Charlotte. “Pressing the call bell to ask how long is left of the flight, or asking us to help out with your children, or—the worst one I’ve experienced—to ask us to get you some French fries, is completely ridiculous. Should we land the plane just to find you a McDonalds?”
Respect the cabin crew
Again, this should come as a given, yet there have been multiple accounts of flight attendants getting the brunt of passenger stresses or anxieties. “Don’t get mad at the cabin crew for delays—it is out of our control. Being sat on the runway or at a stand is usually down to logistics and instructions from air traffic control. There is no way for the crew to speed things up.” As obvious as it sounds, being polite and respecting boundaries will also go a long way. “Don’t touch the cabin crew—respect their space. If you require something don’t poke us as we walk down the aisle (or throw anything at us—a colleague once had a loaf of bread thrown at her…). Simply say excuse me or, if we don’t hear you and it’s urgent, press the call bell or come to the galley. Also, we are not here to meet a romantic partner – we’re at work. We often got handed business cards, asked about our plans after the flight, or even had people touching us as we walked past—it’s incredibly inappropriate and seriously disrespectful.”
Don’t drink too much
Naturally, many travelers get excited about going on holiday and want to start relaxing as soon as possible. But drinking too much and getting agitated could disrupt the flight, and you could be at risk of being refused further alcohol service or even getting banned from the airline. Plus, if that’s not enough to deter you, the FAA has in the past levied six-figure fines against belligerent passengers. Also, remember that many people often feel that their alcohol tolerance levels change on planes. Pressurised cabins mean less oxygen, so you might experience that light-headed feeling more quickly than you would typically on the ground.
Don’t stand up while the seat belt sign is on
So many passengers stand up as soon as the aircraft touches the ground, but this isn’t your cue to jump up and start packing up your stuff. The plane has to reach its stand and come to a complete stop before you are allowed to remove your seatbelt. There could be a sharp break, engine incidents, emergency passenger removals, or—if you’re still in the air—severe turbulence. “In training college, we have to practice shouting ‘sit down’. We get taught that you have to shout at people for standing up when the seatbelt sign is on for safety reasons. We are in charge of when the doors open, so standing up won’t get you anywhere any faster.”
This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
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. See United States v. Meeker, 527 F.2d 12 (9th Cir. 1975). A violation of 49 U.S.C. § 46504 is a general intent crime; it does not require any specific intent to intimidate or to interfere with the flight crew member or attendant. See United States v. Grossman, 131 F.3d 1449, 1451-52 (11th Cir. 1997); United States v. Compton, 5 F.3d 358, 360 (9th Cir. 1993); United States v. Hicks, 980 F.2d 963 (5th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 941, 507 U.S. 998 (1993); United States v. Meeker, supra, 527 F.2d at 14. While attempted aircraft piracy and interference with flight crew can both be charged in the same indictment, if convicted on both charges, the defendant should be sentenced only under the attempted aircraft piracy conviction because, absent highly unusual circumstances, the interference with flight crew charge is the lesser included offense. See United States v. Compton, supra, 5 F.3d at 360; see also United States v. Calloway, 116 F.3d 1129 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 118 S.Ct. 324 (1997); United States v. Figueroa, 666 F.2d 1375, 1380 (11th Cir. 1982). ↑
