7 Things Flight Attendants Don’t Realize They Do To Annoy Their Passengers
They are the unsung heroes of the skies. But they are also human who make mistakes.
Akarawat | Shutterstock Flight attendants are often the unsung heroes of airline travel. Their role extends far beyond serving drinks and snacks to passengers. They act as first responders in the air, manage emergencies, and are primarily responsible for the safety of hundreds of passengers aboard flights.
While most of their work is overlooked, there are certain behaviors flight attendants exhibit that can bother their passengers. One Delta flight attendant took to Reddit asking frequent fliers what flight attendants do that may aggravate passengers, even if they don’t realize it — and they didn't hold back.
Here are 7 things flight attendants don’t realize they do to annoy their passengers:
1. Standing in the aisle for long periods of time
Even though flight attendants are required to make an appearance in plane aisles during safety demonstrations, food and beverage services, and picking up trash passengers may have left behind, some may overstay their welcome in the aisles. While chatting with colleagues, they may unintentionally block the aisles from passengers who want to stretch their legs or need access to the restroom.
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If they can help it, flight attendants should find a way to converse with their co-workers in an area that will not inconvenience other passengers.
2. Not requiring passengers to use headphones while they listen to music or watch movies
Sometimes, people need a reminder to be spatially aware, especially when they are flying with other passengers who are likely tired and want a peaceful flight. Some passengers tend to completely ditch headphones while they are talking on the phone, listening to music, or watching a movie, annoying everyone around them.
Even if they do not realize that their actions are inconsiderate, some people believe that flight attendants should remind anyone causing a disturbance to behave properly, including using headphones. To avoid disturbing others, some airlines
3. Overloading overhead bins
Early boarders often have a habit of utilizing all of the available overhead bin space by scattering their carry-on luggage throughout the cabin, leaving the last boarders with limited space to store their items. What contributes to limited space, even more, is when flight attendants overcrowd bins by making passengers place their backpacks that could easily slide under their seats into the overhead bins.
Passengers who are last to board may have to check their carry-on items due to overloaded overhead bins.
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Rather than making the boarding process more complicated by shuffling luggage around and overloading overhead bin space, flight attendants should strive to be more helpful in accommodating passengers and their luggage.
Since they are more familiar with the aircraft than the passengers are, they know exactly how to place carry-ons to maximize the space available. This minimizes the chance of a flight delay due to baggage storage issues, which is good for both passengers and flight attendants!
4. Overly rushing or taking too long on tasks
While running on a tight schedule, flight attendants may rush through their duties and hurriedly serve passengers. Other times, they may be moving at a snail's pace. Whether or not the reasons for their time and attention are within their control, both factors can make passengers feel as though they’re not being treated with the care they deserve.
Once the plane reaches its optimal height and there is no turbulence, flight attendants should aim to walk around the cabin and check in with passengers five to ten minutes after they get the clearance to do so.
5. Unnecessarily interrupting passengers
While it is a flight attendant’s job to be attentive to their passengers, they may want to avoid interrupting them in certain scenarios. Let’s say they are taking drink orders, and a passenger has dozed off. Instead of waking them, it's probably best to let them sleep and check in a little later. Flying isn't exactly comfortable so the fact that a passenger has fallen asleep is a testament to their exhaustion.
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6. Serving too many people at once.
When flight attendants try to be efficient and help every passenger at once, it may just have the opposite effect. Doing too many things at once can result in agitated passengers demanding to know where their drink is. No one wants to feel ignored, even if their request was a measly bag of pretzels.
7. Ignore ‘no reclining’ requests
Generally, during takeoff and close to landing, passengers are asked to put their seats upright and refrain from reclining for the safety and comfort of passengers and crew. Captain John Cox, writing for USA Today, explained, "The FAA requires that seat backs be upright for take-off and landing to provide as much room as possible for the people behind you to get to the aisle in the event of an emergency evacuation."
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While an announcement is usually made over the intercom to alert passengers, flight attendants may not always go around the cabin and enforce it.
This can cause agitation in other passengers, who may find their takeoff and landing experience to be more difficult if the person in front of them reclines and takes up more of their space. But let's be real: No one outside of first class should even consider reclining their seats at any point during any flight because there is absolutely no room to do so. That's a whole other flying can of worms for another article...
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.