An experienced flight attendant with 11 years under her belt has divulged her personal tips for ensuring the best possible experience when travelling by plane. She cautioned that she’s witnessed some truly “diabolical things” during her time in the air.
Not everyone enjoys flying. It can be expensive, exhausting, and even anxiety-inducing.
With this in mind, one expert has shared her own set of guidelines that she adheres to whenever she takes to the skies. In a video posted on TikTok, flight attendant and US reality TV star Charity Nelms stated: “These are things that you’re not doing on an aircraft that you should do.
“I’m an 11-year flight attendant and I do all of these things when I travel on my own personal time because I’m an expert. This ain’t my first Rodeo.”
Wiping seatbelts
If you’re the type to bring antiseptic wipes on board, you might be focusing your efforts in the wrong place, according to Charity. She explained: “Number one, you guys all come on board with your little Clorox wipes and your little disinfectants, and you start wiping everything down: that little tray table in front of you, the back of the seat.
“I don’t really get why you’re wiping the back of the seat, because if you’re wearing clothes, nothing really touches that.”
Instead, she advised: “What you should be wiping, that nobody wipes is that seatbelt. The metal part, because everybody touches it.
“And also you should be wiping the fabric part of the seatbelt because everybody pulls on that. The amount of throw up, baby vomit, bodily fluids, liquids that have spilled, random stuff that end up on those seatbelts.
“Wipe them down. I do.”
Wearing full-length trousers
This is the most effective way to avoid direct contact with your seat. She went on: “Second thing you’re not doing is you’re not wearing full pants [trousers].
“I am letting you know from a flight attendant, the amount of things I have seen on the seat.Wear pants. Shorts, skirts, dresses – absolutely not. Wear full pants.
“None of your skin should be touching that seat. I don’t care if you come on board and you disinfect it. Nope, nope, nope.
“Wear full pants. Trust me, I have seen some diabolical things.”
Hand hygiene
According to Charity, cabin crew can tell if you haven’t washed your hands after using the in-flight loo. “Third thing that none of you are doing, you are not washing your hands after you use the lav,” she stated.
“You’re also not flushing the toilet. Did you know that your flight attendants know if you flush the toilet and wash your hands?”.
“We literally know from outside. You’re also not closing the door when it comes to using the lavatory.
“This is what you do. Flush the toilet, you wash your hands, you come out and you close the door with your elbow. Please start doing that.”
Footwear
She encouraged travellers to keep their footwear on when using the lavatory. “Fourth, and also having to do with the lav, you’re not wearing shoes,” Charity stated.
“It is never, ever water on the floor in the lav. And your socks are like two big sponges.”