attendant

A FLIGHT attendant has opened up on secrets of the trade and revealed how you can earn brownie points in the air to score freebies.

The flight attendant, who has been serving major airlines for two decades, said it is easier than you think to win the favor of those working on planes.

Sandra White has lifted the lid on her veteran experience serving the skies.

“You draw more bees with honey,” she said, meaning rude or impatient flyers will likely not get anything for free – especially not any “off-menu” items.

She shared several tips with Shermans Travel, ranging from how to get a free drink, how to score a better seat, and how not to be the most annoying person on the plane.

“Scoring a free beer on a flight is not all that hard,” she admitted.

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According to White, there are a few reasons why she’ll give a customer a free drink, but it all comes down to one thing: being nice – really nice.

If a plane is having mechanical problems and passengers have been sitting on the tarmac for hours – without being rude – she’ll likely comp them a drink.

“I’m sure they need it,” she said.

She noted that if a flyer happens to only have cash on them, while most airlines only accept cards, she’ll just hand you the drink.

“Basically, kindness goes a long way,” she said.

And as far as a better seat goes, politely asking if there is any availability could help you to win big.

White shared that she’s more than happy to make sure a guest is as comfortable as possible.

When it comes to seats on the plane, that typically comes down to the gate agent’s discretion – but occasionally, flight attendants will send you up to first class if there’s space, and if they ask nicely.

It is not a guarantee, but it never hurts to be friendly to the person serving you peanuts.

The worst passengers, however, are those that come onto the plane having had too much fun while in the airport.

That is, flyers who are already drunk on the flight.

“Annoying drunks” are the bane of a flight attendant’s existence, according to White, thinking their funnier than they are and ordering more drinks before beverage service has even started.

White said these flyers should not even bother getting on the plane.

“I’ve only had to cut off two people – you really don’t want to make a drunk angry at 36,000 feet,” she said.

“They might defecate on the beverage cart. Yes, this really happened to a co-worker.”

The flight attendant’s warning about onboard coffee has left some travellers surprised

Holidaymakers may think twice before ordering a coffee at 35,000ft. That’s because a flight attendant has alleged a little-known airplane rule that’s left travellers horrified.

In a viral TikTok video, crew member @ichbinvin responded to posts asking flight attendants to share their “dirty little secrets of the industry”. He urged passengers to grab a drink before jumping onboard.

Ichbinvin, who works in the US, claims the issue isn’t just the water tanks used for the hot drinks — which he says are “hardly ever cleaned” — but how the leftover coffee is disposed of mid-flight. “For me, it’s always been the way that flight attendants have to clean out coffee pots,” he claimed.

He claimed cabin crew are instructed not to pour leftover coffee down the aircraft sink, but instead to empty it into the toilet. To avoid spills, this can mean holding the pot close to the bowl, raising fears about contamination, the alleged.

“And I imagine that there’s some kind of backsplash of particles, bacteria, whatever that goes directly back into the coffee pot which gets put right back into the coffee maker,” he claimed. “So unless the airline that you’re buying has an espresso maker on the plane, I would not get coffee on the plane.”

Viewers were left disgusted by the warning, with one writing: “The coffee one is making me cry.” Another added: “I know pilots personally that won’t drink the coffee. They know more about the plane than I do so I’m going to trust them,” while someone else simply said: “The coffee one is disgusting.”

While airlines maintain strict hygiene standards, research shows airplane water systems have raised concerns before. A 2019 report by the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center ranked several airlines’ onboard water quality as “medium risk”, based on Environmental Protection Agency data.

Toilet bacteria can include E. coli and norovirus, which the NHS says can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. According to the NHS, norovirus is highly contagious and spreads easily through contaminated surfaces and droplets.

Public health experts stress that modern aircraft are subject to sanitation regulations, and serious illness from onboard drinks is rare.

A former Ryanair flight attendant has shared some essential travel tips for passengers including the one item never to pack in checked luggage for safety reasons

A former Ryanair cabin crew member has revealed the one item travellers should never pack in their hold luggage.

Eleanor, who was stationed in Marseille, France, clocked up numerous hours flying across the globe with the well-known low-cost carrier. The 25-year-old content creator has chronicled various aspects of her experiences on YouTube, including posting a video discussing the advantages and disadvantages of working as cabin crew for the Irish airline.

Speaking to the Irish Mirror about what shouldn’t go in checked baggage, the ex-flight attendant explained: “I can say you’re not supposed to have any laptops or computers in the checked bag because an overheated battery could cause a fire – and if the source is not in the cabin there won’t be any way to stop it.”

While it’s not prohibited to place a laptop in checked luggage on Ryanair flights, it’s widely regarded as safer to keep it in the cabin where possible.

That said, if personal electronic devices must travel in the hold, Ryanair has four particular requirements you need to follow, as outlined in their terms and conditions.

Firstly, the device must be “totally switched off” and “effectively protected from being turned on accidentally”.

Secondly, any apps, alarms or settings capable of activating it must be disabled or deactivated prior to placing it in your bag for the journey.

Thirdly, you need to ensure the device is safeguarded against accidental damage, either through packaging or a protective case. Alternatively, it can be shielded by sufficient cushioning within a sturdy bag.

The final stipulation is that the device must not share a bag with any flammable substances, including perfume or aerosols.

Meanwhile, Eleanor also shared with us two seats that passengers might want to “avoid” when booking their holidays.

With her extensive experience, she understands better than most how particular seats can significantly impact a journey. She explained: “I can only say to avoid 11A. That’s supposed to be a window seat – but it doesn’t have a window! You won’t be able to see outside.”

Previously dubbed “Europe’s most hated” seat, there’s another one worth swerving, as she added: “Also avoid row 32 on the 737 MAX, an aircraft that Ryanair has only in some bases. That has emergency exits at the wings, and a crew seat near them that faces the passengers.”

Eleanor, who hails from Italy and is now based in New Zealand, elaborated: “So, if you sit in that row, you’ll have the flight attendant stare at you during take off and landing, and you’ll have to move every time they have to pass. It was very uncomfortable as a flight attendant, I imagine it is as a passenger also.”