When you’re travelling, it’s only natural to want to sit back and unwind—especially if you’re on a long journey across the county or across the world. For a few hours, you may want to treat your flying seat as if it were your home away from home.
Experts, on the other hand, advise against becoming too comfortable. Although airlines have implemented severe policies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, flight attendants and regular flyers report that they continue to see individuals engaging in this “don’t.” Continue reading to learn about the things you should never do in an airline restroom.
When you’re using the restroom on an aircraft, make sure your feet are covered.
People are putting themselves in risk, according to podiatrist Ebonie Vincent, by flying barefoot on airlines. People who go barefoot on an aircraft, according to Vincent, who is the host of the TLC program My Feet Are Killing Me, risk contracting infections and viruses, according to the Washington Post.
It’s possible to take up fungus as well, not to mention the millions of germs and bacteria that you may spread to carpets, the interiors of hotel rooms, houses, and automobiles, posing a threat to other people, according to the newspaper. And there are few locations on the planet where more germs and bacteria can be found than the toilets on airplanes.
Being barefoot anywhere aboard an aircraft, on the other hand, puts you at danger. “When others do that, it makes me cringe every time I see them. I’m at a loss for words “According to flight attendant Raven Johnson, who spoke to the Washington Post. You’re not at home, despite the fact that the aircraft are being cleaned more often than they used to be,” says the pilot.
While the majority of aircraft are cleaned on a regular basis, the bathrooms are extensively used.
A thorough cleaning should be performed at least once every 24 hours, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not control how frequently (or how properly) aircraft are cleaned.
Apart from that, the cramped quarters of an aircraft toilet make it easier for germs to proliferate and for droplets of fluid to find their way onto every surface in the vicinity. It’s critical to realize that you are not in your own house. When you use the toilet, dozens, if not hundreds of other people will also use it in the same amount of time as you are using it.
According to experts, it is best not to touch several of the most frequently used sections of an aircraft restroom, including the toilet seat and the door handle. According to Forbes, even when restrooms are cleaned as often as possible, high-touch surfaces are still susceptible to harboring bacteria.
And, of course, put on your shoes. ‘DO NOT WALK AROUND WITHOUT SOCKS,’ a flight attendant cautioned Reddit users. “Pee and feces happen all over the place. I get the impression that I see a ‘accident’ on a frequent basis, either in their seat or in the [bathroom]. People get nasal bleeds or have their wounds open up. As a result, the area is properly cleaned when we arrive. However, our resources are restricted while in flight.”
Being barefoot on public transportation is also considered rude to your fellow passengers.
Aside from the restroom, people like taking their shoes off on aircraft. A veritable pandemic of people traveling barefoot has taken hold, to the point that one Instagram account dedicated to shaming barefoot flyers has gained more than 1.4 million subscribers.
“There’s a strong feeling of entitlement among passengers, who say things like, ‘Hey, I spent X amount of money for this airline ticket, therefore I have the right to treat this aircraft anyway I want,'” says the pilot. Shawn Kathleen, the former flight attendant who created the Twitter account @PassengerShaming, spoke to The Wall Street Journal in 2020 about her motivations for starting the account.
The prevalence of bare feet has reached such proportions that several major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest Airlines, have clear policies saying that you may be removed from a flight if you are found to be walking about in your socks.
If you are unable to wear standard shoes on a flight, there are other options available for you to choose.
Bare feet are not permitted for hygienic reasons as well as because it is considered disrespectful. However, if your feet swell on aircraft and your shoes become uncomfortably tight, you do have options—and you should keep them in mind before any bathroom breaks. Travel expert Caroline Costello of the Smart Traveler suggests that you pack a pair of slippers in your carry-on so that you may slip into them when you get at your destination.
Walking around with socks on your feet is preferable than doing nothing in a situation, but bear in mind that socks will not protect you from any liquids (water or otherwise) that you may come into contact with on the restroom floor.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Vincent said that patients who suffer from edema may benefit from wearing compression socks with grips on the bottom. As a last option, Costello recommends that you inquire with the flight attendants about if the airline has socks or slippers available for you to wear. The majority of airlines deliver such things free of charge to business and first-class clients alike.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, air travel became a much more secure procedure. Not only do these precautions help to ensure that passengers feel secure, but they also help to ensure that travelers get at their destination in a timely manner.
Once you arrive to your gate, the regulations become a little more relaxed, however you’ll want to make sure you get there on time since sprinting through the airport is strongly discouraged by the authorities.
Perhaps it is because of this multi-layered procedure that individuals feel at ease making themselves at home after they board the real flight.
After all, you’ll be on this flying contraption for the foreseeable future, so making yourself comfy should be standard practice among travelers on long-term flights. Despite the fact that this may be the case, there are certain basic decency norms that should be followed by everyone. Check out these 10 things you shouldn’t do on a plane before your next flight before you board.
1. Don’t Turn Up the Volume on Your Music
Ever been driving down the street when suddenly your vehicle starts to shake and the bass of someone else’s music begins to vibrate down through your nerves? Is this something you’ve experienced before? It’s similar to what it’s like to listen to other people’s music on an airline. Because you’re in a small environment, playing music over headphones is not only useless, but it’s also considered disrespectful.
Regardless of how loud you like your music at home, try to be considerate of your surroundings and the fact that not everyone is attempting to listen to what you have on your iTunes playlist. If you’re not sure whether or not other people will be able to hear it, take them off and listen to yourself.
2. Don’t allow your seats to recline during meals.
The fact that individuals (particularly those who are about to go on a vacation) do not always pay attention to their surroundings should come as no surprise. Please keep in mind that if you have eaten on the aircraft recently, it is a good indication that now is not the greatest time to recline and take a sleep.
Because not everyone eats at the same rate, the person in front of you may still be preparing their food when you arrive. Try to keep this in mind even if you choose not to eat the food provided on the flight.
3. Do not remove your shoes from your feet.
Nobody, and I mean absolutely no one, needs to know how bad the odor is coming from the inside of your shoe. The fact that you’ve been wearing these sneakers for the previous twenty-four hours is irrelevant; there is never an acceptable reason to remove your shoes when traveling on an aircraft. Even as a passenger, it’s a hygienic hazard to be in.
On that floor, you never know what type of fluids have made their way onto the surface. As an example, imagine if you were in the midst of a bank and you had to take your shoes off. As a result, don’t do it on an aircraft either.
4.Don’t Allow Your Children to Play Unsupervised
Despite the fact that your children are perfectly behaved at home and in ordinary social situations, their energy is amplified in these enclosed places. Having children run about, shout, and generally make disruptions will get under everyone’s skin, but most will prefer to ignore it instead of reacting.
Keep in mind that some of the people on board are also parents, and the vast majority will be attentive to the issue regardless of the circumstances. Don’t, however, take advantage of their friendliness for granted. Just because no one has expressed concern about your kid does not imply that the circumstance is not causing them distress.
5.Don’t Drink too much
In principle, being drunk on a plane seems like a good time, but the reality is that it’s a complete disaster in practice. The problem is that you have no place to lie down and rest if you get the spins. As an added bonus, everybody who is around you will be able to hear you if you start feeling unwell.
Not to mention the fact that being inebriated on a flight will almost certainly result in unruly conduct that no one will appreciate throughout your vacation. No matter how relaxed you may be when under the influence of alcohol, being drunk on an aircraft will give you some kind of pain in one way or another. The nausea, cottonmouth, and repeated visits to the bathroom are all symptoms of this condition, which may last for many days.
6. Do not place your carry-on bag on top of someone else’s seat.
Yet, despite the fact that there is no reason for this to occur, it does so on practically every flight. The overhead bins are large enough to accommodate the required number of seats underneath them (typically three). You should be able to get your carry-on to fit precisely just over your seat area, and your personal item should be able to fit properly beneath your feet.
Even while some passengers choose to store their personal belongings in the overhead bins, this practice may result in a buildup of items and the necessity for the following passenger to select an other overhead compartment. By the time you realize it, the whole aircraft has been out of rhythm, resulting in even longer wait times to get off the plane.
7. Do not put your legs on others seats.
Another important piece of aircraft etiquette is to respect other people’s personal space. People are well-known for utilizing spare seats (or even the seat in front of them) as foot rests when traveling.
The Internet has found amusement in this everyday event, but it does so at the price of the other passenger’s suffering…. Despite the fact that it may be tempting to recline your seat and raise your feet in the next seat, it is crucial to remember that personal space takes precedence over all other considerations.
8.Do Not Push Your Way To The Front Of The Line
In part due to the aforementioned overhead bin fiasco, it is occasionally necessary to wait longer than you would want to exit an aircraft. That should in no way be construed as a permission to force your way to the front of the aircraft, as it may be.
Everyone is anxious to get off the plane, and some individuals may have equally important items to attend to before they can do so. Before you begin your own disagreement, you must first wait for the rows in front of you to move into the aisle, following a straightforward protocol. If the person in front of you is taking a long time to collect their belongings, you should be respectful and wait for their arrival. You may even volunteer to assist if doing so would expedite the process.
9.Don’t Make Light of Bombs.
Bomb threats are taken very seriously by airlines. Bomb jokes, no matter how plainly sarcastic they seem to be, should not be made aboard an airplane, especially after you have boarded the aircraft. It’s a simple and easy method to make at least one person on the aircraft feel uncomfortable, maybe even enough to express their displeasure in public. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may even be booted from the aircraft and detained in an interrogation room.
10.No, you should not ignore the safety briefing.
Everyone would prefer not to think that their aircraft may be the next one to have a problem, yet it is possible. And, before you put your headphones on, take a moment to consider if you are really prepared to respond in an emergency.
If you travel often enough, you may get familiar with the safety briefing in its entirety. However, even if this is the case, these recommendations should not be disregarded. It takes less than 10 minutes to go through the process, and some airlines even make a spectacle out of it for their passengers!
