Flight attendant explains how passengers ‘waste time’

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Jane Hawkes is a consumer expert and a former flight attendant. She told Express.co.uk what passengers can do to help airline staff.

Sitting near a crying child or toddler is a nightmare for many British tourists and several rants have recently gone viral.

However, Jane said it’s important to “be patient” with children as the family could be having a difficult flight.

Jane said: “Be patient if crying or loud children are nearby. Air travel can be stressful and hard work at the best of times but it’s made even more difficult with little ones.

“If you are unhappy, ask the crew if there is an alternate seat you could take. Alternatively book flights with less sociable timings which might not be as appealing to families.”

British tourists could try asking the flight attendant if there’s an alternative seat available on the plane.

While this won’t always be the case, cabin crew will be happy to help polite passengers move if there’s an issue.

Families are also less likely to fly at night or very early in the morning, so passengers might escape flights with children if they book at unsociable hours.

Early morning flights are also usually less likely to be delayed as they are the first to depart from the airport.

Air travel can be stressful and unfortunately that means that some passengers tend to forget their manners.

Jane said: “Remember your manners. Say hello, please and thank you. This is such an obvious thing to do but the most basic manners are often forgotten.

“Ask staff how they are and interact with them so they feel valued and appreciated. A few pleasantries cost nothing.”

When passengers board and exit the plane, it’s always polite to greet cabin crew and thank them.

Jane added: “Think before you ask a question or press that call bell. Crew don’t know your exact location at every point of the journey.

“The onboard moving map is the best source of this information. Crew are not able to see into the future and predict how the rest of your journey will pan out if there is a delay.

“On shorter flights, time is of the essence with the service so any unnecessary trivial questions during the service waste valuable time.”

On the majority of planes, cabin crew can be summoned using a call button by the passenger’s seat.

However, the button should only be used in an emergency or if the passenger has a pressing request.

Cabin crew are usually very busy on flights and won’t have time to answer lots of “trivial” questions.

If passengers want to know where the plane is,they can check the moving map if their plane has one.

While the crew will be able to help if a passenger’s headphones don’t work or they need a drink of water, they are unlikely to have time to answer lots of questions.

Jane shares consumer tips and advice on her blog at ladyjaney.co.uk.

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