Vacation season has arrived, and plenty of people are getting ready to throw their swimwear in a suitcase and head to the airport — but cabin crew say there’s one passenger habit that needs to stop.
A lot of travelers turn to TikTok and other social platforms to pick up insider advice from flight attendants, from little hacks to bigger warnings.
After even telling passengers to avoid using tray tables, some crew members are now asking for a bit of consideration in return: don’t touch them to get their attention — a widespread behavior they say is maddening.
Most people will need help from cabin crew at some point, whether it’s assistance, directions, or a drink, but flight attendants are urging passengers to stop making physical contact to summon them.
As crew move through the aisles, they’re frequently poked, tapped, and sometimes even grabbed by passengers trying to get service immediately.
For some, it’s become such an issue that they’ve started wearing “no touching” badges, hoping it discourages passengers from putting their hands on them.
Flight attendant Michelle Montez, who has spent two decades working in the air, recently addressed the problem on the Jumpseat Chronicles Podcast with fellow flight attendants Joshua Boyd and Darion Foy.
“It happens so often, that if we got paid a dollar for it, we would be millionaires,” he said on the podcast.
They also said passengers have even poked them “in the butt” just to get their attention.
“Use your hands to touch the call light,” he continued. “Trust me, it works every time.”
Other flight attendants echoed the frustration in the comments, with one writing: “It’s so aggravating. Please stop touching me.”
Another wrote: “That’s so true. I experienced that often, UGH!!!” while a third shared their annoyance by asking: “like!!! Do you poke your server at a restaurant?”
So if you need something mid-flight, the message is clear: keep your hands to yourself and use the call button instead.
And it isn’t the only thing flight attendants have advised passengers to avoid. As mentioned earlier, some have also warned people about using tray tables.
They’re a popular place to set meals and snacks, but crew members suggest many travelers might not like what those surfaces have been exposed to.
Cher, who goes by the username @cherdallas on TikTok shared with her 27.5k followers: “I am never eating off a tray table! It astonishes me how often there are people that will feed their kids snacks off of the bare tray table.
“Do y’all know how many people rub their toes on there? Do you know how many dirty diapers get changed and they set it on they tray table while they wait for us?”
Looks like antibacterial wipes might be staying in the carry-on from here on out.