5 things you should never do on a plane, according to pilots

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by david randoseru

Most of us could learn something to become better airline passengers. New evidence of bad behavior in increasingly unfriendly skies is delivered to social media feeds and news sources daily, if not hourly.

How about this as an easy way to end the non-stop in-flight madness? Let everyone be like a pilot when traveling.

Well, most pilots, anyway.

Maybe you’ve occasionally seen men and women wearing wings grabbing an empty seat in your row. And perhaps we’ve noticed that they always have a more relaxed approach to things that are disturbing to us. It imposes a test.

Follow their lead. they know what to do.

A few fly guys and gals spoke to HuffPost About how the rest of us can fly not harder, but smarter, and actions that experienced professionals, as passengers on someone else’s plane, would never dream of succumbing to I will also explain.

Here are five do’s and don’ts to help your memory stick.

Don’t go to the bathroom without putting your shoes back on

Stefan Dór Arnarsson, a pilot with Icelandic airline PLAY, said: “It’s natural that many passengers take off their shoes to sit comfortably on the plane, but I always put my shoes on when I go to the toilet.” “I’m trying to do that,” he said.

If you’ve ever seen the inside of an airplane lab, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The floor may be wet. And I know better than that.

“I never go to the bathroom barefoot,” says Michelle Goulis, a charter airline pilot and blogger at Dutch Pilot Girl. “How crazy is that?”

Never stand up before the plane arrives at the gate – here’s why

“Never stand in the aisle if the plane hasn’t arrived at the gate yet and you’re still wearing your seatbelt,” Goulis said. “This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times passengers stand up before the aircraft arrives at the gate.”

It is illegal to unbuckle a seat belt while the plane is still taxiing and the seat belt warning light is on. And it’s also dangerous. That’s because pilots may have to slam on the brakes to yield to unexpected cross traffic.

“You can imagine that when people are standing in the aisles, there’s a lot of potential for injury,” Goulis noted.

Don’t panic about turbulence – planes are built to handle worse conditions.

“Turbulence is a nuisance to most people, but it doesn’t cause planes to fall out of the sky,” said Jeannie Carter, a pilot with commercial airline Wheels Up.

“And it’s usually not dangerous at all as long as you follow the instructions of the flight attendants. Stay seated and wear your seat belt when asked,” she said.

For beginners, turbulence can be a concern. But you just need to think about it in relative terms, Carter suggested.

“I liken turbulence to being on a boat,” she said. “When you’re on a boat, you can see the waves as you’re bouncing around. Air is a liquid, just like water, but you can’t see ‘waves’ in the air. It’s completely safe and planes can handle it. ”

Do not put both bags in the overhead bin.

“Early in my career, on commercial flights, I would throw both bags in the overhead bin and think nothing more about it. One of the last passengers to board was very disappointed when there was no more room for his suitcase overhead. I had a look on my face,” Carter confessed.

Nowadays, it seems to be the norm to break the rules and bring as much luggage as possible on the plane. Most passengers go straight to the nearest overhead bin, no matter what room they’re in. Don’t do that, warn experienced aviators.

“Since that day, I always keep that backpack under the seat in front of me,” Carter said. “If everyone did that one little thing, it would make travel a lot easier for everyone.”

If you are asked to open the blinds, please do so.

“I never leave my window shades closed during takeoff or landing.” Pilot and Blogger Mindy Lindheim he told HuffPost.

“Not only do they get the best views, but they also give passengers a special perspective. Pilots can’t see much of the wing from the cockpit, so passengers are the first to notice anything unusual and alert the crew.” It’s possible,” she said.

You don’t have to spend the entire flight waiting for disaster to happen.

“As pilots, we prepare for the worst, but we rarely encounter it,” Lindheim asserted.

“Driving to the airport is much more dangerous than flying.”