Flight Attendants Secretly Hate This Seemingly Polite Passenger Behavior

Flight attendants are busy, but for the most part, they are happy to help ensure your experience on board is a pleasant one. Asking for a pillow, a drink, or another accommodation is not unexpected. A light tap on the arm might seem like a polite way to get a flight attendant's attention, especially in a noisy cabin. But many crew members would rather you use your voice or gesture to get their attention instead.

In short, don't touch members of the cabin crew. It's one of many airplane behaviors that are sure to frustrate your flight attendants. If you can't get their attention verbally or with a wave, they would rather you use the call button than poke, prod, or tap them. This is according to the co-hosts of the Jumpseat Chronicles Podcast, a show featuring seasoned flight attendants having candid conversations about their experiences in the industry.

It happens so much that Joshua Boyd and his fellow co-hosts Michelle Montez and Darron Foy list the behavior among their recurring pet peeves. "I mean, they poke you in your arm, they poke you in your side, they poke you in the butt," said Boyd. The call button is there for a reason, he noted, adding, "We're aware of when it gets pushed because we know the sound, we know the light. We're aware of that button."

Unfortunately, unwanted physical contact is not an uncommon experience for flight attendants. In fact, according to the hosts of the Jumpseat Chronicles Podcast, "if we got paid a dollar for it, we would be millionaires." Cabin crews can respond in different ways, ranging from a firm reminder not to touch them to possible removal from the flight.

Removing a passenger is an extreme outcome, not the automatic result of a single tap, at least according to flight attendants who commented on a Quora thread on the subject. Verbal warnings may come first, but if the behavior persists or interferes with the crew's duties, the situation can escalate. One user, who claims to have worked as a purser, wrote, "IF a passenger actually touches a flight attendant in a harmful manner, it is considered a federal offense by the FAA and that passenger can now be removed BY the flight attendants request."

Flight attendants regularly keep an eye out for passengers they may need in an emergency, but passengers also rely on them throughout the flight. Flight attendants handle everything from drinks and snacks to important safety responsibilities, and they're responsible for an entire cabin full of travelers, not just you. Cabin crews have a job to do, and the best thing you can do is be polite and respect personal space. Oh, and it might also be smart to avoid some common beverage requests that are bound to annoy them.