Flight attendants have revealed the one thing they wish passengers would stop doing — touching them. Next time you need a soda or a pair of headphones on a plane, consider using the call button or politely asking for help by using your voice, as flight attendants have urged travelers to do.
Podcast Issues Public Notice
Three veteran flight attendants — Michelle Montez, Joshua Boyd and Darion Foy — have issued a public notice on their Jumpseat Chronicles Podcast about the proper way to get their attention. “We get poked and touched as flight attendants,” Boyd said in a March episode, calling it one of the biggest recurring issues. Foy said passengers will even go as far as to poke flight attendants in the butt.
“It happens so often that if we got paid $1 for it, we would be millionaires,” Boyd said. Montez urged travelers, “We don't have to use our hands to touch your flight attendants.” “Use your hands to touch the call light,” Boyd said.
Industry-Wide Problem
The podcasters elaborated on their pet peeve in an interview with The Washington Post published Friday. “It’s almost a rare occurrence when it doesn’t happen,” Montez said. Foy said it’s not just an issue his podcast co-hosts have experienced, but rather an industry-wide problem. “You can talk to any flight attendant for any airline, and they will all agree that that’s something that we cannot stand and that we deal with so often, it’s insane,” he said.
Some flight attendants have tried to prevent unwanted poking and prodding by wearing patches, lanyards or aprons advising passengers not to touch them, according to The Washington Post. If a traveler touches Boyd more than once, he said he might say to them in a light-hearted manner, “I appreciate that you want my attention.” “However, you do not have to touch me to get it. I just want to hear your sweet voice,” he might add.
