Flight Attendant Urges Passengers To Stop Ick Inducing Behaviour That Can Get You Arrested
Suzanne Bucknam has been upfront about some of the bad onboard behaviour that used to cause her temperature to rise and skin to crawl when working the plane aisles
Suzanne has called out those who engage in too much PDA (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A flight attendant has called out passengers who get up too close and personal on flights.
Suzanne Bucknam has been upfront about some of the onboard behaviour that used to cause her temperature to rise and skin to crawl. Foremost among them is Public Display of Affection (PDA) – something that makes many people uncomfortable, especially when you’re stuck inside a tube in the sky for hours with each other.
“A kiss on the lips or handholding doesn’t warrant ick status but making out and putting a blanket over each other’s laps gets very uncomfortable for everyone in the vicinity. I’ve seen several couples attempt to join the mile-high club either in the bathroom or, worse, at their seats with said blanket over them. In fact, I’ve caught a couple with their pants down in the back of our plane once. We did an emergency landing and had them escorted off the plane, then got back in the air without them,” she told SkyParkSecure.
“It should be known that you can be arrested for public indecency, and flight attendants won’t be afraid to call the authorities if they see you trying to get too cosy with your partner.”
Suzanne has had enough of the physical intimacy ( Image:
Getty Images) Another bugbear for the flight attendant is how often couples fail to book their seats together. Suzanne said: “It may sound obvious but if you’re bothered about sitting together, book your seats together. A simple boarding process can become a nightmare if couples don’t book seats together but demand another passenger to move.
“Not only does it slow the process down significantly, but it often causes an altercation between passengers when someone won’t move. Someone picked and paid for that seat, so they are well within their right to turn down a request to switch.” I’ve had to have a couple moved to a new flight because they demanded to sit next to each other on an already booked flight – they were hoping for a complimentary upgrade by asserting their newlywed status but the passenger (quite rightly) next to her declined their request.
“The situation intensified when the husband raised his voice, prompting their removal from the plane. The decision was made as we didn’t want them harassing or sitting next to this woman for the entire 4-hour flight, and the hostility wouldn’t be tolerated.”
For Suzanne, there’s nothing more exhausting than a couple on their honeymoon who think they deserve everything.
“What I wish all honeymooners knew before travelling somewhere is that, just because they’re celebrating, it doesn’t mean others have to celebrate or contribute to that celebration. If you do get a free upgrade or a free drink, fantastic! But please don’t demand one from an unsuspecting flight attendant,” she said.
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“And as an employee who has been in that situation, it’s just plain awkward if there are no upgrades available, and it’s against the airline’s policy to give freebies.” Suzanne suggests that a simple, polite inquiry about available upgrades or accommodations can go a long way.
“I used to love polite and kind people and would do anything to improve their trip. Maybe a passenger noticed a seat at the front of the plane was open, and if they were friendly and asked me if they could please move, I would let them. No need to butter anyone up or try to bribe; just a simple conversation and a kind ask can get your freebies and upgrades.”
