Pilots And Flight Attendants Reveal What Passengers Do That's Way More Risky Than You Think - BuzzFeed

Every time you fly, the flight attendants onboard give you a safety rundown on everything you need to know, but are you really paying attention? And just how important is it to follow all of those rules? Turns out, pretty darn!

Recently, Redditor SignsOfDamage asked, "Pilots or flight attendants of Reddit, what’s something passengers do that is way more important (or dangerous) than they realize?" The answers were definitely eye-opening, and I'm going to be much more vigilant the next time I fly. Here's what people had to share:

"You should have all the clothing and footwear you need to survive outside at your departure airport for 30 mins or so. Do not wear sandals and shorts for your February flight from Chicago to Cancun. Why? Because the most likely time for an emergency evacuation is during take-off due to engine failure. You will be rushed down a slide, into a two-foot snowbank, where you will run upwind out of the smoke and fire. No one will come to get you for 30 minutes while first responders put the fire out and evacuate the stragglers. You won't have any carry-on items (or at least you shouldn't). It will be cold and windy. Wear a hoodie and closed-toed shoes at least. On many fleets, you will slide off the back of the wing, which is covered in an extremely slick glycol mixture for anti-icing. This will get all over your clothing. Source: I am a pilot."

"We once timed out because a passenger was in the lavatory and took too long prior to takeoff. We were literally 5 feet from the runway. We made multiple announcements to remain seated. We were cleared for takeoff, but we can’t take off with someone in the lavatory. I could hear people shouting in the back, telling the person to get out. But they didn’t leave until we were 30 seconds past our wheels-up time. At that point, it is illegal for us to depart, so we had to go back to the gate. Stay in your seat and hold it if the crew tells you, it absolutely can be the difference between getting to your destination or not."

"In case of a water landing, never inflate your life jacket inside the plane. If water fills the plane, you will float to the top inside the plane and won't be able to get out the door. So please, listen to the flight attendants on when to inflate them."

"Don't put that duty-free 1-liter glass bottle of Grey Goose in the overhead locker; put it under your feet. It becomes a sledgehammer when you open the locker to look for something. At best, it's a glass clean-up operation with everyone in their socks. At worst, it's an emergency landing with blankets covering the victim."

"It's dangerous to fly too soon after an operation or illness (even a blocked ear). I’ve known flight attendants who have gone deaf after their eardrums burst from constant pressure. The risk of it is not talked about enough."

—u/ Character_Whereas123

"People do not take sitting in the exit row seriously at all. Opening the exit row window is not easy. I love how flight attendants have to practice opening it during their annual training, but exit row passengers aren’t even required to read through the booklet."

"During one of my shifts, a guy vaped in the bathroom, and it forced us to make an emergency landing. They had to bring the maintenance crew on to replace the detector after deplaning everyone, and the idiot was arrested."

"You would not believe the number of parents with very young children who let them get up while the plane is taxiing. That child basically becomes a projectile."

"When the flight attendants are in the aisle with the cart serving beverages, and you’re seated right by them, please stop opening the overhead bin that’s directly next to where they’re standing. You can wait for the few minutes it takes for them to get out of your area. I had someone do this while I was pouring coffee. They dropped their backpack on me and I spilled hot coffee all over a passenger. I felt so damn awful for the scalded passenger and it took everything in me not to go off on the other one. We’re crouching, shifting, taking a step back/forward while holding multiple drinks, etc., while working the cart. That is not the time to open an overhead bin directly next to us. We’ll be out of your area in just a few minutes, it isn’t worth the risk."