Why you should never touch a flight attendant: 'Use your words'
Flight attendants have to deal with a lot from passengers on a daily basis - both good and bad.
But there is one seemingly innocent act that really gets on their nerves. And it could actually land you in serious trouble.
Taking to Reddit recently, one flight attendant called out the issue, which they said is one of the "biggest pet peeves" for them and many of their coworkers.
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Flight attendants say being touched by passengers is one of their biggest annoyances. Getty
"Being touched by passengers to get our attention," they explained. "I know it's not always meant badly, but imagine being tapped on the shoulder, waist and butt dozens of times a day by strangers - it gets old quickly."
Instead, they asked passengers to say "excuse me" or use the call button.
"If I'm close enough for you to tap me, I promise I'm close enough to hear you... We're trained to listen for passengers and we'll respond quickly."
In another post on TikTok recently, US-based flight attendant Charity Moore, echoed this sentiment, imploring passengers to "use your words to get our attention".
"We get touched, poked and grabbed, especially in the hip region a lot and it can be jarring and uncomfortable," she added in the clip.
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Touching a flight attendant while they are working can be seen as a serious offence. Getty
For the most part, travellers were in full support of the points made by the crew members online. But some did point out that planes are known to be a loud environment.
"I don't touch FAs. But my 'excuse mes' definitely fail much more often than they succeed," one person said.
Another said perhaps a plane-wide announcement would help passengers understand that touching was off-limits.
"As a passenger, I'd love for this to be in an announcement! A simple statement about respect and safety for all passengers and staff and the best way to do that is to keep your hands to yourself," they wrote.
In the past other flight attendants have said the call button is "only there for real emergencies". But in the end it is still preferable to being touched without consent.
Instead passengers should say "excuse me" or use the call button. Getty
Why you should never touch a flight attendant
While the gesture may seem harmless, touching a flight attendant, especially on purpose and in an inappropriate manner, can actually get you kicked off the flight... or worse.
Consequences vary, with some passengers receiving a verbal warning from the flight attendant or even intervention from the captain. In more extreme cases, the airline might ban you from future flights, or the police may be called to make an arrest.
In the US, it's against federal regulations to interfere with a flight crew member performing their duties, and that includes flight attendants.
In Australia, touching a flight attendant without their consent, particularly in a sexual or aggressive manner, is a serious criminal offence under the Crimes (Aviation) Act 1991 (Cth).
Australian Federal Police have the authority to remove passengers and press charges upon landing.
