The three items of clothing that regularly get passengers barred from our flights
IT’S surprising how few people realise it, but you can’t just turn up to the airport wearing whatever you want and expect to be allowed on your plane.
There are dress codes that you should adhere to if you don’t to be kicked off the flight.
Luckily for us cabin crew members, this is an issue that the gate staff will usually deal with, rather than us.
They’ll pick people up and politely ask them to get changed before they’re allowed on board, if they consider them to be wearing something deemed inappropriate.
However, if they refuse or don’t have anything better to put on, then they’re not allowed on board.
We’re well within our rights to prevent people getting on the flight and it’s used frequently for people who aren’t dressed in a way we would deem to be acceptable.
There are some obvious examples here, including t-shirts with swear words or offensive logos on them, which people are regularly asked to cover up, or remove, before they get on board.
Meanwhile, other people frequently turn up to the airport wearing their swimwear, all ready for the beach.
I get that you’re heading to a hot country, but you’ve got a flight to deal with first.
Not everyone will be comfortable with you turning up in your bikini top and not a lot else, so just don’t do it.
Similarly, wearing a shirt that’s almost completely unbuttoned isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea either, so just dress modestly, as if you’re trying to make a good impression, and not going to the beach.
And once you’re on the plane, you should maintain that modesty too.
This is actually a much bigger problem in both first and business class, where people are much more inclined to forget where they are.
Just because you have a lie flat bed seat, doesn’t mean you can treat it like a hotel room.
Yet people are frequently seen removing their trousers while getting ready for a snooze.
We don’t mind people changing into their pyjamas before having a nap, as long as they have the courtesy of going to the plane toilet to do it.
Airlines with the best plane food
Korean Air
Korean Air won best airline cuisine in last year’s Global Traveler’s awards.
Some of their popular dishes onboard include bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, and ssambap, Korean rice lettuce rolls.
It also made the top 10 for airlines with the best plane food in CN Travelers 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Japan Airlines
Coming in first place in the Reader’s Choice Awards was Japan Airlines.
The airline has partnered with six Michelin-star chefs, each of whom have three stars – so you can expect it to be good.
Passengers can choose bento boxes and miso soups onboard.
Singapore Airlines
Often voted one of the best airlines in the world, it is no surprising Singapore Airlines is said to have some of the best plane food.
Chef Dennis Littley said: “Their gourmet meals rival those of ground-based restaurants.”
Dishes include congee, a rice porridge, as well as Singaporean rice and curry options.
However, when it starts to get busy and a line forms in front of the bathroom, people just get impatient and feel like they don’t have to wait.
I’ve seen loads of people in first class just stand up and whip off their trousers before getting into their bed.
The other people there have paid a lot of money for those seats and I doubt they want to see your underpants, so have some consideration.
Other clothing items we’ve asked people to remove or cover up include football shirts and political messages.
We completely respect your right to support teams, causes and anything you’d like.
But other people on the plane might strongly disagree with you and, while trapped in a tube thousands of feet in the air, we try and prevent as many disagreements as possible.
So sometimes we’ll take a pro-active approach to minimising conflict and hope people understand that we’re not targeting them, it’s just a policy that some airlines have to dodge unwanted mid-air arguments.
Some of our clothing rules and guidelines are in place for safety reasons too, like asking passengers to keep their shoes on for flights.
If there’s an accident, you could do your feet some real damage, either trying to get out of the plane, or by stepping on a red hot runway after an emergency landing somewhere tropical.
What’s more, high heels could puncture the slides or lifeboats in the unlikely event we have to use those.
More importantly, though, no one wants to look at or smell your feet, so please keep them hidden if possible.
There are other rules that may seem a bit strange for passengers getting on board, but they are there for a reason and they do make sense.
Losing phones
Passengers who lose their phone in their seat have to tell their cabin crew members, rather than go looking themselves.
This is because we understand how the seats work and will be a lot less likely to damage phones by crushing it in the seat’s various mechanisms.
If a phone is cracked in the wrong place, it could cause the battery to spark, which in turn could start a fire, which we really don’t want on board our planes.
No kids or old people in certain seats
It may seem unfair that children and old people aren’t allowed to sit in some of the most comfortable seats with the most leg room.
However, the extra legroom seats next to the plane’s emergency exists have to be occupied by people who are going to be able to get up and open the door if there’s a problem.
Some people, like youngsters, elderly people and those with inhibiting disabilities might not be able to get those doors open as quickly as we need.
Meanwhile, these airlines are cracking down on hand luggage passengers, while some are looking to scrap overhead luggage entirely.
And these are the rules for how much liquid you can take on a plane.