8 Annoying Peeves That Make a Flight Attendant Go Berserk

Flight attendants; what a wonderful job that must be. They all look so well groomed and glamorous, gliding up and down the aisle of the plane, dispensing food, drink and comforting words in a calm and efficient manner.

Well, the reality is just a little different. Beneath the calm exterior there are many things that make a flight attendant go berserk. Here are their top 8 annoying peeves.

Passengers Who Won’t Sit Down for Take Off

How many times have you been in your seat, all buckled up and ready for take-off? Then the announcement is made – “Will the remaining passengers take their seats, as the pilot is waiting to taxi to the runway?” You look around and there are a handful of passengers still standing up, totally oblivious to the requests of the flight attendants.

Passengers Who Don’t Sit in Their Allocated Seating

Nowadays, most airlines give you the option to choose your seat when you you’re making your booking. Alternatively you will be allocated your seat on check-in. So why on earth do people then choose to sit in a totally different seat once they are on the plane? This failure to comply leads to much confusion, anger and arguments when the person who has been allocated that seat arrives. Guess who has to sort out this problem? Of course, the flight attendant!

Passengers Who Don’t Know How to Use a Call Button

Some passengers seem to lose their common sense as soon as they board an aircraft. Everyone knows that the call button above your seat is there to summon the flight attendant if you need their assistance. So why do some passengers feel the need to shout out when they want some assistance or even worse, poke the flight attendant as they walk by?

Hanging on to Rubbish for Grim Death!

Flight attendants make regular trips up and down the aisle, collecting rubbish in a bid to keep areas clean and to save time when turning the plane around for the next flight. However, many passengers seem to hold onto their rubbish as if it were the crown jewels. Why? Surrounded by newspapers, empty drinks cartons, half eaten sandwiches and sweet wrappers – surely you would prefer the flight attendant take it all away?

People Who Think the First Stop on the Plane is the Toilet

There are always a handful of passengers who board the plane, dump their luggage in their seat and then try to walk up the aisle in the opposite direction of boarding passengers, simply to visit the toilet. This not only holds up the rest of the passengers finding their seats but it can also delay the flight status or departure time of the plane.

Bringing Heavy and Outsized Hand Luggage on to the Plane

Many airlines have strict weight or size restrictions regarding hand luggage. However, there always seems to be one or two passengers who have somehow by-passed this and who struggle onto the plane with their rather heavy or large bag. There are restrictions for a reason. If a piece of hand luggage cannot fit under the seat or in the overhead locker it is a health and safety risk, particularly in an emergency when anything left loose could go flying around the cabin, causing injury.

Passengers Who Don’t Know When to Stop Drinking

Many people are not aware that the pressurised atmosphere in an aircraft cabin means that the effects of drinking alcohol are heightened. Despite this being widely publicised, flight attendants often have to deal with drunken and abusive passengers who can make life very difficult for both the attendants and their fellow passengers. All too frequently, attendants have to deal with violent situations.

Complaining About the Food

Many passengers complain about the quality of the food served to them. Flight attendants do not prepare or cook the food and have absolutely no control over the quality. However, they have to take the flak on every flight, from passengers who think that airline food should be the same quality as that served in a restaurant.

In-Flight Conclusion

Working as a flight attendant is not plain sailing. The training is hard and the responsibility is great. Despite often having to manage difficult passengers, flight attendants calmly help to make your flight as comfortable as possible, whilst always being on the alert for safety issues that could affect you or the aircraft. Yet most passengers will only ever see the true worth of a flight attendant when there is an unwanted emergency.

About the Author:

Williams Barry is an aeronautical engineer with more than a thousand hours of flying under his belt. Presently, he is working as a freelance consultant and editor, advising airline companies on how to improve and grow their business. Aviation is his passion and so is writing. He writes about situations that make flying memorable and his tips are rolled out of his years of experience in the field.

Ride the Popemobile for Your Stag Do in Ireland

What’s the hottest way to drive around during your stag do in Ireland? Right now, it is the Popemobile used when Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the country back in 1979. Proudly made in Ireland, as this mobile was built in Cork, it is now the most popular mode of transportation for stag dos.

Most people would think that this vehicle would be in a museum right now. However, when Paddy Dunning acquired the Dublin Wax Museum and this popemobile, he decided to rent it out. He did spend $75,000 to resurrect this particular vehicle. It is now fully functional and upgraded with a Mercedes Benz chassis.

Drive Around in a Popemobile

Since the popemobile can accommodate 15 people, it has become a popular vehicle for stag and hen parties. By renting this vehicle, group members do not really have to take separate cars to get around town.

Anyone who is spending their last moments of freedom in Dublin can rent this unique vehicle. According to its owner, Mr. Dunning, this is not just rented out for stag and hen parties. In fact, it can be useful for all sorts of private parties like debutante’s nights and other such parties.

This fancy taxi comes at a fancy price, but for some folks, it is definitely worth every penny. It can certainly make any affair more memorable. This can be rented out at €300 per hour and VAT still needs to be added on to that price.

Visiting the Capital of Ireland

Dublin has long been a popular hen and stag party destination. With over 600 pubs and more clubs, it is one of the cities to party hard. So, if you are having a stag or hen party in Dublin, you now have the opportunity to drive around in a fancy taxi that can accommodate your whole group. See the sights or go pub crawling. For sure, the people’s eyes will be on you.

Those who will be visiting the capital city of Ireland for the first time might also want to see the sights and just use the popemobile for that purpose. A lot of people are at odds that such a vehicle will be rented out for stag parties that can get rather wild. Still, Dunning’s promotional package lists a lot of potential uses. He even plans to get sponsors that will drive it around as a “hopemobile.”

Partying at the Capital City

Dublin has a lot more in store for stags and hens that stay for the night or weekend to celebrate their last moments of freedom. Besides its vibrant nightlife and music scene, Dublin also offers lots of activities that can make those last moments truly memorable.

With lush golf courses, challenging go kart race tracks, wide open spaces for clay shooting and buggy racing, stags can easily find fun activities to enjoy during the day. Of course, at night, Dublin’s nightlife is something worth looking forward to. The choice is yours… go pub crawling or choose a particular venue to drink and party all night!

A Savage Nightclub Attack During a Stag Party

Bad things can happen anytime and when one least expects it. That was the case for Neil Topping who was just enjoying his brother’s stag party when something bad happened. True enough, it is not surprising for some stag parties to have such incidents.

Men that simply cannot handle their alcohol well can do crazy things. Still, the assailants did not have to gang up on him. Such a thing can also happen during a hen night, but women usually do not get as violent.

Topping was brought to the hospital severely beaten after the incident. Though he will undoubtedly recover eventually, his brother’s stag do is unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

How Did It Start?

Neil Topping, 53 years of age, was enjoying his brother’s stag party at a nightclub on King Street, Bliss, when a man bumped into him knocking him to the side. He did have an argument with that man, but the man’s son tried to break the argument by trying to calm them down.

Topping and the rest of the stag group thought that was over since they went on their separate ways and all left the club. However, as their stag group was walking down the street, the man that Topping had an argument with went up to him accompanied by two other men. The argument then continued and a man punched one of Topping’s family members.

A fight then broke out. Topping was knocked out cold and one of the men continued to kick him as he lay on the ground. After that, the three assailants ran away.

Police Investigation

The police did look into the issue and they did not even have such a hard time identifying the assailants as they had their photo taken at the nightclub earlier that evening. Aside from that photo, they also took photos of Topping’s injuries.

One of the officers did say that the violent attack was carried out by three men that had no reason to act that recklessly. The local police will be speaking with the Greater Manchester Police if they don’t find the three men first. The cooperation of anyone that know anything about those men will be greatly appreciated as well.

Hopefully, the three men will get caught soon enough and pay for their crime. Anyone that can provide information can call the local police on 0161 856 5958. Others that wish to leave tips anonymously might want to call Crimestopper instead on 0800 555111.