Flight attendant reveals passengers who are the most ‘difficult’ on flights: ‘It seems to be encouraged’
She’s putting these passengers on the no-fly list.
Picking the most irritating passengers might seem daunting given the number of air barbarians lately.
However, one UK flight attendant has taken on this Herculean task and listed the passengers who cause her the most pain in the air. (Hint: it’s not celebrities.)
“I think if you’re looking at superstars and people who can afford their tickets, they generally were lovely people and very respectful,” former Virgin Atlantic worker Skye Taylor, 49, told the Daily Mail.
Instead, the 16-year sky veteran ranks their internet counterparts as the most “difficult.”
“The main problems lie in the routes like Dubai and Vegas where you get the influencer type that maybe hasn’t paid full price,” the Southampton native said.
Some restaurateurs might agree that their freebie-seeking restaurant counterparts are equally irritating.
In fact, the only thing worse than an influencer up high is an influencer who is “high,” according to Taylor, who deemed the Los Angeles splinter faction of content creators the worst when under the influence.
“‘It’s very common for people in LA to take sleeping tablets, things like Valium, and then they would get on board and drink,” she claimed. “And that changes people’s characters. I think you just have to be vigilant with watching how things are going to change people’s behavior.”
And bad behavior isn’t relegated to a specific airplane class, according to the crew member.
A ruckus could be caused by “one person in the economy cabin” or “a couple of people in upper [Virgin’s business class],” she explained.
“You never can tell what’s going to cause somebody to, you know, act out of character, and it’s very hard to assess what they’ve taken,” she explained.
In fact, the real reason why flight attendants greet passengers at the door is not just to be friendly, but rather to assess whether they are intoxicated, among other red flags.
While handling hellions up high can be bedraggling, Taylor said she felt supported by Virgin Atlantic — a luxury she feels cabin crews aren’t afforded on budget airlines.
“I do feel so sorry for the low-cost airline crew at the moment, who don’t seem to have the same backup that we got,” she said. “You see so many incidents now, most of them involving alcohol and the way people act on board … it seems to be encouraged at the moment, which is dangerous in itself.”
Obviously, the worst types of passengers are subjective.
Other flight attendants have named mile-high clubbers, sick flyers and those who stow their jackets in overhead bins as equally deserving of a spot on the Mount Rushmore of the mid-air mayhem and meltdowns.
