Ever found yourself wrestling with your luggage in the overhead bin on a plane, wondering why the cabin crew isn’t swooping in to assist?
Well wonder no more, as flight attendant Cierra Mistt has taken to TikTok to spill some “flight attendant secrets” she reckons most flyers are oblivious to – including why they won’t help with your heavy bags.
Cierra revealed that flight attendants and pilots don’t start earning their pay until “everyone is on board and the plane door shuts”. So during boarding, they’re not actually being paid.
She went on to explain: “That being said there’s a reason why we tell you we cannot help you lift your bags up, because if we get hurt, we don’t have workers’ compensation because we’re not on the clock yet”. It’s important to note that her experience is based on American aviation practices.
Echoing Cierra’s revelations, fellow flight attendant Kat Kamalani confirmed: “Everyone thinks it’s the flight attendant’s job to lift your luggage into the bins, but it’s not. Actually, our airline, and a ton of other airlines, tell you ‘do not do this’ because you get so many injuries with it. And you’re not even covered.”
In another surprising tidbit, Cierra also let slip that cabin crew can unlock airplane toilets from the outside, which might unsettle some passengers.
However, she assures there’s a valid rationale: “We have this option in case somebody needs help in the bathroom, or there’s an emergency”, she clarified.
In the comments section, many expressed their shock at the pay situation. One user commented: “The pay situation sucks. You should be getting paid the moment you step foot on that plane not when the doors close.”
Another individual was surprised they were “only just” discovering her page, expressing gratitude for the insider information.
