Ever been inclined to doze off as soon as you board a plane? Well, sleeping before takeoff is on the list of what not to do as a passenger during a flight.
The point was highlighted in a viral video posted by flight attendant Ale (@wonderfullyale). The clip has had over 641,000 views since it was shared on April 30.
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A woman is shown speaking to the camera while applying makeup. She says: "I have been a flight attendant for almost 10 years.
"Let's talk about things you should not be doing on an airplane...," she says.
The latest post comes as the flight attendant profession was ranked 48th in this year's edition of the annual "100 Best Jobs" ranking by U.S. News and World Report. The job ranked third among the highest-paying jobs without a degree and fifth in the rankings for the best civil service jobs and best jobs without a college degree.
Flight attendant employment is projected to grow 11 percent from 2022 to 2032, "much faster than the average for all occupations," according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Don't Sleep Before Takeoff
The flight attendant in the latest clip says: "I know traveling can be exhausting and sometimes you just want to get on an airplane and go straight to sleep." However, she warns passengers to avoid snoozing before the aircraft takes off.
Falling asleep before takeoff may increase the risk of experiencing ear barotrauma (also known as "airplane ear"), which is a stress on your eardrum caused by an imbalance between the air pressure in your middle ear and that of your environment.
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The Mayo Clinic explains that sleeping on an airplane during ascent and descent increases the risk of airplane ear because "you aren't actively doing things to equalize pressure in your ears such as yawning or swallowing."
The flight attendant adds: "Not only is it not good for your ears to fall asleep before takeoff, but you also want to remember that taxing is one of the most crucial phases of flights. So, you want to make sure that you are completely aware and completely awake in case of an emergency, in case you have to evacuate."
Don't Bring Your Own Booze
The flight attendant warns "do not consume your own alcohol," adding that "it is a federal thing, it is not an airline thing."
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) notes: "FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] regulations prohibit travelers from consuming alcohol on board an aircraft unless served by a flight attendant. Additionally, flight attendants are not permitted to serve a passenger who is intoxicated."
The flight attendant says: "It is against federal regulations to consume your own alcohol because we do need to make sure that you are drinking responsibly. And if you're drinking your own alcohol, we can't really track that."
Don't Walk Around Bare Foot
The flight attendant noted that "one of the most obvious things is don't walk around barefoot on any airline or any airplane.
"If you decide to take your shoes off in your seat, that's a different story. But do not walk into the lavatory with bare feet. You never know what you're stepping on and the floor's not always the cleanest," she added.
The bathroom was found to be among the dirtiest places on planes and at airports in a study conducted by Travelmath, the travel information website.
The study, which saw a microbiologist collect 26 samples from four flights and five airports, found that the lavatory flush button was among the dirtiest spots on a plane, while the bathroom stall lock was among the dirtiest at airports, based on the total bacterial population found per square inch.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified.
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