Things that airline staff want you to know...

[FlyMayBe]

If you bring the wrong passport to the airport, you will not be allowed to fly on an international flight.

No, the captain will not hold the aircraft for you while you wait for your relative to bring the correct passport in a taxi.

Lost your passport in the airport? Nope. You still can't fly - unless it is a domestic flight and you have reliable photo ID.

I've never shown any ID at the plane. Only at the gate.

At the gate you need to match flier with boarding card. At the plane they only care about the seat.

pine but you do need photo ID to get on a domestic plane. I've seen people turned away from internal flights because they have no photo ID on them. Many people just use their passport anyway.

I fly domestically a lot, and from my experience both EasyJet and FlyBe want photo ID, which for many people is a passport but can be a driving licence or an expired passport (two years expired for EasyJet and five years expired for FlyBe) and nothing needed for under-18s as long as an adult with ID vouches for them. BA though require no ID at all for domestic flights, unless you have checked luggage in. So it isn't as simple as you might think!

Flying through Bogata (Columbia), the guy in front of me in the queue at security had an unsealed tin of travel sweets (the ones in confectionary sugar). That caused A LOT of raised eyebrows from the security team.

Not surprised at all about that as it's a major cocaine trafficking country. Called Colombia by the way....

nothing needed for under-18s as long as an adult with ID vouches for them.

WTF??!
Child traffickers dream then....

In my country even a baby needs a passport and to enter South Africa you have to produce the birth certificate.

This was many years ago now but we used to fly British airways from Scotland to London. When flying down to London they didn’t ask for any photo ID but when we were flying back up they asked for it. Luckily I had taken the passports just in case we were asked but what would they have done if we hadn’t had them?

WTF??!
Child traffickers dream then....

Only for domestic flights. Not that much child trafficking between Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Cabin staff, would you drink the water/hot water/coffee on board?

My worst experience was arriving at a US airport with a 5 and 3 year old a few months after 9/11. Both children were tired, the older one had a huge nosebleed just after we landed, and I set off the alarm going through the scanner (which I think was my under wired bra).

They took me off to the side for a more thorough search, and wouldn't let the children come with me, though we could still see each other. The poor older one was trying to comfort her sister who had started bawling when I was taken away, at the same time as trying to keep her bleeding under control. Not the most restful start to the holiday!

Cabin staff, would you drink the water/hot water/coffee on board?

Good question! I think we need an AMA with a representative on there from each airline, then we can clear up our questions all at once! [grin}

What do we think is wrong with the water served on planes? Is this another MN irrational fear about germs and contamination?

I flew Jet2 last week and had a perfectly decent cup of tea.
The hot drinks on BA are bloody disgusting.

@VanGoghsDog I had to show DDs passport when we flew from London to Edinburgh, she was asleep in the ergo carrier and they asked me to show her face so they could see she matched the photo. The lady at the desk said their main motivation was due to child custody/kidnapping concerns.

I managed to fly from Heathrow to Italy last year and back again with a Swiss Army knife in my handbag.

I, on the other hand, was hunted down at Mauritius airport by a cross security lady because they insisted I had a Swiss Army knife stashed. I was comfortably seated in the departure lounge when they caught up with me. Had to do the walk of shame back to security to be rescanned. Turned out to be a folding reading light.😂

www.ryanair.com/ie/en/useful-info/help-centre/terms-and-conditions/termsandconditionsar_368204930#section-article-termsandconditionsse_579117795

www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/passports-visas-and-api

www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/travel-documents-and-information

www.flybe.com/charter/airport

You can see the differences even in these four airlines in terms of requirements for ID. But Flybe appears to be the only one that requires ID for under-16s (not under-18s as I originally said!).

What the rules on iPads/tablets/games being played full belt on the plane?

We travelled back from Canaries last summer and the mum of kids (fast asleep) had the bastard thing playing full belt at midnight.

I'm cabin crew. The water is drinkable, but it had chemicals and I think you can taste them (but I have well water at home and don't even like drinking tap water from people's houses!). I drink the water in tea and coffee, but drink bottled cold water. We do the same for passengers. 10+ years ago we served tap water.

Re the iPad noise. There aren't any rules. I'd definitely have asked the lady to use headphones or turn it down/off during the night, if it had happened on my flight, but I couldn't have made her.

@Honeyroar. the crew didn't say a word. The same family rocked up with no booked seats and got the 'best' ones at the front all together.
Why don't they move families who have actually paid to the better seats in that instance? That's a whole other thread though.

Regarding the noise,
What happens if an adult was watching a 15+ movie and children could see the screen. Would they be told to turn it off as it's inappropriate?

People have usually paid for the seats at the front, and nowadays people choose their seats online, so it’s quite amazing if those seats are free. I’ve never had to ask anyone to switch anything off because it’s inappropriate. I’ve had to ask a few people to use headphones and they always have.

@joyfullittlehippo that happened to some passengers on the flight I was on this morning from Canada. It was a passport check (a check to make sure they would be allowed to enter the UK was my impression), they had all checked in online and didn’t have baggage so didn’t get that at bag drop / check-in.

Sorry forgot to say that was on BA, flying Canada to UK. 😊

What happens if an adult was watching a 15+ movie and children could see the screen. Would they be told to turn it off as it's inappropriate?

A number of years ago I was on a flight and the couple in the row opposite me were watching a porn video without headphones (and trying to re-enact the scenes themselves). The flight attendant told them to turn it off (and cut it out). She threatened them with cutting off their alcohol if they didn't.

(when will Americans learn that a tea bag handed over with a cup of warm water is not acceptable)*

I feel your pain