10 Things A Toronto Pilot Says You Should Never Do On A Plane & One Is Seriously Concerning
It's nearly the summer season, which means it's time to pack your bags and explore somewhere new in the world. But do you know what is required of you as a passenger?
Narcity spoke with a Toronto pilot, Candice*, who told us all the things you should never do on a plane, and some are pretty shocking.
Do you know what the actual job description of a flight attendant is? Are you the kind of person that drinks coffee on the plane? Do you walk around a cabin barefoot?
Well, we're breaking down all the "don'ts" for you so that you know what to do next time you're on a plane.
Don't walk around the cabin barefoot
Do you know what the liquid all over the floor in the airplane lavatory is? Well, the pilot said, "Whatever's on the ground is not water."
Yes. They said it's "usually urine." So, if your sock got wet, that's why.
In other words, if you take your hygiene practices seriously, you might want to only remove your shoes when seated.
"On long haul flights, I take my shoes off in my seat, and that's it. But as soon as I'm getting out of my seat, I put my shoes on, even if it's just to run to the bathroom and back," they said.
Don't tip the pilot
Tipping is a part of many industries nowadays, but do not tip the pilot because it's "weird."
The whole tipping aspect in the flying industry is new, the pilot said.
Tipping the flight attendants is becoming more common, but when giving money to a pilot, it's something the Torontonian does not like or accept.
Don't drink the coffee
If you were always afraid to eat airplane food because you thought it was gross, but asked for coffee, you might want to reconsider.
The pilot told us that airplane food is actually not horrible, and they enjoy eating it but "one thing that is kind of gross is the coffee."
"Those pots are kind of disgusting," they shared. "The coffee pots don't necessarily get cleaned but they do get refilled."
Apparently, the coffee pots don't get a "thorough hard clean, they might empty them" and then add "some water in them if they even do that. But yeah, I'd avoid airplane coffee," the pilot added.
Don't freak out about turbulence
Have you seen the famous TikTok video of the turbulence being portrayed as Jello? Well, Candice has a different way of describing turbulence and it can bring comfort to those who are afraid of it.
"Turbulence is literally just unstable air. And that's just simplifying," they shared.
"It's like riding a wave," the Toronto pilot shared. "There's a big wave, the boat or ship rides the wave. It's not always comfortable, but it does it safely. So that's the plane's way of riding the air or riding the wind."
In other words, that's why you should wear your seatbelt to avoid getting hurt.
Don't treat your flight attendants like a server
In the interview with Narcity, the pilot wanted to make sure everyone knew the importance of a flight attendant's job.
"Flight attendants are there for your safety. They're not there for your needs, which I think is a common misconception," the pilot shared. "Everyone thinks flight attendants are waiters or waitresses and servers. But their real job is actually in an emergency, they're the ones taking care of the passengers and making sure that the passengers are safe."
They are also First Aid certified and are trained to deal with all sorts of emergencies.
"The serving part is just a bonus that airlines force the flight attendants to do," they shared. "That's part of the service that attracts passengers, but their main priority and job is safety."
Don't ignore armrest etiquette
You've probably played elbow war with the person next to you many times because people have various opinions on who the armrests belong to.
But let's settle this debate right here. Candice said, "My thing has always been middle seats have to get at least one armrest. If not both."
But also, the pilot said, if they are sitting in the middle it's "survival of the fittest."
Don't try calling someone using Wi-Fi
Planes now come with great Wi-Fi that can allow passengers to stream Netflix shows and hop on calls. But with this luxury comes a few cons. One of which is passengers being on the phone throughout the duration of the flight, which as you can imagine is bothersome to many.
The pilot said they deadheaded on a flight once, which means they were operating as crew but were a passenger, and the person sitting behind them was on a call for the whole flight.
Don't ignore the "Airplane Mode"
Your phone being on does affect the plane, so switch it off, or activate "Airplane Mode."
According to the pilot, having your 5G on during a flight could interfere with the transponders.
The pilot said that back in the day this wasn't much of an issue but with 5G being as great as it is, it can cause some problems.
"Airplanes have something called the transponder on them. And each airplane has one and they speak to each other to avoid planes having a midair collision," they said. "But with 5G, those transponders are reading some 5G phones as other transponders. So sometimes they'll read it as another plane, even though it's just a phone sitting in the back."
"It could cause a traffic resolution callout. I've only had it happen once before. So it's not that common. But it is a threat," the Toronto pilot added.
Don't clap when the plane lands
Have you ever been on a flight where the passengers clap when the plane lands? Well, apparently that's cringe. So don't do it and stop your uncle from doing it too.
"I don't like it. We appreciate the gesture. But there's a saying that goes: You don't clap for the mailman when they deliver your mail," the pilot said.
"We're doing our job. We're not doing anything special," they added.
Don't ignore the rules around exiting
Are you one of those people that stands up once the seatbelt sign switches off thinking you'll get out of the plane sooner? Well, you're wrong.
Apparently, there's a right way of doing it to get everyone off efficiently that will save you time and effort.
Also, it takes around 5 minutes to "connect the bridge to the airplane" so enjoy the last few minutes of your movie while seated and save your annoying energy for later.
"The right way to offload is by row. So if you have people in the row in front of you, don't try to butt in front of them. Let them out, go and just row by row by row by row."
*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality. Narcity has verified their identity.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
