HUMANS are pretty much incapable of being separated from their electronic devices nowadays.
However, that can get people into trouble whenever they’re trying to board our aircraft.
The problems arise from people not knowing the rules about where they need to put their devices, as well as some important preparation they need to do to make sure they’re safe to fly.
In this week’s blog for Sun Online Travel, I’ll explain the common mistakes passengers often run into and why they can be both dangerous and costly.
The first problem that a lot of people end up running into is not charging their devices.
Sometimes airline staff might ask you to prove your phone, or any other device, works as expected.
If you’re unable to do this, we have the right to take your phone off you and force you to leave it behind at the airport.
It’s either that, or you don’t board with it – those are your options.
Obviously, not all passengers are asked to do this, but the gate staff do carry out spot checks from time to time and if you get caught out, that’s your phone gone, leaving you having to pay for a new one.
With phone prices pushing £1,000 now, it’s obviously far from an ideal start to your holiday.
But phones are almost the perfect size and shape for bringing things on board that shouldn’t be on there, so we do need to check.
The risk of getting that wrong is that your plane will leave without you or your phone.
However, there are some problems that are much more serious, the main one being packing electronic items that are then stowed in the overhead bins, or even worse, in the hold.
Electronic items, especially those with lithium ion batteries, have been known to start fires.
These batteries are really sensitive to high temperatures and also very flammable.
What’s more, when these fires start, they can spread quickly and are sometimes hard to put out.
Korean Air
Korean Air won best airline cuisine in last year’s Global Traveler’s awards.
Some of their popular dishes onboard include bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, and ssambap, Korean rice lettuce rolls.
It also made the top 10 for airlines with the best plane food in CN Travelers 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Japan Airlines
Coming in first place in the Reader’s Choice Awards was Japan Airlines.
The airline has partnered with six Michelin-star chefs, each of whom have three stars – so you can expect it to be good.
Passengers can choose bento boxes and miso soups onboard.
Singapore Airlines
Often voted one of the best airlines in the world, it is no surprising Singapore Airlines is said to have some of the best plane food.
Chef Dennis Littley said: “Their gourmet meals rival those of ground-based restaurants.”
Dishes include congee, a rice porridge, as well as Singaporean rice and curry options.
Therefore, we ask passengers keep these in their personal bags, or even in their pockets.
That way they’re somewhere where we can immediately see when there’s a problem, before it risks getting out of hand.
This isn’t limited to phones either – vapes are another item that can be very dangerous if stored in the wrong part of the plane.
People assume that because they’re not going to smoke them during the journey, they can store them in their luggage, but we’d rather they were somewhere safe, or just not on the plane altogether.
Smoking them on board is really stupid too – if people see a big plume of smoke in the cabin they start to panic and it’s not worth getting other people worried, or yourself in trouble.
It’s really easy to spot who’s vaping on board and it’s a surefire way to ruin your holiday, so just wait until you’ve arrived and you find somewhere where it’s allowed.
If you can’t be bothered to do that, the punishment is the same as if you’re actually smoking, for which you can be fined, or even arrested in some circumstances.
You could also find yourself on our no-fly list too if you’re lucky, limiting your holiday options for the future.
Also, you may think it’s harmless, but it’s just a personal choice and other people might really not want you to do it.
It’s the equivalent of listening to music out loud without headphones, or eating horrible smelling food in the cabin.
Why should others have to deal with the pungent smell of your vapes, just because you can’t wait any longer?
Meanwhile, these are the clothing items that could get you in trouble on flights.
And these are the rules around taking food on planes.
