Flight attendant spills ‘industry secrets’ for preventing sickness and huge food mistakes on board: ‘Beware’

A flight attendant has made a list of things she would never do on a plane, many of which may surprise you.

Destanie from the US shared how dirty planes really are and encouraged other travelers to follow her example.

Sharing the tips in a now viral TikTok video, Destanie said she never took off her shoes, always carried disinfectant wipes with her and regularly brought her own food.

“These are things I would never do again since I became a flight attendant,” she said.

Never walk with your shoes off on an airplane

Although it is often common knowledge, Destanie stressed that passengers should never take off their shoes when walking around the cabin, as the floors are often covered in dirt.

“I always knew airplane floors were dirty, but I thought if you had a pair of thick socks on, it would be okay to take your shoes off on the plane. But it’s not,” she began.

“These planes have not been thoroughly cleaned, they have basically just been ‘surface cleaned’, so these carpets are really disgusting. There is probably residue from urine or other fluids on them.”

She claimed that the bathroom floor is often quickly swept instead of mopped.

“When I walk into the bathroom, I often see that there is literally urine on the floor because men don’t flush it. And then there is turbulence and the urine flies everywhere,” Destanie continues.

On one occasion, there was feces on the walls after a passenger had used the toilet.

“So be careful,” she said. “I literally wash my hands every 20 minutes or so.”

Touching the surfaces and subsequently her face caused her to suffer from ‘nasty illnesses, sinus infections and two styes in her eyes’.

Destanie said that if she had children, she would never let them touch the floor or the walls.

Destanie said she never took off her shoes and always carried disinfectant wipes (stock image)

Bring disinfectant wipes

Although it may seem obvious, it is wise to carry disinfectant wipes in your luggage to disinfect the surfaces around you, such as the windows and tables.

‘We often don’t have the [sanitising] “So bring your own wipes and stuff and wipe down your tables and stuff too,” she suggested.

“If they turn those planes around, they don’t clean those folding tables.”

But this often depends on the airport code and airline standards.

Eat beforehand or bring your own food

Before boarding a plane, Destanie always eats something first, or she brings her own food.

“You can’t count on there being food on these flights. And even if there is food, the options are often not that good,” she said.

‘When I go to Asia, I always take two cups of noodles in my bag because there is always hot water on the plane.’

Never put salt on airplane food

Destanie also advises against adding salt to airplane meals, as they are often extremely salty.

“Your taste buds change in the air, so there’s a lot of added sodium in the food they serve on the plane,” she said.

“Everything on the plane has a lot of sodium, everything. To add extra salt, oh my god.”

She also eats before a flight or brings her own food and never adds salt to the airplane food, as it is often already loaded with sodium (stock image)

Always wear sunscreen and use your sunscreen

Finally, Destanie advised travelers to always apply sunscreen before boarding the plane, as sunlight is much brighter during a flight.

“The damage the sun does to airplanes is really huge,” she said. “I always close my umbrella as soon as the view is gone,” she said.