Flight attendant shares top ‘travel mistakes’ people make

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A flight attendant has shared the most common mistakes people make when travelling.

Kat Kamalani, a flight attendant from the US, has outlined the unwritten rules of plane etiquette, including which armrest you should and shouldn’t use, and who has control over the window panel.

Sharing her tips in a TikTok video with her 646,000 followers, she said the first “mistake” people make is in which armrest they use.

"If you are sitting in the middle, you get both armrests, don't be that person who's sitting at the window, who gets the window plus this outer armrest and then takes the middle armrest.

Pointing to the aisle seat, she said: "And don't be this guy either, who gets to go in and out all he wants, and he takes this armrest and the other armrest. Middle gets middle armrests."

As for the window panel, she said the control of this lies wholly with the person sitting next to the window.

"This really sucks on red-eyes or early mornings, but if you're sitting at the window, you get to control the window panel.

"If you're not, unfortunately, you don't. They get to say. You can ask nicely, but if they don't want to, they don't have to."

She also urged people to recline their seats back as far as they want.

“You get to put your chair back. You pay for that seat and airlines design it so you can lay your chair back.

"Girl, put your chair back so you're more comfortable,” she said.

Her last piece of advice has caused controversy amongst her followers, with some arguing that it is “selfish”.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines weighed in on the scenario last year. Speaking to The Independent, he said passengers have the right to recline their seats but should ask the person behind them first.

“The proper thing to do if you’re going to recline is that you ask if it’s OK first.

“If someone knows there’s a tall person behind them and they want to recline their seat, I think the polite thing would be to make certain it’s OK,” he said, adding that he “never says anything” when someone reclines into him.