‘Things that I love when passengers do’: Flight attendant shares her passenger ‘green flags’

Flight attendants have to deal with A LOT. From needy passengers to barf bags to the occasional emergency landing due to a passenger’s uncontrollable bowel movements, their job is taxing. Pardon, the airplane humor. 

I mean, who can forget this quote.

“That [expletive] back there is not real.”

So it’s understandable why they may have their grievances. Flight attendant Destaine (@destanieaaa), however, wanted to highlight just the opposite. In a recent TikTok, Destanie tells viewers what they can do to make her life just a little bit easier. Receiving more than 158,300 views and 7455 likes, the young influencer lays down in her bed and goes through her list of “passenger green flags.”

“In no particular order, just things I love when passengers do,” Destanie begins. 

Justifying her list before she rattles it off, Destanie informs her audience that for the most part, a lot of passengers are kind and acknowledging of the flight attendant’s hard work, but there are some who just blatantly ignore them. 

“I love when a passenger asks how we’re doing or like stuff about our day, it feels like I'm actually connecting with people,” Destanie says.  

When she began her role as a flight attendant, Destanie believed that she would be making a lot more human connections with those around her. Because of the giving nature of the job,  she was surprised to find that this wasn’t so much the case.

“I feel like I never have conversations with passengers,” Destanie says. “Everyone is doing their own thing, which is fine, but it’s nice to talk and connect with people sometimes.” 

And Destanie is right. For a job position which, in some scenarios, less than 1% of applicants receive, yet has a yearly income of under $40,000, some common custody could go a long way. 

Yet some commenters came to the defense of the passengers, stating that, in turn, sometimes they don't want to bother the flight attendants by striking up a conversation. 

“I always say hi, but I never want to initiate any convos cause y’all look busy and I don’t want to bother you,” one commenter said, receiving 220 likes. 

“I totally see that,” Destanie responded, acknowledging the potential miscommunication during the short boarding interaction. 

Next, the overhead bins.

“We always make announcements to turn your bag on its side, so we fit more suitcases in,” Destanie says. 

“I’ll see a passenger put it in their bag, they’ll look at it and they’re like ‘’Hmm, i’m gonna turn this bag on its side,” Destanie continues. “I love small, little considerate acts like that.”

In this case, Destanie isn’t just thinking about the flight attendant community, but also, the passengers who board later. Because if the overhead bins are not used accordingly, passengers in the final boarding group may be forced to check their baggage.

“I love when people are just considerate and help us out a little bit,” Destaine says.  

She continues on.

“I love when a passenger is giving me a hard time and another passenger is observing and makes a joke about it, it's so funny,” Destaine says. 

According to her video, sass from passengers is not necessarily scarce. With more than 862.8 million passengers on U.S. airlines in 2023, there are bound to be a couple rotten eggs. So, it's nice to be seen here-and-there. 

“The other day a passenger was being really rude to me and this old man looks at me and goes, ‘You having fun yet sweetheart?’ and I was like ‘You see me, yeah.’” Destanie explains. 

The list goes on and on. From listening to overhead announcements to being prepared to order a drink when it’s time for service-hour. Destanie expresses everything passengers do right when interacting with their flight crew. 

But at the end of the day, every point boiled down to one key-aspect, common courtesy. 

@destanieaaa GREEN FLAGS #passengers ♬ Yacht Club - MusicBox

“You’ll be shocked at how many people just walk in, don’t acknowledge us, and will stand there without saying anything to us,” Destaine says.

According to a study by Mount Mary University, the average adult smiles roughly 20 times a day, and the average child can bat numbers as high as 400 a day. So it’s not outlandish for Destaine to hope for some positive reinforcement here and there, especially from the kids. And this brings her to her next point, polite children. 

“When kids have good manners i’m like ‘Where are your parents, cause they are doing such a good job,’” Destanie exclaims. 

If a child on her flight is well mannered, Destanie explains that it makes her consider the idea that maybe she does want children of her own. She then looks toward the camera and makes a stank face. 

Her lips pucker and nostrils flare as she dives into her last point of the video. Before mentioning the “green flag,” Destanie explains one of her presumably largest distressors. 

“I’ve been hit on many times while working,” Destanie begins. “The times that guys have tried to chat me up… they’ve always had a ring on their finger.” 

And based on her demeanor, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. 

“I love when a married man is not too friendly with us,” Destanie says. 

Now this sounds like it may be a situation based around personal interpretation, but according to Destanie, you can always tell from the man's overall “vibes.” And though it’s a gray area, it has given Destanie perspective on the kind of spouse she hopes to find later-on in life. 

“Kind but not too kind,” Destanie exclaims. 

Wrapping up her TikTok, Destanie asks viewers to give their opinions on the topic. If they liked what she had to say. But just before she shuts off the camera for the night, Destanie decides to acknowledge what she believes viewers are going to mention first, her cold sore. 

“My last video, a bunch of people bullied me for having a cold sore,” Destaine says. 

But, unapologetically, Destanie dares the viewers who may question it to push their boundaries and do something wild.

“Go touch grass,” Destaine says sarcastically. 

And just like that, the seemingly never-ending list of green-flags concludes.  

The Daily Dot reached out to Destanie (@destanieaaa) for comment via TikTok direct message. 

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