Flight attendant reveals the secret plane call button rules – including when to never press it
A FLIGHT attendant has revealed the secret rules around the call button above your seat – including when to never press it.
The travel expert urged passengers not to be nervous about calling over the steward but there are a number of factors to take into account first.
Mateusz Maszczysnki, who has worked on airlines for over 15 years, revealed some of the etiquette around using the switch.
As frequent fliers will know, the button usually sits over your seat next to the controls for the reading light and fan.
When pressed, it illuminates a light on your row of seats and plays a gentle tone to alert the cabin crew that you require assistance.
Among some holidaymakers, though, it has become taboo to press the button unless it is absolutely necessary for fear of bothering the stewards.
But Mateusz explained why this shouldn’t necessarily be the case.
He told travel site Paddle Your Own Kanoo: “Somehow, we’ve ended up in a situation where it’s been normalized within the industry that the call button should only be pressed in extremist.
“It’s not that this policy is written down anywhere.
“Unofficially, however, flight attendants would prefer that the call button be pressed only in a genuine emergency.
“That’s not to say that you will encounter a negative reaction. Some flight attendants will be more than happy to help.
“Other, unfortunately, less so.”
The most significant factor, he added, largely comes down to the airline you are travelling from.
He claimed that staff on US-based airlines generally frown upon non-emergency use of the call button while their counterparts on Asian carriers tend to be a lot more receptive.
Likewise, which class you travel in can play a role, with a higher standard of service expected in first and business class.
However, Mateusz did outline a couple of scenarios in which you should never press the button.
He went on: “There are points in any flight that pressing the call light might mean that your request might be missed or perceived very differently.
“For example, during taxi, takeoff and landing, flight attendants are in ‘safety mode’ and they won’t be dealing with service requests at these times.
“During these critical phases of flight, pressing the call light really should be reserved for life or death situations.
“[Likewise] do you really need to press the call light multiple times during a short one-hour flight?
“”There might be a very good reason why you need to do so but the point is that there aside from genuine emergencies you should be able to avoid pressing the call light – especially when flight attendants are hustling during these kind of short flights.”
It comes after SunTravel revealed two pre-holiday photos you should always take to potentially save thousands.