Flight attendants reveal surprising rules for in‑flight comfort and safety

When choosing an outfit for air travel, comfort should be prioritized. However, knowing a few additional rules will protect us from unpleasant situations. Flight attendants advise what not to wear on board.

Kris Major, who is the chief cabin crew member at British Airways and has been working as a flight attendant for 25 years, recently shared some tips with passengers.

The most surprising rule concerns... socks. It turns out that we should leave black socks at home.

"On a night flight particularly, if you put your feet in the aisle and you’ve got dark socks on, we won’t see you, and we’ll trip over you, and it’s a bit of a nuisance for us," explains Kris Major in an interview with CNN Travel.

He admits that this is inconvenient for both the crew and passengers, who wake up unpleasantly from their sleep.

The chief cabin crew member also touches on the topic of taking off shoes. "We do it ourselves. I think most people do it themselves. It’s the right thing to do if you’re going on a long-haul flight.One would hope that you’ve had the common decency to have a bath or a shower and put clean socks or stockings or tights on before you get on the aircraft. That’s the only issue, if your feet smell," he explains.

He adds that it is unacceptable to take off both shoes and socks. Traveling barefoot is not an option; not only do we expose other passengers to an unpleasant sight, it can also pose a safety risk. In emergency situations, we should be ready to leave the plane, not looking for our socks.

For the same reason, you shouldn't fly in flip-flops or high heels - it is not comfortable footwear for quickly exiting the plane.