A former U.S. flight attendant has lifted the lid and exposed the one request passengers make, and why most cabin crew members will decline.
Taking to TikTok, Kat Kamalani, who worked as a flight attendant for six years, shared a video on the social media platform — where she has around 1 million followers.
Speaking of the overhead locker compartments, Kamalani said often passengers will ask a flight attendant to lift up their bags and store them correctly.
However, it’s actually not part of their job description to do so.
“Crazy fact … everyone thinks it’s flight attendant’s job to lift your luggage into the bins, but it’s not,” she said.
“Our airline, and a ton of other airlines, tell you do not do this because you get so many injuries with it. And you’re not even covered.”
White flight attendants can offer assistance, lifting heavy bags on behalf of a passenger can lead to injury and in the U.S., may not be covered by insurance.
To make getting your luggage in correctly within the overhead cabin, Kamalani said that there is a sign that will almost always assist.
“Most airlines have these little cards that show you how to store your luggage … so it’s either going to be vertical or horizontal,” she said, adding that if you can’t lift the bag over your own head — you shouldn’t expect a flight attendant to do so.
Thousands of commenters were quick to respond to the advice, with some saying they always step in to assist when needed.
“I just ask a man to do it? What else are they for,” one joked.
“I’m a flight attendant and no, not all of us will help assist because that’s still lifting/holding half of the bag that could injure your back,” another added.
“Your flight attendant will NOT assist you. This is against many policies now,” a third chimed in.
