Ex-flight attendant reveals the disgusting passenger habit she hated the most – and it’s even a health hazard

A FORMER flight attendant has revealed the gross passenger habit she hated the most that was so disgusting it was a health hazard.

Marisa Mackle, from Armagh, Northern Ireland, recently shared experiences from her career and one is more shocking than the rest.

Speaking on Newstalk radio show Lunchtime Live, the author of Confessions of an Air Hostess said: "One of the most annoying things for me was when people would blow their nose and hand you the tissue."

"When you walk down the aisle collecting the rubbish and people would sometimes go, ''Oh wait!'' and they just blow their nose."

Marisa recalled one incident in particular where a rude passenger actually threw his used tissue onto her plate of food. 

She said: "I actually remember one time I was coming back from LA having my break and I had the curtain closed.

"An American passenger pulled over the curtain and he goes, 'Hey, I have something for you' and he threw the tissue on to my plate into my meal - thinking he was doing me a favour".

Another annoying passenger habit comes from parents trying to keep their children entertained on flights.

She said: "The other one is people playing musical instruments for their kids in the middle of the night.

"I've had to go down and say, 'Can you please turn that off because people are sleeping?' There's other ways you can entertain your kids... but please do not bring a musical toy and be playing it at 3am.

"I couldn't believe it... some people just don't think about other passengers."

She added: "The other thing is they let their kids run up and down the aisle; that really is a safety hazard.

"You have a boiling pot of tea or coffee in your hand and turbulence can happen with no notice".

Elsewhere the ex-flight attendant explained she was always bewildered why some passengers wouldn't wear shoes or socks in the cabin.

She added: "The toilet floor is always wet and yet they walk up and down - especially when you're trying to do the service.

"The other thing is they let their kids run up and down the aisle; that really is a safety hazard.

"You have a boiling pot of tea or coffee in your hand and turbulence can happen with no notice."

Meanwhile Marisa explained that people shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for sick bags if they are feeling unwell. 

She said: "The minute you feel sick you should ask for a sick bag, the crew would rather give you a sick bag than be vomited on.

"A lady came up, I was just standing by the toilet, and she vomited all over my legs.

"I had to take off my tights and do the whole service in bare legs. She was like, ''I'm so sorry, I was just too embarrassed to ask for a sick bag'.

Another recurring issue she faced as a flight attendant was drunk men asking for "a kiss or asking which hotel you're staying in".

It comes as a flight attendant has revealed the real reason the crew greet passengers as they board the aircraft - and why they may stop you.

The inside information was shared by Beth Bourneuf, a former teacher who became a flight attendant in 2020. 

She explained how the crew will stand by the entrance of the plane for a secret reason.

This is to identify able-bodied passengers, also known as ABPs, who may be able to help in case of an emergency. 

“We look to see how many bags people are carrying, and we also have to be conscious of what kind of bags they’re carrying,” Bourneuf said. “Anyone with a cooler, we need to ask what’s in there.”