A veteran flight attendant and union leader has a message for passengers this summer: Air travel is going to be a "beast," so please behave!

Airplanes are expected to be packed to the gills this summer as Americans engage in "revenge travel" — taking the domestic and international trips they may have put off during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions and mask mandates made flying difficult or even impossible. 

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, urged passengers to consider not just themselves, but their fellow passengers as well as the flight crew as they prepare to board fuller-than-usual planes. Flight attendants' chief concern is keeping everyone safe in the air, she added.

"We have a set of strict rules because we need to be safe first and foremost and we're bringing all of humanity into a cramped space, and summer flying has always been a beast," she told CBS News. 

She added, "Flight attendants are there to ensure you have a safe, secure flight and to respond to any health emergencies. That is primarily our job on board — to keep everyone safe. We also want you to have a good time."

She also highlighted that staffing shortages are making flight attendants' job even more challenging, particularly when dealing with testy passengers. 

"There's fewer of us than there ever have been and summer travel usually means airplanes are full to the brim," she said. "So every flight will be very full and we're going to try to keep order and keep everyone following the rules so we can all get from point A to point B without incident."

Passenger etiquette tips

Amid the minimal personal space on airplanes, tempers can flare, and violent outbursts among passengers, as well as attacks on crew members, are still rampant in the skies, she added.

On behalf of flight attendants trying to keep order in cabins, she urged passengers to follow these tips:

• Acknowledge and greet your flight attendants
  
• Leave space for others in the overhead bins
• Don't bring food aboard with strong or pungent scents
• Let the middle seat passenger user the shared armrest

Some experts are also advising passengers to avoid reclining their seats, noting that it can raise tensions with the passengers around you, even potentially injuring someone seated in the row behind yours or leading to wine or food being spilled.

"Of course, keep your hands to yourself, make sure you are not causing a problem," Nelson said. She added to be "aware that you're not just flying for yourself; you're flying with everyone around you."

If an altercation between passengers takes place, seek out a flight attendant immediately because they are trained to de-escalate tense situations, Nelson said.

"If you see a problem starting to arise, don't jump in yourself," Nelson said. 

Another word of advice for passengers?

"It really takes a lot of patience and we encourage people to pack their patience," Nelson said. 

She added, "Chocolate never hurts either."

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• Travel
• Airlines