Flight attendants fly a lot, so they get plenty of opportunities to hone their travel skills.
Six flight attendants told Business Insider their best travel hacks. Most asked for anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from their employer.
Here's what they said.
The photos in this story do not depict the flight attendants Business Insider interviewed.
“It’s worth reading all that fine print in those disclaimers,” a flight attendant for Spirit Airlines said. Doing so could save money on your carry-on bags, she said.
“I’ve found a lot of great deals on there,” the Spirit flight attendant said of Skyscanner.
“I always travel with a reusable water bottle,” a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines said. “Every airport, in the US at least, has a spot to fill your water bottle.”
“I always travel with a portable charger,” the Delta flight attendant said. “Not all airports have a ton of chargers or outlets or you can’t get to them, and some older airplanes don’t have them, or there’ll only be two for the whole row of three.”
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“Be sure to not pack too much when traveling,” a flight attendant for United Airlines said.
“Give yourself plenty of time because feeling rushed is just gonna make your travel experience more stressful than it needs to be,” the United flight attendant said.
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“I tell people to travel in the morning,” said Kevin Cain, a flight attendant for PSA Airlines. “Evening is when delays throughout the day have built up.”
“Always bring your own entertainment and charging stuff,” Cain said. “Sometimes your plane won’t have Wi-Fi, so it’s always good to download something offline on Netflix or bring an iPad if you have one.”
“Whenever you’re being served ice, ask for them to serve it with another cup because the ice scoop is actually not very clean,” said a flight attendant for a regional airline that works with United Airlines and American Airlines.
“Don’t drink the coffee. Don’t drink the hot tea. The water is not the best,” the regional-airline flight attendant said.
“Travel is unpredictable,” said a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. “You never know what’s going to happen.”