Toenail clipping and drying undies: the most disgusting in-flight habits revealed

Body odour, taking your shoes off and being rude to airline staff are just some of the things that can raise the ire of flight attendants when you travel.

TAFE NSW cabin and ground crew teacher Kristy Driessens, who worked for 10 years at a major airline in Australia, has shared the passenger behaviours that she used to find exasperating at 30,000 feet.

"I've seen passengers clip their toenails midflight," Ms Driessens told Explore.

Some people treat planes "like their second home, even though it's a shared environment with another 180 passengers", she said.

Ever done your washing on the plane? Some people have. "One day someone was in the toilet trying to air dry their underpants, so it was like it was their laundry at the same time," Ms Driessens said.

Other people take off their shoes, which is particularly unpalatable if they have "smelly feet". Ms Driessens advised: "Probably try to leave your socks on, if anything, and just be aware of the other passengers that are around you."

If you're one of those people who ring the call bell a lot, you have probably annoyed some cabin crew members. And if you're trying to hand over rubbish while they're serving food, that is a no-no.

"So we've always got to do the same thing and let them know that, as soon as we finish our food service, we will be coming through and doing a rubbish clear if you can just hang on to it now and pop it in your seat pocket," Ms Driessens said.

"That does get a little annoying, but you get used to it or people tugging on your skirt, or dress as you're walking through the cabin, or they physically tap your bum or something or touch you."

Another pet peeve is "people's odours and smells" - made worse because of passengers' proximity to each other on the plane.

"Just make sure you smell clean, especially if it's on a long-haul flight ... someone does have to sit beside you," Ms Driessens said.

Flight attendants deal with all sorts of stressful situations, including medical emergencies on board.

"They're probably the most stressful we have, or we've had a passenger pass away on board. Other people [are asked] to be respectful of that, as I've had a couple of deaths on board," Ms Driessens said.

Another situation involved a man smoking in the toilets, which needed to be reported to the police.

One time, a child urinated on the carpet outside the toilets because he was scared to go inside. In another incident, a man urinated into a sick bag because he couldn't hold on for landing.

If you're a parent, please don't change your baby on the tray table - there are change tables in the bathrooms for that, Ms Driessens urged.

Then there is the vomit situation, which can reportedly be linked to the cabin temperature. If it's too warm, it can make people sick - and this can have a domino effect.

"If the cabin's too warm, if one person vomits, then if you've got other people that they can't stand the smell, and then they vomit, so it creates more," Ms Driessens said.

"So that's why the temperature has to be right. We used to be able to change it when I was there, but now it's the pilot who controls it in the flight deck."

"Some of them just can be so beautiful, and they're five or six years old, and when they come on, they already know what to do, and it's like a competition. They want to show you how to put the belt on and things like that," she said.

All those sunrises viewed from above the clouds were heavenly, she said.

What are your pet peeves on a flight? Tell us at editor@exploretravel.com.au

This article was originally published on October 28, 2025, with the headline, 'Are you an annoying passenger? A flight attendant tells all on bad behaviour at 30,000 feet'.