A FLIGHT attendant has revealed why passengers should avoid putting items in the seat pockets on planes – especially food and drink.
When sitting down on a flight, it seems logical to store things in the pocket on the back of the seat in front of us, so we don't have to rummage in our bags to get them out during the flight.
But there's a very unsanitary reason why we should avoid doing exactly that whenever we board a plane.
Flight attendant Beth Windsor has worked on planes for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about flying.
In an article for Insider, she explained that the seat pockets are often one of the dirtiest places on the aircraft because they very rarely get cleaned between flights.
She revealed that she has seen some passengers put some awful things in them.
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She said: "Planes are cleaned every time they land somewhere new, but there often isn't enough time to thoroughly sanitise the inside of each seat pocket between flights.
"On many of the planes that I worked on, that compartment usually didn't get washed until the aircraft returned to base for a deep clean.
"It should go without saying that passengers shouldn't use the seat pocket to store things that they don't want the crew to fish out, but I've still come across countless dirty diapers and underwear in the compartment. So, think twice before storing any food in there."
Beth also revealed why you should stick to bottled water for a very similar reason.
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According to Beth the quality of tap water on planes can vary from airline to airline, so drinking it is not worth the risk.
From her experience, she has been okay drinking boiled water from the plane, but has also made herself unwell consuming straight from the tap.
Other flight attendants have issued similar warnings before, with one cabin crew member claiming the water is NEVER cleaned.
Air Steward Cierra Mistt said on Tiktok: "Unless we’re super desperate, we will not drink the coffee or tea that’s supplied on the plane.
“The water that we use for the coffee and the tea come from the same spot, and guess what? It never gets cleaned."
Although the airlines tell passengers that they do “regular water quality tests,” Cierra said this isn’t as frequent as you think.
She said: "We are told that it is about 6-9 months for even one test on one plane to happen, and they’re not going to clean out that tank unless they find something.”
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