Working as cabin crew is a carefully choreographed dance, with staff setting the mood on board while ensuring passengers are kept safe and comfortable.
In an enclosed cabin full of people, this isn’t always easy – and is why they employ tricks of the trade like serving glasses of water in secret.
Barbara Bacilieri, known online as Barbie Bac, has been working as a flight attendant for 14 years, often sharing the insider knowledge she’s gained with her millions-strong TikTok and YouTube following.
In one recent clip, the 33-year-old revealed than when passengers ask for water, staff try to give it to them ‘discreetly’ and ‘not to let anyone see.’
Although water is often offered free as part of the basic beverage service, Barbara says flight attendants are careful about making it too obvious and starting a ‘domino effect’.
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‘Water is contagious,’ she explains in the video.
‘If someone sees a flight attendant walk by with a cup in their hand, passengers in other seats immediately start asking for the same.’
Do airlines have to offer water for free?
There’s no legal requirement for plane passengers to be provided with free water, so although many airlines do so as a courtesy, it isn’t universal.
Budget carriers typically only serve purchasable bottled water, including Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air.
However, TUI gives passengers a free bottle on long-haul flights of seven hours or more, while British Airways offers complimentary water even in economy class, along with United, Delta, Emirates and Turkish Airlines.
A wave of water requests can throw off the entire service flow – especially on larger long-haul flights where it already takes a while to get everyone their meals.
‘That’s why, when we carry it, we hide it,’ adds Barbara, adding: ‘This isn’t a strict policy or an airline mandate, but rather a trick learned through experience.’
So, if free water is available on your flight, the Argentine-born flight attendant, now based in Spain, urges you to do your bit by not hitting the call button to request a glass, and popping to the galley to ask quietly instead.
Barbara also shared her tips on the best and worst places to sit when flying with budget airline Ryanair.
‘On a Ryanair plane, if you don’t pay extra, they’ll assign you any seat, and it’s always going to be the worst possible seat,’ she tells followers.
‘But I paid extra to travel like a queen in a seat where I don’t have anyone next to me on one side. And I only paid €11 extra.’
The seasoned traveller chose the right-hand side of row 27, where only two seats are located – and says it’s worth considering next time you fly.
On the other hand, Barbara warns the very back of the plane is a nightmare if you want to get some shut-eye.
‘The last row, this is the worst of all, without a doubt,’ she explains, citing ‘the constant traffic of people going to the bathroom, noises from the kitchen or galley, flight attendants catching up with their gossip or what we call ‘galley radio’, smells coming from the bathroom, and on many planes, these seats don’t recline.’
Barbara adds: ‘As you can imagine, this is guaranteed torture and possibly one of the worst experiences you’ll have flying.’
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