A FLIGHT attendant has warned passengers NOT to wear flip flops or crocs on board – no matter how comfortable they are.
It doesn’t matter whether it will take you two or 12 hours to reach your destination – you shouldn’t wear open toed or flimsy shoes on the flight, according to cabin crew.
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Andrea Fischbach, a stewardess for American Airlines, has explained why this type of footwear needs to be left in the suitcase.
High heels should also be stowed away as they can cause damage during an emergency exit.
She told whattowear: “Heels can possibly cause further damage to emergency exits or hurt others if they go flying off somehow.
“I would really advise against high heels or flip-flops or any slides, mostly for safety purposes.
“If there is an evacuation and slides are required, your high heels will have to come off, as they can puncture the slide.
“Who knows where and in what conditions you’ll land. Plus, they aren’t very practical running gate to gate.”
Heels could also slow you down before you reach the plane, as metal detectors often pick up nails in the shoe – and no one wants queues through security to move even slower.
The stewardess explained cabin crew change into flats after take-off while heels are only worn for welcoming passengers on board and during landing.
Andrea highlighted it can often become very cold on a plane too, so flip-flops and backless shoes are not the most practical.
She also suggested bringing a pair or warm and fluffy socks with you for this reason.
Low cabin temperature also prompted the stewardess to urge passengers not to wear skimpy clothing or sports bras and leggings – but to bring layers.
On a slightly more disgusting note, Andrea also warned future flyers about the reality of plane toilets
“Be wary of wearing sandals if you are planning on going in the lavatory”, she said.
“That isn’t water on the floor (yes, use your imagination), and sandals invite whatever that liquid is to splash on your feet”, she added.
When it comes to the rest of your outfit, the American Airlines employee also advised avoiding tight clothing.
She explained restrictive clothes can cause swelling in the stomach or even deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can cause major issues when blood clots form in a vein.
This comes as hundreds of cabin crew staff agree with Andrea and offer their own top tips.
CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo’s main recommendation when travelling is also to always avoid wearing flip flops.
She said: “Please wear sensible shoes and leave them on until after take-off.
“I see people boarding with flip flops and I think if you have to get up and run and you fall down or you can’t run, you’re not only going to hurt yourself, you’re going to hurt dozens of other people on this plane.
“So get some shoes.”
And Tony Kuna, who used to work as as a member of the cabin crew, explained that it could cause problems if there is an emergency during a flight.
He wrote on Quora: “During an emergency, all sorts of debris and unpleasant ground surfaces will block your way towards the exit, as well as outside the aircraft.”
“If your feet [aren’t] properly covered, you’ll have a hard time making your way to safety.”
He also said this was why you should never go barefoot either.
Tony added: “Imagine destroying your bare feet as your run down the aisle covered with broken glass, fires and metal shards.
“Kind of like John McClane in Die Hard, but worse.”
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