If you flew to see family over the Thanksgiving long weekend, hopefully you didn’t get stuck beside anyone trimming their toenails or treating their warts on the flight. Those are just a couple of the in-flight behaviours that have been outed online by Shawn Kathleen.
What started as a therapeutic outlet for the former flight attendant eight years ago has become a Passenger Shaming “movement” made up of anonymous flight attendants and annoyed travellers, who send Kathleen photographic evidence of passengers’ nasty habits.
The holidays always seem to be a peak time for submissions. And by now, it seems like Kathleen has seen it all.
“I guess the biggest trend would be bare feet – I’m okay with socks…it’s the bare feet. They smell, it’s not appealing to have a bare foot in your space or resting on a tray table that you eat off of.”
“It’s disgusting.”
“Another big one that happens a lot is people who use the tray tables as changing tables,” Kathleen added. “That’s a big no-no because people obviously use that to eat and…people are changing soiled diapers on that.”
Even small aircrafts tend to have changing tables, she said. All you have to do is ask a flight attendant where it is.
Her advice to travellers: Unless you’re on the first flight of the morning, “bring some wipes.” Kathleen says the crew usually doesn’t have time to thoroughly clean between flights.
“The upside…you’re building up your immunity.”
Despite not using her last name to try to stay anonymous, Kathleen’s Passenger Shaming Facebook page got her fired from her job for a U.S.-based carrier. But she has no regrets.
“I say I’m doing God’s work.”
The pictures have become so popular that her “Passenger Shaming” Instagram page beat out Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus on Rolling Stone‘s Top 100 best accounts list this year.
Earlier this year, JetBlue Airways also tried to do its part, releasing a series of “Flight Etiquette” videos.
Airline passengers aren’t the only ones who have been shamed online for their abysmal manners.
READ MORE: Tips on how not to behave on public transit
Last year, even The New York Times got on board the campaign to stop the spread of “manspreading” in the subway.
SOUND OFF: What’s the worst thing you’ve seen in transit? Share your travel horror story in the comments section below.
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