Never use the 'black hole of despair' on an airplane seat

Many passengers consider the back pocket of an airplane seat a 'black hole of despair' and avoid putting personal items there.

Steve Schreiber, 63, from New Orleans, USA, has 26 years of flying experience - including 11 years as a captain - with a total of 5,860 hours of flying time in 60 different types of aircraft. Also known online as Captain Steve, the former US Navy officer shares safety tips on all things aircraft on his YouTube channel, which has more than 440,000 subscribers.

It is recommended to stay away from the back pocket of an airplane.

PHOTO: TL

A seasoned pilot has shared a video warning passengers not to use the “black hole of despair” when flying. In the clip, Captain Steve explains that the seat back pocket is one of the most likely places to lose personal belongings during a flight.

They are “black holes of despair,” he added, where items such as phones, passports and wallets regularly disappear — often forever.

“Don’t put personal items in the seat pocket in front of you. If you want to lose it and never see it again, put it in the dark hole that is your pocket,” he said, explaining that many passengers often panic after getting off the plane and return to the cabin after realizing they left something valuable in their bag — but by the time they realize, returning the item is nearly impossible.

If the plane is still at the gate, passengers have hope that someone will return the lost item to them. However, the chances of getting the item back "decrease by the minute," especially when cleaning crews or new passengers board the plane.

Plus, staying away from germs and staying healthy while flying has always been a challenge for passengers, and we've become more aware of this since Covid-19. According to one long-haul flight attendant, there are ways to minimize the risk of picking up something nasty... from your seatback pocket.

When asked to share the “disturbing secret” passengers should know, flight attendant and Reddit user HausOfDarling shared the dirtiest places on a plane. “I always recommend never using or putting anything in the seat back pocket. They are emptied of trash but never cleaned,” they wrote.

Flight attendants say cleaning crews often find all sorts of disgusting things when emptying these little bags, such as "dirty tissues, vomit bags, underwear, dirty socks, chewing gum, half-eaten candy, apple cores..." inside.

It’s not hard to imagine a used tissue being crumpled up and stuffed into a seatback pocket, then hastily cleared away by the cleaning crew, and then the next passenger boarding the plane quickly placing their phone, headphones, computer or tablet inside. It’s the quickest way to spread disease by touching someone else’s trash.

In testing conducted on 18 flights in 2018, a Canadian organization found that seatback pockets tested positive for aerobic bacteria, mold, enterobacteria and E. coli.

To address this, flight attendants advise passengers to bring antibacterial wipes or disinfectants on board and avoid leaving items in seatback pockets.

Many airlines will ask the crew to 'turn around' the plane quickly, meaning they'll pick up trash, fold up seatbelts, put magazines in seat pockets, and rush to welcome new passengers onto the plane as quickly as possible.

Therefore, by carrying disinfectant wipes, you can clean surfaces such as dining tables, window blinds, seat belts and TV screens right at your seat. At the same time, you should bring your own plastic bag to store personal belongings, both to avoid losing items and to ensure hygiene...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dung-bao-gio-su-dung-ho-den-tuyet-vong-tren-ghe-may-bay-185250609150003762.htm