Exclusive:
TikTok influencer and former Emirates flight attendant Jeenie Weenie has teamed up with Expedia to share some tips to help passengers get the most out of their trips
A flight attendant has a sneaky trick to get extra hand luggage items onboard.
Jeenie Weenie has become a viral sensation on TikTok since hanging up her cabin crew outfit to become a content creator fulltime. More than 11million people follow her on the video platform where she shares her tips and insights for life at 30,000 feet.
The American flight attendant sat down with the Mirror and shared her number one tip for flying now that she does so as a paying passenger rather than a professional. Jeenie employs the ‘pillow case hack’ to make her flight a little comfier, and to bump up the amount of handluggage she can bring onboard.
“I always travel with my own pillow, because the airlines’ ones are too small. I travel with my big one, I stuff it with my soft items. Your jackets, sweaters, sweat pants. You’ll have more space in the hand luggage. I’ve never seen a flight attendant take it off a passenger,” the former Emirates flight attendant explained.
When Jeenie was working the aisles, she loved her job, but there was one constant source of frustration for her – passengers who overindulged.
“Poeple think they’ve only had four drinks, but it is actually eight. You get really intoxicated in the sky. They get louder and louder. A lot vomit. The airline is not the cleanest place. Be careful about your alcohol intake,” she explained.
Jeenie also urged passengers to be a little more considerate to their fellow fliers when up in the end. “Just practice basic seat etiquette. The middle seat is the worst, so please give them both airrests. Reclining is a big one. Just don’t recline your seat on a domestic flight. Make sure you give a heads up to the person behind you. People forget they’re connected to something else,” she said.
If you are determined to win the hearts of the cabin crew, then don’t bother with tips. At least on Emirates, flight attendants cannot accept cash tips. Instead, Jeenie advises to bring a sweet treat.
“When passengers are boarding the plane, they have given us gifts. They’ll bring box of chocolates, candy, and say ‘I know you guys work hard.’ Sometimes we work 24 hours day and we’re not allowed to get tips,” Jeenie said.
“We think it’s so sweet. I have seen that person get upgraded (for bringing sweets). That doesn’t mean giving us candy will get you upgraded everytime.”
Jeenie also pulled back the curtain on the mysterious behind the scenes of passengers jets and what the crew get up to when the rest of the plane is asleep.
“On long-haul flights, when there is nothing to do, people come back to chat with us, which is really nice. The longest flight I’ve had was 16 hours, and of course we rest. When you see half the flight crew disappear during the flight, they’re above or below. The crew quarters are usually bunk beds. We have our mini-suites with our own TV and a curtain. We change into our pyjamas, watch movies, have snacks. Usually we get four or five hours sleep on a 16 hour flight.”
Jeenie spoke to the Mirror ahead of the launch of Expedia’s Air Hacks report, which includes plenty of tips on how to keep holidays as cheap as possible.
Here are some of Expedia’s top tips:
- Book airfare on a Sunday to save up to 22%. Travellers booking on Sundays can save up to 21% on domestic flights compared to Mondays, and up to 22% on international flights compared to Fridays.
- Book domestic flights at least 170 to 180 days in advance to save up to 36%. Travellers who booked 170 to 180 days before departure saved up to 36% compared to those who waited until the last minute (6-12 days before departure).
- Book international airfare 13 to 21 days before departure to maximise savings. Travellers who booked during this ideal window saved up to 8% compared to those who booked 54 to 61 days in advance, the worst time to book.
- Depart on a Friday for international trips to save up to 14%. Travellers who depart on a Friday save up to 14% compared to those who depart on a Sunday, the most expensive day to start an international trip.
- Depart on a Saturday for domestic trips to save up to 18%. Travellers who depart on a Saturday save up to 18% compared to those departing on a Monday, which is typically the priciest day for domestic travel.
- Depart before 3pm to reduce the chance of cancellations. Flights departing after 9pm. have a 51% higher chance of being cancelled compared to those that leave earlier in the day.
- Cancellations are lowest in August. With just 1.5% of flights cancelled on average, this month is the most reliable for travel, offering a lower cancellation rate compared to other times of the year, with July and September seeing the most cancellations.
