Air travel can be uncomfortable at the best of times, but one flight attendant shared her ultimate comfort hack to help you get a bit more space in your seat for your next long-haul flight
Air travel can be a stressful experience, particularly if you’re not among the fortunate minority with deep enough pockets to splash out on business class. Given that we’re confined to the same seats for what are often long-haul flights, boredom and discomfort can often set in quickly – especially when you’re squeezed in alongside complete strangers.
Economy seating tends to be rather cramped, and during lengthy flights, this can result in considerable discomfort and potentially serious medical issues. Muscle cramps, bloating, and in extreme circumstances, deep vein thrombosis can all stem from remaining stationary on an aircraft for extended periods. This is precisely why, if you’re contemplating embarking on a long-haul journey in the near future, ensuring your comfort and wellbeing is paramount.
While certain measures can enhance comfort levels – such as donning loose-fitting attire, using noise-cancelling headphones, and bringing along a travel pillow – these solutions don’t always do the trick.
To help travellers feel more comfortable, flight attendant Charlie Silver shared her top comfort tip for your next flight, when you might want a bit more space in your seat.
In her demonstration, Charlie can be seen occupying an aisle seat aboard an aircraft, highlighting how the outer armrest behaves differently from the other armrests in the row – it doesn’t lift up.
“Are you sitting on the aisle seat, wondering why your armrest doesn’t go up?” she enquired in her clip. “Well, here you go. Here’s a little hack for you.”
She then demonstrated how to access a hidden button on the armrest, which allowed her to adjust it at will.
“Press this little hidden button and voila. Your armrest will move freely up and down,” she explained, revealing the small lever-like button that could be easily reached while seated.
By using it, passengers can lift the armrest, and thereby gaining additional space in their seat for extra comfort.
Many viewers quickly commented to commend Charlie for her straightforward yet useful tip, although some mentioned it didn’t work for them.
“The flight attendants always make me put it down,” one viewer remarked. In response, someone clarified: “You have to put it down for take off and landing, but you should be able to have it up during cruise.”
Another viewer was grateful for the advice, commenting: “This hack is great for when you’re going into the row or getting out.
“Nah! Needed to see this at the beginning of the year! Why’s it so hidden,” expressed another, evidently annoyed they hadn’t known sooner.
Yet, not everyone was amazed by the discovery, with a few expressing surprise that it wasn’t common knowledge: “I thought everyone knew that.”