Flight Attendant Friday: Spills and Stains During Flight

Today’s question is from Jon at The DC Traveler.  I had it slated to answer in a few weeks, but since this very situation just happened to me on my last trip, it seemed like a good time to answer it.

Q.  What do Flight Attendants do if their uniform gets really dirty on a trip or if, for example, someone spills a glass of tomato juice on you on day one of a multi-day trip?

A.  As I said this just happened to me.  Only it was coffee all over the front of a white shirt.  And if was on day two of a three day trip.

So what did I do?  I changed into a fresh shirt at the earliest opportunity. 

On multiple day trips, most Flight Attendants pack a change of uniform items, so it’s a matter of determining when to make a change.  That may be a matter of digging into your luggage during the flight and changing in the airplane lavatory, or it may mean toughing it out for the flight, and wearing a fresh shirt the next day.

Most core uniform pieces are a dark color (navy, black, etc.), so stains don’t show up as easily. 

If you don’t have a change of clothes, then, it’s just a matter of blotting and cleaning as best as possible (maybe doing a little hand washing in your hotel sink) and getting by until you can get it cleaned.

Hmm, now that I think about it, that’s the same thing that a passenger does if a spill happens.

If you have a question that you’d like me to answer in a future Flight Attendant Friday, just email me.

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