SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GET ON THE PLANE

✈ The seats by the window are colder:  The external cold of -65°С can cool the fuselage, especially near the windows.  This is noticed most often during summer when most people wear light clothing.

✈ The folding tables and seat pockets are some of the dirtiest parts of the plane:   The seat pockets aren’t cleaned anywhere near as thoroughly as you would expect.  And when it comes to the fold-down tables: air cabin crew admit that people often use them to change their baby’s diaper. 

✈ Avoid drinking coffee or tea: The drinking water used to prepare hot beverages onboard can contain bacteria such as E. coli and Staph, according to more than one study.  Go for bottled water or fruit juice. 

✈ The service is better when you sit in the rear rows: In the back, you can count on getting more attentive service from the cabin crew. This is the result of the fact that it’s easier to bring additional food and other things to the final rows of seats and to do so in a way that goes unnoticed by other passengers, allowing the crew to avoid additional requests up and down the airplane.  (Great.  Extra airplane food.)

✈ Don’t fully blow up your neck cushion: Remember the laws of physics. If you fill it completely with air, due to changes in pressure in the cabin, it might burst. So leave it slightly deflated. 

✈ Pick food from the special menu: There are now vegetarian, seafood, halal, kosher and other special menu items.  Even if you have no particular preference, many people recommend going for one of the special meal choices as they are often tastier and more varied than the standard ones. 

✈ The best time for a flight is in the morning: First of all, there is a much smaller chance that it will be delayed. And if you have a fear of flying, specialists claim that the early hours are subject to a reduced degree of turbulence.