Last week, a flight attendant named Kat Kamalani posted a TikTok which has since amassed over 74,000 views touting three in-flight “hacks.”
The first hack Kamalani describes, and arguably the most universally beneficial, is one where she shares with viewers how to raise the aisle seat armrest. In the clip, Kamalani demonstrates as she lifts the armrest using a secret-to-me button located underneath, at which point the passenger is able to slide their legs around to the aisle to allow their neighbor to pass. Okay, fair enough.
The second tidbit is where things start to get a little … hairy. Kamalani claims that the secret to keeping kids entertained in absence of a monitor is to secure a command hook to the seatback in front of you, from which you can then hang your iPad, effectively creating a quick-and-dirty TV setup.
“Command hooks must be removed during taxi, takeoff and landing,” one TikTok user responded in the comments, which, if true, makes the second “hack” no more convenient than using a tray table to set an iPad on. Most iPad cases double as stands anyway, and can be purchased for $10.99 on Amazon — only $1 more than a seven-pack of large command hooks. I’m also, at present, staring at my own iPad wondering how I would go about hanging it from anything. And all of this is assuming you have an iPad to begin with.
The last hack Kamalani shares with her audience has become, by and large, the most controversial — not to mention a seemingly strange bit of advice to share as a flight attendant. “I’m just going to be real with you guys. I hate airplane toilet paper,” the flight attendant can be seen saying in the clip. “They use the cheapest kind and it disintegrates in two seconds.”
“So I always use the tissues because the tissues are softer and way better quality,” she continues. “Use the tissues.”
Many users took to the comment section to express their dismay.
“You shouldn’t be putting those tissues in the [toilet] they can easily get stuck,” one said.
“The toilet paper is like that for a reason,” another wrote. “Do not stuff up the line with tissues!”
To be fair, many also chimed in with thanks, deeming Kamalani’s tips “amazing” — though I’m inclined to think the real “hack” where airplane bathrooms involved is just to avoid them at all costs. Especially now that all the people who use it before you will be stuffing tissues down the toilet.
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