Pilot says all flight passengers should bring one item on board

A retired pilot recommends that all passengers should pack one particular item of clothing in their cabin luggage - irrespective of the weather conditions outside.

American Airlines' Captain Steve Scheibner is an experienced flyer with several decades under his belt and has now amassed a substantial online following eager to learn how to ensure all passengers' comfort. He recently participated in a Q&A session on YouTube where he shared a wealth of insight on all matters related to air travel.

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One passenger told Captain Steve he had lately completed a return journey where the cabin felt "warm in the cabin" during his outbound flight, yet "very cold" on the way back. "Who determines what the temperature in the cabin is?" he enquired. "Sometimes it's hot and sticky in the cabin and sometimes it's 'I should have brought my coat' cold!"

Responding, Captain Steve acknowledged: "Yes. This is a problem. I don't know why they did this, but back in the day, Boeing, Airbus and everybody else put the temperature controls for the back of the aeroplane up in the cockpit." This arrangement persists to the present day, meaning pilots bear responsibility for such temperatures and consequently passenger wellbeing.

Captain Steve proceeded to reveal that this meant "50 per cent" of his role was devoted to adjusting temperatures while airborne. "I'd get a call saying it's too hot back here or it's too cold back here," he explained. "I was constantly [adjusting], but fortunately on the [Boeing] 777 and 787 and the newer ones they'd given the temperature control back to the flight attendants where it belongs."

However, that hasn't entirely resolved the issue, as he highlighted that because cabin crew are frequently busy "up and down the cabin", they build up body heat and consequently lower the temperature to suit their own comfort levels. As such, he recommended passengers "come in layers", singling out one particular type of clothing that should be packed in hand luggage.

"Bring a sweatshirt or a coat with you even if it is the middle of summer because you might want it if it gets a little bit cooler on the plane. I wish it was a better system, but it simply is not," Steve said.

Captain Steve has also issued a stark warning to air travellers about stashing belongings in the seat-back pocket on aeroplanes for one simple reason. He disclosed that he routinely comes across passengers at the gate desk who've fallen foul of using the pocket during their flight, enduring a nerve-wracking "fingers crossed" scenario where their prospects of retrieval are "diminishing".

Captain Steve branded the pocket as the "black hole of despair" and urged against placing anything valuable there while airborne unless you "don't ever want to see it again". He urged: "Stop putting personal items in the seat back pocket in front of you. If you want to lose it and never see it again, put it in that dark hole that is the seat back pocket in front of you."

He continued: "If the airplane is still at the gate, fingers crossed that somebody who cares can go out there and find the thing that you left in that seat back pocket. But the odds are diminishing with every minute that ticks by after you leave that seat and you leave it in that black hole of despair.

"So, my friends, do not put your personal items in that seat back pocket, unless of course, you don't ever want to see it again."