By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: 04:47 EDT, 23 September 2023 | Updated: 04:47 EDT, 23 September 2023

• Two-footed challenge by player in Honduran Liga Nacional injures two players
• Andre Orellana was shown a straight red card against parent club Olimpia
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!

By Dan Evans For Mailonline

Published: 08:43 EDT, 18 September 2023 | Updated: 09:35 EDT, 18 September 2023

Before heading to the airport for your next holiday, consider making a pit stop at a hardware store, this flight attendant suggests.

Cici, a TikToker who works as a flight attendant for a ‘major airline’, made a video revealing three surprisingly useful items you can buy from any DIY shop for your travels. 

In the footage, which has so far racked up 596,000 views, the Florida native, 51,  demonstrates how to use the everyday items – bungee cords, shoe covers and carabiners, which are the metal loops often used by rock climbers.  

The shoe covers are handy to use when going through airport security, Cici, who goes by the TikTok handle ‘Cici In The Sky’, reveals. 

Placing a pair of blue plastic shoe covers over her feet, she explains: ‘When you’re going through TSA (Transportation Security Administration), just slip your shoes off, put these on and walk through the security scanner germ-free.’ 

The savvy traveller, who has 374,200 TikTok followers, also suggests using the shoe covers ‘to protect your clothes’ in your suitcase. 

They can also be placed ‘on your feet in your hotel room if you’re worried about germs’, she adds. 

If you don’t have time to pick up shoe covers, shower caps also work, Cici reveals, saying: ‘That’s what I do, I take all the shower caps out the rooms and I use them as well.’

Bungee cords, meanwhile, can be put through the handle of your suitcase to secure all of your bags and travel items in one place, Cici reveals. 

‘Attach your pillow to your luggage,’ she suggests.

‘If your handle breaks for some reason, just attach this here and just drag it,’ she says while threading the cord through a smaller handle on the suitcase and holding it at both ends to pull it along.

But those trying this hack should heed caution, as Cici warns that the springy cords commonly cause eye injuries. 

Turning her attention to carabiners, Cici notes that these devices come in handy once you’ve boarded the plane.

She says: ‘Use these to attach your water bottle to your bag so they don’t fall on people’s heads when you put it in the overhead bin. It’s happened a lot.’ 

Many viewers thanked the cabin crew member for the post and welcomed her tips.

‘Alissa’ wrote: ‘The shoe covers… it’s so smart. I always freak out about that.’

Globetrotter ‘shenanigans305’ said: ‘I travelled via plane two times a week for work and all over Europe and am now learning these tips from you. Travelling for fun now and will use them.’

Fellow airline worker ‘Leisure Lifestyle’ said: ‘I’m a flight attendant and I learned something here.’

Relating to Cici’s advice on carabiners, user ‘Bort’ added: ‘I’ll never forget my bottle falling out and hitting some poor guy in the head. Definitely have a bottle carabiner whenever I travel now.’

Others commenting on the video suggested further DIY items to take on holiday.

User ‘Jefiner’ suggested taking a ‘rubber doorstop for the hotel room’ while ‘Pinky’ commented: ‘Put tea lights in your luggage to put in the hotel bathroom. That way, you don’t have to turn on the bright light [when using the bathroom at night].’

And ‘Melanie’ said: ‘I always wear two pairs of socks through TSA so I can remove the outer pair after.’

In another recent TikTok video, Cici revealed why passengers should never fly on the day of an important event such as a wedding or birthday.

‘I cannot tell you the amount of people on my flights who have missed important engagements because of delays and it’s just not worth it. Fly in the day before, always,’ she says in the clip, which has gained 79,700 views.

To see more of Cici’s videos, visit her TikTok or her Instagram profile.  

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to experience a flight delay or cancellation during the Gatwick Airport travel chaos, you could be entitled to compensation.

Here we reveal the circumstances that trigger a cash pay out. 

FLIGHT DELAYS

New data from the Civil Aviation Authority shows one in three trips were delayed by at least 15 minutes last year.

Delayed passengers could be entitled to free meals and compensation of up to £520 – and this section helps you understand how.

ASSISTANCE

Airline passengers delayed by two hours or more could be entitled to assistance such as two free phone calls or emails, free meals and refreshments, free hotel accommodation and hotel transfers, according to Which?, outlining the following:

Short-haul – Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) with a delay time of at least two hours are entitled to assistance.

Medium-haul – Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least three hours are entitled to assistance.

Long-haul – Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) with a delay time of at least four hours are entitled to assistance.

Delayed passengers who meet the above criteria can contact their airline or approach staff at the airport for further information.

SEVERE DELAYS

Passengers whose flight has been delayed by more than five hours are ‘entitled to choose between being rerouted on a different flight or getting a refund’, Which? says.

Passengers can also request flight delay compensation, according to the watchdog, ‘if the delay is not due to extraordinary circumstances’. These include bad weather, strikes unrelated to the airline, such as with baggage handlers, acts of terrorism or sabotage, drone disruption and long security queues.

Claims are valid for up to six years after the flight if it flew in or out of the UK, it adds.

COMPENSATION 

Passengers of delayed flights are protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation if their flight departs from the UK or Europe or is operated by a UK or European airline, Which? says.

‘If you’re travelling with a non-EU based airline flying from a non-EU destination, the airline doesn’t have the same duty to look after you,’ it adds.

‘But you can check the airline’s ‘conditions of carriage’ to see what compensation you are entitled to.’

HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION

‘If your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late, each affected passenger is entitled to claim flight delay compensation,’ Which? says.

The total value of compensation depends on the length and distance of the delayed flight as well as the reason for the delay, it adds.

Passengers can make a claim under the EU Denied Boarding Regulation if they meet the criteria, listed in a table by Which?, below.

HOW MUCH ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Short-haul – Passengers flying up to 932 miles (1,500km) who are delayed for more than three hours are entitled to £220, according to Which?

Medium-haul within the EU – Passengers flying more than 932 miles (1,500km) within the EU who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, the watchdog says.

Medium-haul outside the EU – Passengers flying between 932 miles (1,500km) and 2,175 miles (3,500km) who are delayed more than three hours are entitled to £350 compensation, Which? explains.

Long-haul – Passengers flying more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) are entitled to £260 in compensation if they are delayed between three and four hours, or £520 if they are delayed longer than this, according to the site.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

‘Passengers flying with a non-EU airline are entitled to compensation if a flight departing from the UK is delayed by at least three hours at the final destination,’ says Which?

The ‘final destination’ of a connecting flight refers to the last airport listed on the passenger’s ticket, it adds.

OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES

As well as compensation, some passengers are entitled to claim ‘extra out-of-pocket expenses under the Montreal Convention’, Which? says.

Examples are if you miss a night of pre-booked accommodation, miss a concert you have bought tickets to, or a day of car rental you have paid for, it adds.

FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

COMPENSATION

Passengers travelling with a UK or EU-based airline, or flying from a UK or EU airport, should receive help from the company if their flight is cancelled, Which? says.

‘This is because your flight is protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation,’ it adds.

Depending on the circumstances, passengers could be entitled to ‘a refund or alternative flight, food, phone calls and accommodation, and flight cancellation compensation’, the watchdog further explains.

HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION

Which? says passengers can claim compensation for cancelled flights unless it is affected by ‘extraordinary circumstances’, as explained earlier in this article.

But even if extraordinary circumstances apply, you are ‘still entitled to meals, refreshments, accommodation and hotel transfers depending on the length of your flight and delay’, the consumer watchdog adds.

HOW MUCH COMPENSATION ARE YOU ENTITLED TO?

Short-haul – Passengers travelling less than 932 miles (1,500km) whose new flight takes off more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than two hours after it are entitled to £110 in compensation, according to Which?.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than two hours after the original flight, they are entitled to £220 in compensation, it adds.

Medium-haul – Passengers travelling 932 miles (1,500km) to 2,175 miles (3,500km) whose new flight departs more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than three hours after it are entitled to £175 in compensation, Which? says.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than three hours after their original flight, they are entitled to £350 in compensation, it adds.

Long-haul – Passengers travelling more than 2,175 miles (3,500km) whose new flight departs more than one hour before their original flight and arrives less than four hours after it are entitled to £260 in compensation, Which? says.

If the passengers’ flight arrives more than four hours after their original flight, they are entitled to £520 in compensation, it adds.

The figures above are for flights cancelled less than seven days before departure. 

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

‘If a connecting flight during your journey is affected by a delay and you departed from the UK or an EU country, you can still claim compensation,’ Which? says.

‘For example, if you were flying from Manchester to Sydney, connecting in Singapore, but your Singapore to Sydney flight was delayed, you’d still be entitled.’

HOW TO APPEAL A DECISION

Unresolved complaints about an airline can be escalated to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme and a list of approved providers are listed on the Civil Aviation Authority website, Which? says.

Airline passengers can also gain extra peace of mind at the airport by taking out travel insurance, says Quotezone.

CEO Greg Wilson said: ‘Depending on the type of policy, some travel insurance providers will offer cover for a delayed flight of over 24 hours, or if an alternative travel option hasn’t been offered.

‘Insurance policies for missed or delayed flight departure will pay for costs incurred from delayed flights or if travellers miss the trips because of a situation out of their control – such as getting into a serious accident and being taken to hospital.’

He adds: ‘In the case of an airline going bust before passengers are able to get home, taking out the right travel insurance before jetting off will help give travellers protection.’

By Jessica Hamilton

Published: 09:24 EDT, 14 September 2023 | Updated: 10:56 EDT, 14 September 2023

By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: 09:58 EDT, 11 September 2023 | Updated: 11:39 EDT, 11 September 2023

Our flight to New Zealand was ruined because we were sat next to a snorting, farting emotional support dog for 13 hours – it dribbled on my husband’s leg

• Gill and Warren Press, from NZ, were on a 13 hour flight from Paris to Singapore 

By Milo Pope

Published: 13:03 EDT, 8 September 2023 | Updated: 13:03 EDT, 8 September 2023

Keen on a high-flying life as cabin crew?

Before you send your CV off to a prospective airline, pay close attention to the recollections of former flight attendant Marika Mikusova, who spent five years working for a ‘luxury airline’.

The 33-year-old, who has penned a book about her cabin crew career called Diary of a Flight Attendant, revealed to MailOnline Travel that the job can sometimes be distinctly unglamorous.

When we asked her how the reality of being a flight attendant compared to the preconceptions, Czech Marika, who lives in Prague, said: ‘All of us pretty soon realised “flight-attending” is not just about looking glamorous and smiling. It’s just a fragment of the duties.

‘I experienced a passenger telling me “you are just an air waitress”. Ouch! Yet, I had to remain professional and deliver his preferred meal and whatever he asked for service-wise.

‘What passengers don’t know – and I can’t blame them, it’s not common knowledge – is that we are primarily trained to get them safely out of the plane in case of emergency. Sometimes this part of the job is underappreciated from the passengers’ point of view.’

What were the toughest aspects of the job?

Marika said: ‘Smiling all the time! Really, try to smile the whole day. It will take its toll on you. Like apologising to a chair when you accidentally bump into it while going to a bathroom in the middle of the night.’

She explained that rude passengers didn’t help, adding: ‘I can imagine that a lot of my colleagues struggled at the beginning and had to learn how to politely deal with rude passengers without yelling at them back.’

And jumping from one time zone to another took its toll.

She said: ‘Going to bed at different hours inevitably messes up your body clock. And if you don’t take good care of yourself, you might end up ill a few times per month. I experienced coughing and had blocked ears countless times a year.’

Then there was the strict code of conduct – and the ease with which crew could find themselves being reprimanded.

Marika revealed: ‘What I personally found demotivating about the job was the atmosphere of fear in which we had to work. Even minor nonsensical misconduct got us a first-row ticket in our manager’s office. If you forget to bring a customer his drink and he complains, your supervisor has to write a report for the airline about it.’

And Marika had her patience tested fairly often by passengers.

She said: ‘Customers spat on the floor, peed on the seats, we found traces of excrement on the toilet wall once, and one passenger wanted me to bottle-feed her baby – she seemed to think it was my duty.

‘And passengers would ask for our phone numbers.’

Marika revealed that her airline created a group to help cabin crew maintain their mental health – ‘but it wasn’t much use’.

She said: ‘We were scared to talk about our mental health issues because we might have been found “unfit to fly” and on that account fired. For that reason most of us kept for themselves the sad reality of what was happening inside of us.’

Would she ever return to the skies?

Marika added: ‘Under a few conditions, yes. First of all, the flying hours would have to be decreased to a manageable level. Because if you fly too much, you can’t rest properly and sooner or later you might start having multiple health problems.

‘If the working environment – i.e management – changed and was more understanding rather than backstabbing, then yes.

‘Though when it comes to passengers, there is nothing to be done about certain behaviours. But no matter how “complicated” the passengers were, I wouldn’t change them. And I wouldn’t even have to if the first two conditions were met.’

Marika Mikusova’s book Diary of a Flight Attendant is out now. Click here to order a copy. You can find Marika tweeting at twitter.com/letuska_m and her Instagram account is here.

Every year tens of thousands of people with valid plane tickets are bumped off flights because they’ve been overbooked.

Overbooking is not illegal and every airline does it to maximise its revenue – because there is almost a zero per cent chance that every passenger will show up for their flight.

In the event that every single ticket holder does turn up for an overbooked flight, the airline will ask for volunteers to be re-routed. If there are no volunteers, the airline will pick passengers to be denied boarding – or deplaned.

Easyjet has revealed that those who’ve booked a package trip with easyJet Holidays are less likely to be ‘bumped‘.

The company said in a statement: ‘Our ground staff are given guidance on which groups of customers to try and avoid selecting not to travel in the event where not enough volunteers come forward when an aircraft is downgraded, which includes a number of groups like those requiring special assistance and, where possible, easyJet Holidays customers.’

United goes into even greater detail regarding which passengers it prioritises.

Its website says: ‘Passengers who are “Qualified Individuals with Disabilities” and their “Service Animal” or travel assistant, unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 years, or minors between the ages of five to 14 years who use the unaccompanied minor service, and for Canada departures only, families traveling together, will be the last to be involuntarily denied boarding if it is determined by UA that such denial would constitute a hardship.

‘The priority of all other confirmed passengers may be determined based on a passenger’s fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, whether the passenger purchased the ticket under select UA corporate travel agreements, and the time in which the passenger presents him/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment.’

Aviation expert Alex Macheras told MailOnline Travel that, as a general rule, families will normally be prioritised.

He said: ‘Airline overbooking is necessary as airlines need to ensure that they are not flying with empty seats.

‘However, there are procedures in place that are implemented industry-wide, which guide both airport staff and passengers as to how an overbooking scenario should take place. In normal circumstances, if the flight was overbooked by “two seats”, then the last two passengers to check in/or reach the gate, will be denied boarding.

‘These passengers would more often than not be a little more understanding as they turned up late, meaning they could have risked missing the flight anyway.

‘On the whole, passengers who are travelling as a family, or with children, would not normally be chosen for “denied boarding” on an overbooked flight.

‘It tends to be solo passengers, especially those travelling with hand luggage only – and with a high sequence number [people who check in last].’

What are your rights if you are deplaned or volunteer to switch flights?

Which? said: ‘Those that agree are entitled to a refund or re-route as well as “benefits”, though there are no set rules on what those benefits are.

‘If there aren’t enough volunteers the airline can free up seats by denying you the right to board. If this happens, you have the same entitlement to assistance and compensation as you’d have if your flight was cancelled, the only difference being that you’re also able to claim compensation straight away.’

In Europe, under the Denied Boarding Regulation (Regulation 261/2004 EC), passengers who are bumped under this regulation are entitled to €250 for short-haul flights (1,500km/932 miles or less), 400 euros for medium-haul flights (between 1,500km and 3,500km/932 miles and 2,175 miles) and up to €600 for long-haul flights (more than 3,500km).

Compensation is reduced if the airline gives you the option of re-routing your flights and arriving within two hours of your original scheduled arrival time, for short haul, three hours for medium haul and within four hours for long haul.

The U.S Department of Transportation states: ‘Travellers who don’t get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay.’

Gilbert Ott, founder of the air travel website godsavethepoints.com, added that bumping can be extremely lucrative for passengers.

He said: ‘Airlines run like hedge funds and are so analytical these days that they rarely fly with empty seats and oversell betting that at least a few will no show. Bumps can be a very lucrative “gaming” of the system for passengers, as evidenced by someone who once made $10,000 dollars in Delta vouchers after getting bumped off multiple consecutive flights. If passengers have flexibility, these bumps are a great way to secure credit towards future (free) travel.

‘On the other hand, if they’re not flexible, bumps are a disaster.’

The ‘hydrogen barrier’ has been broken.

In a watershed moment for aviation, the world’s first piloted flights of an electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen have taken place.

H2fly, a developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft based in Stuttgart, Germany, announced that its HY4 aircraft – fitted with a hydrogen-electric fuel cell propulsion system and cryogenically stored liquid hydrogen – completed four flights, including one that lasted for over three hours.

The hydrogen aircraft took off from Maribor in Slovenia and ‘saw safe and efficient operation throughout multiple flight tests’, H2fly said in a statement.

It continued: ‘Results of the test flights indicate that using liquid hydrogen in place of gaseous hydrogen will double the maximum range of the HY4 aircraft from 750km (466 miles) to 1,500km (932 miles), marking a critical step towards the delivery of emissions-free, medium and long-haul commercial flights.’

H2fly explained that compared with pressurised gaseous hydrogen storage, the use of liquified, cryogenic hydrogen enables significantly lower tank weights and volume, therefore leading to increased aircraft range and useful payload.

Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder of H2fly, said: ‘This achievement marks a watershed moment in the use of hydrogen to power aircraft. Together with our partners, we have demonstrated the viability of liquid hydrogen to support medium and long-range emissions-free flight.

‘We are now looking ahead to scaling up our technology for regional aircraft and other applications, beginning the critical mission of decarbonising commercial aviation.’

Airline easyJet and manufacturers Airbus and Rolls-Royce are part of the new Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance, and are calling for more attention to be given to hydrogen as a way of decarbonising air travel.

The alliance believes the UK can become a global leader in developing hydrogen-powered flights if the Government invests in a 10-year research programme, supports the delivery of infrastructure and ensures the required regulatory regime is in place.

It says hydrogen as an aviation fuel can bring a £34billion annual benefit to the UK by 2050.

The only waste product from using hydrogen as a fuel is water, leading to hopes it could power commercial aircraft without creating carbon emissions.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: ‘There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a £34billion per annum boost to the country’s economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now.

‘We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard-to-abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximise the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved.

‘HIA looks forward to working with the UK Government to ensure the right funding, regulatory and policy changes are implemented to accelerate the delivery of zero-carbon aviation.’

Airbus chief technology officer Sabine Klauke said: ‘As Airbus continues to mature the aircraft technologies needed to deliver hydrogen-powered flight, a united industry voice is needed to secure a robust ecosystem of renewably sourced hydrogen.

‘Joining our peers from across the UK aviation landscape in a targeted approach to policy and investment action brings us closer to a decarbonised future of flying.’

Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini said: ‘Collaboration is key when it comes to achieving our net zero ambitions as an industry, which is why we are proud to be part of the Hydrogen in Aviation alliance.

‘Our contribution to HIA is the capability and experience we have in pioneering new technologies and solutions – we have already tested a modern aero engine on green hydrogen and we strongly believe it is one of the solutions that will help decarbonise aviation in the mid to long-term.’