A Southwest Airlines flight attendant shared some of his biggest customer pet peeves. His video struck a chord among viewers. Some feel attacked, while others feel seen. Which category do you fall in?
Southwest Airlines flight attendant and fitness buff Jett Butler (@liftedbyjett), who has his location tagged as Nashville in his now-viral TikTok, observed a short list of his “pet peeves.”
Taking Up Aisle Space And Whispering
“The people who spread their legs into the aisle—if you’re sitting in the aisle, please do not spread your legs into the aisle. I’m already a big enough guy myself, so getting up and down the aisle is hard enough. The last thing I need is a track hurdle in the aisle,” he says.
He also calls out those who whisper their drink orders.
“Speak up, please. I have terrible hearing, and the plane makes it 10 times worse,” he says.
He’s Not A Trash Can
Finally, he asked that passengers refrain from trying to hand him their trash when he’s got a tray of drinks in hand. “You can see I’m not taking trash at the moment, so please do not hand me your trash,” he adds.
Butler’s video has over 132,000 views, and he makes sure to note that, for him, “these pet peeves are just small inconveniences at the end of the day.”
Do You Feel Attacked Or Seen?
These may seem like reasonable statements, but in the comments, things really took off.
Some passengers felt personally attacked.
“Sorry man, at 6 ‘6 my leg simply doesn’t fit,” one said.
Um (@didyoujustryme) added, “Haha 6’7 here and was thinking the same thing but I try to move my leg when someone walks by [saluting emoji].
However, Butler’s video made fellow flight attendants feel seen. Many added their own pet peeves.
“I’m a flight attendant and it drives me crazy when I ask for their drink order and they say ‘What do you have?'” one said.
Another wrote, “And close the dang lavatory door!! [eyeroll emoji].”
“It is funny they come back and say oh you skipped me …you were sleeping yes,” a third shared.
+At the end of the day, most people commenting seem to understand that on a plane, everyone is a little stressed and trying to make the best out of an undignified situation.
Why Wouldn’t You Want To Fly Comfortably?
It’s no secret that flying has gotten more and more dreary as the years have progressed. These days, many travelers show up in stained T-shirts, fuzzy slippers, and chewed-up flip-flops. It’s clear they’re just trying to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Arguably, it is a reasonable response to an industry that boosts ticket prices for mere inches more of legroom while seemingly tacking on additional costs for every little thing.
New Seating Opportunities To Come
Southwest Airlines is launching a new seating and attendant pricing tier system in January 2026. According to its website, the company is offering assigned seating and three seating options:
- “Extra legroom seating” with up to five extra inches of room at the front of the cabin
- A “preferred seat” option, closer to the front of the cabin
- A “standard seat” option in the back of the cabin
Though the company isn’t sharing specifics, Travel Weekly reported that to make room for these seat options, there will be a reduction in legroom on larger airplanes. On smaller planes, there will be a “small reduction in seat count.”
The website FlyersRights notes that “only about 25% of passengers can now fit in modern airline seats and passenger space in economy class where over 90% of passengers sit.”
The site also points out that while there are minimum standards in place for the transport of animals, there are no corresponding standards for humans.
@liftedbyjett Biggest pet peeves on the plane as a flight attendant ✈️#flightattendant #airlines #planes #flightattendantlife #travel
BroBible reached out to Butler via email and to Southwest Airlines via contact form.