A flight attendant is sharing a warning for passengers who regularly stash their belongings in the seatback pocket during flights. What seems like a harmless habit can actually create real headaches once the plane lands.
Sue Fogwell, a United Airlines flight attendant who worked from 1997 to 2019, is one of several crew members who’ve opened up about behind-the-scenes realities of air travel. She spent 17 of her 22-year career based at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
According to Travel + Leisure, reported Sunday, September 20, 2026, Fogwell learned a great deal from passenger habits over her many years on the job. One lesson in particular stuck with her, tied directly to items left in the seatback pocket.
How a Bad Trip Often Starts
“A bad vacation starts with forgetting your wallet, passport, laptop, medications, and other important documents,” she said.
These are exactly the kinds of items passengers frequently pull out during a flight, only to slip them into the seatback pocket and forget about them entirely once they disembark.
“Usually, it’s the cleaning crew who ends up finding these lost items. Whatever you take out during the flight, put it right back into your carry-on bag, backpack, or travel bag,” she advised.
A Small Habit With Big Consequences
According to Fogwell, this simple habit can determine whether an entire trip goes smoothly or turns into a disaster. Chasing down lost items afterward wastes valuable time and adds an entirely unnecessary layer of stress to a trip.
“That’s because passengers aren’t allowed back onto the aircraft, and often have to coordinate with airport staff just to try to retrieve their belongings,” she explained.
Similarly, a lost passport can turn into a genuine travel nightmare, with consequences that ripple through the rest of a trip.
There’s a Hygiene Reason Too
Beyond the risk of forgetting items, there’s also a cleanliness angle worth considering. Seatback pockets are generally an area best avoided altogether. All kinds of items, from used diapers to discarded tissues, have reportedly ended up in seatback pockets over the years, making them a spot worth steering clear of regardless of what you’re storing.
The fix here is refreshingly simple: whatever you take out of your bag during a flight, your phone, headphones, passport, medication, make it a habit to put it straight back into your carry-on rather than the seatback pocket in front of you. It’s a small adjustment that can save you from a genuinely stressful scramble once you’ve already left the gate area.
