Many Flight Attendants Wish Travelers Would Stop Bringing This Snack On Planes

Sunflower seeds are a highly portable snack with a satisfying crunch, making them handy travel companions. Unfortunately, the in-shell variety comes with an inconvenient quality that can leave a lot to be desired, especially for those nearby. Because sunflower seed shells are inedible due to their lignin and cellulose fibers, which the human body cannot digest, you have to remove the shells before getting at the edible seed within. If you are traveling in your own vehicle, what you do with those discarded shells is your own business. But if you're flying, chances are your flight crew would like sunflower seeds added to the list of foods you should never eat on a plane.

Many flight crewmembers are simply fed up with passengers and their bad sunflower seed behavior. On Facebook, an angry flight attendant shared a picture of the floor in a row of seats covered in discarded shells with "sunflower seeds should be banned from planes!!!!" Another shared on Reddit that some passengers discard their shells in the seat pocket, saying, "I curse them under my breath as I dig 43,000 tiny pieces out."

Not all airline staff blame the sunflower seeds for the mess, preferring to hold the passengers themselves accountable for their inconsiderate behavior. But even when passengers try to be more responsible about where to dispose of their trash, it can gross out the people around them. One such unfortunate traveller pointed this out on Facebook with a picture of a plastic grocery bag strung across the seat backs in front of her seatmates, into which the pair would spit the shells. Several appalled commenters said they would have demanded a flight attendant find them a different seat. Reasonable or not, this request causes yet another headache for a flight crew.

Leaving behind a big mess can also pose an inconvenience to the following flight, causing delays while the airline personnel spend time cleaning up all those little shells. To avoid any hard feelings, opt for pre-shelled sunflower seeds. Or skip them altogether and make yourself another healthy snack to bring with you when you fly.