'Never use back pocket on plane seats' pilot warns passengers

Daily Record

27-05-2025

Captain Steve Scheibner has told fliers to avoid the 'black hole of despair'
Travellers have been warned never to store their personal belongings in the back seat of an aeroplane as they might 'never see them again'. According to airline pilot and YouTuber Captain Steeeve, there is a simple reason why you shouldn't use the 'black hole of despair' when flying.
Posting the revelation on his social media channel, American Airline pilot Captain Steve said passengers should follow his travel tip if they want to leave the plane with their items. Captain Steve is well known for sharing his wealth of flying knowledge with his 450,000 YouTube subscribers, with fans often praising his hacks.
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Speaking on his video, the well-known pilot said he has witnessed several passengers at their airlines counter after they've left something in the back pocket during their flight. Steve claimed the travellers face 'diminishing' odds of getting their stuff back.
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Dubbing the pocket the 'black hole of despair', Steve warned people to think twice before using the storage space when travelling.
He said: "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."
Captain Steve said he'd spoken to many people who'd exited the plane but left personal items in the seat pocket, and then couldn't return to the flight to collect them, reports Bristol Live.
He added: "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.
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"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."
It comes after reports that budget airline passengers may soon face a bizarre method of flying - standing-only seats.
The new upright seats, reportedly for flights under two hours, enable passengers to lean but not sit.
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First revealed to the world by Italian firm Aviointeriors back in 2018, the 'Skyrider' seats let carriers "increase the passenger number by 20%", allowing for "increased profits", a spokesperson for the company claimed.
They also claimed that the seats would offer an "increased upright passenger position" but would ensure "adequate comfort".
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However, one expert thinks the seats could present a problem for "perception".
Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, a former engineer and senior lecturer at the University of Bath's School of Management, told the Express that the move would require "very strict oversight".
Dr Bhardwaj said: "The idea of a flying bus that packs passengers might seem appealing, but it might undermine the perception of how the industry thinks about safety.
"At the very least, such a move requires a very strict oversight and a very clear explanation to the flying public why this is safe."