28-05-2025
Pilot Warns Passengers Against Using Seatback Pocket
As the summer draws near, we're reaching the peak season for airline travel across the United States. But before you board a plane, one former pilot has a warning for all passengers to ensure they don't lose their valuables.
Captain Steve Scheibner, an American Airlines pilot who's gained a following on YouTube as Captain Steeeve, issued a warning for all passengers recently as he advised travelers to never place their personal belongings in the back pocket of airplane seats, especially if it's something valuable or irreplaceable.
"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," Scheibner warned in a recent video.
Scheibner said that far too many times, he has heard from passengers who deboarded the plane only to realize that they've left personal items in the seat pocket where it's difficult to see or keep track of your items.
The biggest problem, he explains, is that once a passenger gets off the plane, they are not allowed to re-board the plane to look for their item.
"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," he said.
"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."
The best way to avoid losing your valuables is to simply keep them in your pockets or your carry-on items.
Pilot Warns Passengers Against Using Seatback Pocket first appeared on Men's Journal on May 27, 2025
