Take it from a veteran flight attendant – these tricks will get you through your journey | Meryl Love

The late Queen apparently brought her own pillows. There are plenty of ways for ordinary passengers to improve their experience, too

One of the greatest perks of my job as cabin crew is observing all the little quirks and rituals of passengers up close. If I'm working in first class, I sometimes even have the honour of waking up celebrities for breakfast before landing - including one very famous rock star with a reputation for irritability who, to my extreme relief, rolled over all bleary eyed and politely asked for a cup of tea.

I was interested to read, then, that the late Queen preferred not to be disturbed if she was still sleeping when her plane landed. I imagine that was a huge relief to the crew. How would one wake her majesty? A gentle whisper in the ear? A slight nudge to the shoulder? Perhaps a delicate sprinkling of Dubonnet over the royal head? It's not a role for which there is any specific training.

Meryl Love is the pseudonym of a crew member working for an international airline. She hosts the podcast The Bad Air Hostess