Flight attendant bluntly shares travel tips: ‘We will not help you if you are mean’

A flight attendant’s Facebook post is going viral for saying what many other flight attendants may not.

According to a Facebook page, Kristie Koerbel is a flight attendant who wanted to let passengers know how to cope with the ongoing challenges of the airline industry including canceled flights and staffing shortages. 

"I feel like as a Flight Attendant I should attempt to share some tips to get you through airline travel for the foreseeable future," Koerbel posted. 

RELATED: Why are there so many cancelled flights? Here's what you should know about summer air travel disruptions

Her post received over 15,000 reactions and has been shared more than 73,000 times. 

Koerbel unapologetically and bluntly lays out tips passengers need to keep in mind:

• "Things are not good..... if it's less than 7 hours - DRIVE!"
• "Download and use the app of the airline you are flying."
• "Fly MUCH earlier than you need to - a whole day early if it's important!!"
• "ALWAYS fly the first flight in the morning."
• "Schedule long layovers - Your 1-hour layover is NOT enough anymore."
• "Avoid connecting in Newark (Or any New York airport for that matter)."
• "Be nice. As stated above, we are overworked and tired. We will not help you if you are mean."
• "Being drunk on an airplane is a federal offense, so don't overdo it."
• "Get trip insurance if you have a lot of money invested."
• "Don't be "That guy." Don't hold up boarding because you have your extenders open till they are busting and you can't figure out how to make it fit in the overhead."
• "Take showers, brush your teeth, leave the perfume off, don't eat stinky food."
• "Bring a sweater if you tend to be cold."
• "For the love of God wear shoes to the bathroom!!!"
• "Don't tell a Flight Attendant they look tired. We are and we know. You may cause us to ugly cry right there in galley."

Airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights in the U.S. last week, one of the worst days yet for travel as the peak summer vacation season heats up.

And they happened as airline CEOs held a virtual meeting with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — a sign of the Biden administration’s concern about the prospect of snarled airports and unhappy travelers this summer.

During the meeting, which took place by videoconference, Buttigieg asked the CEOs to describe steps they are taking to operate smoothly over the July 4 holiday and the rest of the summer, according to a person familiar with the call but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

RELATED: American Airlines ending service in three cities due to pilot shortage

Buttigieg also pushed airlines to examine whether they can handle the schedules that they have published, and to improve customer service, the person said.

Airlines are struggling with shortages of workers, especially pilots, that are hurting their ability to operate all their planned flights. Pilot unions at Delta, American and Southwest have said their airlines were too slow to replace pilots who retired or took leaves of absence during the early part of the pandemic.

The airlines have jousted with the FAA this spring over delays in Florida, where air travel recovered more quickly than in many other parts of the country. After meeting with airline representatives in May, the FAA agreed to increase staffing at an air-traffic control center near Jacksonville and make other changes.

Concern about flight problems comes as the number of air travelers in the U.S. pushes above 2.2 million a day. That is still about 300,000 fewer per day than in mid-June 2019, but crowds will grow over the next several weeks and almost certainly break the pandemic-era record set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.