We love Yahoo and the many pro and amateur writers who contribute informative travel articles, many with valuable tips for senior wanderers. We just saw one claiming that, despite the continuous airline nickel-and-diming epidemic today, passengers can still get free stuff. All they have to do, say the writers, is ask politely.

Our experience is that on some airlines on some flights on some days or some nights, you can still get free stuff. However, don’t always expect to receive what you ask for. Here are some worth trying:

Second Helpings
After you’ve consumed the few pretzels or peanuts in those teeny aluminum packs or finished your soda or juice, you can ask for another. Additionally, if you buy a meal or snack and are real brave, you may ask for a free second one. Some flight attendants prefer ending the flights with empty fridges, and once everyone is served, are willing to give away freebees.

Medicated Cleaning Packets
If you want to clean up thoroughly after eating or using the toilet aboard, ask the flight attendant to give you one or more of the little sealed sanitation packets. Flash your most vulnerable senior face and politely say you’ve just recovered from an illness, and need to avoid the always present flu and other bad bugs.

Emergency Kit Items
All flights have medical kits. The fact that you’re a senior tells the flight attendant that you’re vulnerable to onboard accidents. You can bump your elbow going up the aisles, hit your head while loading the overhead or lose some skin while getting settled in your tight seat.

If it happens, an aspirin and small bandage strip with healing ointment can ease the problem. You’ll probably get a stash of the medical kit items, and you can take the unused ones home with you.

Change My Seat, Please
You could be lucky (?) enough to be seated next to a crying baby or 350-pound seatmate, and the first-class seats are not all sold. Once the flight is in the air and seat belt sign off, the flight attendant may sympathize with your obvious discomfort.

Simply ask to be moved to another seat, and if your luck holds, it will be up there in first class. That’s where the high-priced passengers loll in wider seats and lap up all kinds of free food and drinks.

Always remember
As long as you’re attitude is considerate to the flight attendant, just ask. You may be happily surprised when you succeed in getting the freebees.

View from our room at the Pavillion de la Reine, Paris

Officials of Turkish Airlines now forbid bright red lipstick and fingernails on flight attendants. The order states their appearance must be "artless and well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones."

According to Reuters, airline spokesmen insist the less flashy appearance will enhance communications between flight crews and passengers, because bright red “impairs visual integrity”. As expected, there have been angry rumblings among airline employees who say they feel the restrictions are arbitrary and outdated.

Photo by Travel4Seniors Editor