Think you know everything about flying? Think again. We’ve gathered insider information from flight attendants with decades of experience to bring you the most surprising secrets of air travel. Did you know there’s a secret button under your armrest that gives you more space? Or that certain items in your carry-on could get you special treatment? These flight attendants reveal the unwritten rules of the sky, including the best seats for turbulence, the ideal time to ask for upgrades, and why you should never, ever drink the tap water on board.
1. Greeting or More of An Assessment
When the flight crew greets you upon entering the aircraft, do you think it is just a polite formality? Well, most people think this practice is intended to make passengers feel comfortable. It is true to some extent, but crew members also use it to assess the passengers.
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They use the greeting to get a better idea of passengers who could be problematic. They also look for people who are physically fit or disabled, intoxicated, traveling in a group or alone.
2. Think Twice Before Asking For Diet Coke
Out of all the other things, one thing that flight attendants really hate is when passengers order Diet Coke. When one passenger orders it, the beverage cart goes around for others as well. It is because the carbonated fizz in Diet Coke takes a lot of time to settle at an altitude of 35,000 feet and it takes the most time to pour Diet Coke as compared to other beverages.
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Flight attendants also hate to pour this fizzy drink because they have to pay close attention to not overflow a cup and that’s why it takes three times as long to pour this drink as compared to other drinks. Nevertheless, they will still serve it you even if they despise it.
3. The Job Doesn’t Pay Very High
There is a common opinion that flight attendants live a glamorous lifestyle as they are able to travel the world as a part of their job and visit different places. However, the truth is that they are almost always busy and have a hectic schedule which prevents them from exploring other places.
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In fact, they are only paid once the main cabin doors are shut. It means that delays and cancellations affect and annoy them as much as the passengers. It kind of affects them more because they don’t get paid unless the plain boards. Although some airlines have relaxing policies regarding it, we have to respect their patience.
4. How Safe Are Airplanes?
Have you ever wondered if the airplane is thoroughly checked before taking off every time? Although there is a big list of constraints that are checked every time before a flight takes off, there are still some minor failures that are left unattended to ensure that flights are on time and there’s no delay. But don’t worry because these minor failures aren’t supposed to affect safety provisions.
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When it comes to in-flight safety, planes are sturdy enough to withstand getting struck by lightning or thunderstorms. It is important to buckle up during flight because most turbulence-related injuries happen when some passengers forget or ignore to fasten their seat belts.
5. Anyone Wants An Upgrade?
An upgrade is like winning a lottery in the air travel world. No one can tell for sure the proven-way to get an upgrade every time. However, it certainly helps your case if you are not a rude person. Things that can strengthen your chances of getting an upgrade are; you are extremely tall, attractive, well-dressed, pregnant, or a friend of the flight crew. And hey, always try to be nice to the flight crew.
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According to one anonymous flight attendant, getting an upgrade to first or business class is still possible even after the cabin doors close. However, it doesn’t often happen a lot. Still, who knows you might hit the jackpot someday.
6. Handling Emergency On A Plane
Have you ever wondered what happens in case there’s a medical emergency on a plane? Well, the flight attendants are given enough training to act as first responders if there’s a medical emergency and they can perform the Heimlich maneuver or administer CPR. There are also first aid kits and planes that carry over 30 passengers have defibrillators as well.
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Also, the cabin crew asks if there’s a doctor on board whenever there’s an emergency. In case of a grave situation, a pilot can either land a plane or divert it, which usually takes around 15 minutes. However, it becomes more difficult if it is an overseas flight.
7. Using Secret Communication Code
The flight crew does use a secret communication code because there are certain things that they don’t want the passengers to know. It is completely understandable because they don’t want to cause any panic among the passengers. So, they use certain codes to indicate what’s going on.
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You may hear certain beeping sounds during flight and they are not just some call buttons. According to insiders, the “dings” are used during the takeoff and landing to signal the crew that everything is okay as most dangerous stages are over. There are other bells for severe turbulence, emergency, and also if someone tries to enter the cockpit.
8. Flight Crew Need to Sleep As Well
Although the hectic schedule prevents the flight crew from taking a nap to re-energize their body, they still have to rest like the rest of us. On domestic flights, they mostly don’t have the luxury of sleeping, but they have special sleeping cabins on long-haul flights. For instance, Boeing 777 and 787 jets have sleeping quarters for the flight crew.
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Pilots also have assigned rest periods and sleeping berth which is usually located in a separate compartment. When the pilot gets some much-needed sleep, the co-pilot takes control of the plane.
9. Not So Clean Water
It is recommended not to drink water from lavatory tap on airplanes (for good reasons, of course). But what about the potable water which is used in tea and coffee. Many flight attendants do recommend sticking to bottled beverages and not drinking coffee or tea on the plane.
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The tanks for the drinks are clean, but still there are doubts over how often they are cleaned. But we cannot ignore that the valve for filling clean water is quite close to the one for cleaning lavatory waste.
10. Certain Standards for How The Flight Attendants Need to Look
Although there are a rigid set of criteria which some airlines follow (e.g. age, weight, personal grooming), there are airlines that don’t make their flight staff follow such strict standards anymore.
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However, airlines do emphasize on professional presentation and appearance and some of them even have height parameters to ensure that the flight staff can easily perform their duties.
11. They’re Not Stewardesses Anymore
Those days are gone when flight attendants only used to serve food and beverages. Now, they do more than just babysit or wait for passengers. The flight attendants are trained enough to administer CRP, user AEDs, EpiPens, and defibrillators.
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They are also trained to handle an unruly passenger, self-defense, and emergency evacuation, as well as attempted hijacking. One of their main responsibilities is to guard the cockpit so that no one enters it during the flight.
12. Why Flight Attendants Turn Off The Cabin Lights During Takeoff and Landing
No, the lights are not dimmed to create a more relaxing ambience for the passengers. There is a more serious reason behind dimming the cabin lights in commercial flights before take-off and landing. Here is a hint for you: It has a lot to do with airplanes being prone to problems and accidents during take-offs and landings.
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The main reason behind doing is to allow the eyes to adjust to the lack of light if there is an emergency. In case of an accident or emergency that requires immediate evacuation, the lit signs become more visible.
13. Unhealthy Airplane Food?
Do you believe that ignorance is bliss? Well, you might’ve wondered if the pre-packaged food provided during flights is healthy or not. After all, it could be processed and lack natural ingredients.
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It turns out that mid-flight meals are quite unhealthy for you because they have almost zero nutritional value. They are just loaded with fat, sugar, salt and carbs. We would highly recommend you to eat something before you board, especially if you a frequent flyer or health-conscious.