13 Secrets Flights Attendants Know That You Don’t
13.
You can tip your flight attendant- Many people tip their waiter, taxi driver, and even the
hotel bellman but what about flight attendants?
While you most certainly can tip flight attendants, many airlines actually discourage tipping.
Corey Caldwell, a spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, says passengers shouldn’t
tip flight attendants because just like firefighters, police officers and other professionals, it
is their primary concern to maintain passengers security and safety.
Others say that flight attendants go out of their way to provide excellent service and
demonstrate patience to help passengers feel comfortable on board, so tipping is a way
to show their appreciation.
While many travelers assume flight attendants bring in a lot of money, that’s not always
the case.
Flight attendants can work a 12-hour shift but only get paid for the flight hours, and
that doesn’t include deplaning or boarding either.
So many people think dishing out a few bucks to your flight attendant won’t hurt.
12.
Flight Turbulence- Flight Turbulence can be a scary thing to go through mid-flight.
But if wondering why your pilot just doesn’t steer around it; it’s not always that simple.
Clear air turbulence or CAT can’t be determined accurately for flights to be planned around
it.
The pilot will try to avoid CAT if they can since the only advance notice comes from other
pilots traveling on the same route.
However navigating around it doesn’t entail a smooth course either.
CBS or cumulonimbus clouds can be avoided during flights, but it gets harder to do so
when landing.
As the plane approaches the airport, there is less altitude so it must be essential for
the aircraft to be aligned with the runway five miles from touching base.
But turning off course isn’t possible when landing if within the five-mile radius so
if a CB cloud is in the way then sometimes landings are temporarily stopped to allow
the CB to float away.
11.
Beaten up and lost bags- Just because you wrote “fragile” or “handle with care”
on your luggage doesn’t mean it’s tucked away nice and neatly on the plane.
Checked luggage gets a beating which is literally why they call it “throwing bags” for a
reason.
In addition, luggage handles and wheels often crack or break on impact.
Loose ends can get caught in the conveyor belt while it’s being loaded on causing
tears in straps and zippers.
Then there’s the pain of having your baggage lost.
While employees may attest that it fell off the truck, the truth is sometimes the airport
code is mistranslated.
Your belongings might get placed on the wrong cart and wheeled to the wrong plane.
But if your luggage winds up in a different destination, it won’t get shipped to you
until it reaches the place it was scanned to go.
10.
Sleeping Pilot- When it comes to being a pilot, long travel and flying can result in being
on duty for 16 hours or even more without taking a break.
Include the added stress of being in charge of hundreds of passengers while safely getting
them to their destination and being away from your family for extended periods of time can
affect your mental and physical health.
On long flights, there are two pilots which are good.
One pilot mans the controls and flight settings while the other one naps.
While it might not be legal, naps are important to shake away the sleepiness.
Despite it being illegal for pilots to take naps in the United States, controlled naps
for pilots are legal in the United Kingdom.
Although, I would much rather have my pilot take a quick thirty-minute nap to feel refreshed
if it allows for them to be alert and aware the rest of the flight.
9.
Flying Blind- Flying westbound towards the late afternoon usually means there will be
sun blinding the pilot's eyes for a long period.
Would you like to have the sun beaming down on your eyes on a three or six-hour flight?
Of course not!
So pilots will use whatever materials they have on hand like maps, papers, or even tray
liners to shield themselves from the sun.
As horrifying as it sounds that your pilot may be navigating in the “blind,” don’t
worry too much.
All airplanes have a traffic collision avoidance system or TCAS.
This system allows pilots to see all nearby airborne flight nearby much better and farther
too on their radar.
The TCAS radar works by sending interrogations to other aircraft’s transponders, so rest
assured the TCAS works better than the naked eye.
8.
Life or Death- Paying close attention could be the difference between life and death!
Before takeoff, you should watch the safety presentation as it contains valuable information
that could save your life in case of a disaster.
As much as we don’t want to think about anything life threatening happening on a flight,
it’s critical to know what to do.
For example, you might not have known that when the oxygen masks fall from above, you’ll
only have about fifteen minutes worth of oxygen.
Don’t worry; this is more than enough time for the pilot to lower the aircraft to a lower
altitude to wear your masks, so you breathe better.
But at a lower altitude, it also means that you’ll only have about anymore from fifteen
to twenty second to fix your mask before you pass out.
So when flight attendants tell you to wear your masks before assisting others, they mean
it!
7.
Flying with Pets- Sometimes, there might not be anyone to take care of Fido when you’re
off to vacation, so you have no choice to bring him along.
But you might want to think twice about bringing your pets along.
While airlines will do their best to provide the utmost care and security for your furry
companions, there are a few things that can’t be avoided.
While you may be sitting in a comfy chair looking out of the window, your pet is locked
up, tight in their crate in the cargo hold.
This can lead to some pets becoming anxious and confused with all the hustle and bustle
going on around them.
Plus all the noise on the ramp just adds more to the chaos.
While many workers in this area wear earplugs to protect their ears from all the noise,
just imagine how terrible this can be for your pet.
6.
A 60 Second Review- Ever had a flight attendant assist you on board only to find them idly
looking out the window, looking lost in their thoughts?
No, this doesn’t mean they’re daydreaming or wondering what’s for dinner.
Most of the time when you see flight attendants looking out into space, then they’re probably
running through a 60-second safety review in their head.
This technique is used by flight attendants during the phases of boarding to help prepare
them for an unexpected emergency.
Also, know as a mental or silent review, it happens just before take-off and before landing.
The flight attendant is sometimes found in their jump seats as well.
The sixty-second review can be remembered by memorizing OLD ABC, an acronym which stands
for operation of exits, location of emergency equipment, drills, able-bodied passengers,
brace position, and commands.
5.
First Class Upgrade- It might be surprising to know that the flight attendant has the
power to upgrade passengers to first class or business class once doors close.
While they do have the right to do so, many flight attendants refrain from doing it too
often.
This is because, on some airlines, flight attendants have to file a report on why they
upgraded you, partly because there has to be a meal provided for you and because the
forward cabins are already full.
But what kind of people do flight attendants upgrade?
An anonymous flight attendant mentioned on Huffington Post that it’s not going to the
person dressed in a dirty tank top, yelling across the plane.
But someone who is nice, pregnant, well dressed, tall, good looking or one of their friends.
4.
People steal life jackets- Sometimes, passengers will tuck away the life jackets place under
your seat as a souvenir.
Doing so is illegal and a punishable offense.
Life jackets are essential in case of a disaster or emergency landing in the water.
While many flight attendants do check every seat at the start of each day, an airplane
might make several trips throughout the day.
During this time a passenger could get away with stealing a life vest.
So before you sit down, you should locate the life vest under your chair and if you
find it missing, alert a flight attendant right away..
3.
Tricky Locks- What many passengers don’t know is that the lavatory locks can be unlocked
from the outside.
This is a safety precaution in an unlikely event or situation if someone becomes incapacitated
or if it suspected they’re doing any illegal activity, the flight attendant can open the
door.
There is a mechanism usually behind the no smoking sign that enables you to slide the
bolt and unlock the door.
Just lift the lavatory sign and push the knob into the unlocked position.
While it may sound unsettling to know that someone can open the door, it is only used
in certain situations.
2.
In command- While it is the pilot’s job to control the aircraft, did you know the
airplane captain has the same authority as a ship captain?
The captain in command on board has the ultimate power on the plane.
Any unruly or disruptive passengers can be arrested by the pilot.
Well, sort of.
He can’t perform the actual arrest.
But once the airplane lands, the pilot can contact authorities to meet the plane, and
they can stop passengers.
If a passenger onboard is seen as a threat to the crew or other passengers onboard, the
captain does have the right to detain the passenger until police officers arrive once
on the ground.
1.
The safest seat?- You might have read a few articles that suggest the back middle seats
or sitting in the back of the airplane entirely is the safest place to sit in case of disaster.
But according to an article in Time magazine, FAA and other airline safety experts conclude
there is no safest seat on an airplane.
The chances of dying in a plane crash have less to do with what seat you’re in and
more with the events surrounding the accident.
If the tail of the plane gets the burden of the impact, then the front or middle passengers
may survive better than those in the rear.
But Time discovered that when it comes to survival, those who died in accidents were
scattered irregularly between those who survived.
But the good news is flying has gotten safe in the recent years.
It is considered one of the safest form of travel.
The lifetime chance of perishing on a plane is 1 in 9,000 vs 1 in 600 for a car.