19 Flight Attendant Secrets They Never Tell!
19. Mile High Membership It’s not actually against the law to join
the Mile High Club. And we all know that people are always working to earn the ‘cred’.
The long line of people waiting to use the bathroom is often a dead giveaway that you’re
trying to earn your wings in the Mile High Club. Technically, it’s not illegal to become
a member. There are even private charter flights for couples to do just that. However, what
typically results in the end of the Mile High Club participation is a passenger that asks
the flight attendants to intervene. With that being said, if you’re getting it on in the
lavatory and a crew member asks you to stop -OBEY. It’s disobeying the cabin crew that
will land you in hot water, and possibly in jail. So, if you must earn your wings, make
it snappy.
18. Fair Game in First Class Passengers in first class can be demanding.
Mandy Smith, 40, released a book called Cabin Fever about her 10-year stint flying with
a certain high-end airline. It gives a glimpse of the things flight attendants must endure
on the job. Some examples are being groped, having food thrown at her and looking after
a woman who’d suffered a miscarriage in the economy toilets – all the while maintaining
an air of calm professionalism. Smith recounts the time the mother of a very famous American
star, traveling without her son, head-butted one of Smith’s colleagues, causing her nose
to break. Smith said as soon as the woman was on the place, she “threw her fur coat
at me” and was ordered to store it. At that moment, Smith knew she was trouble.
17. Premium Prima Donnas More tales involve the premium economy section.
It is sometimes described as the worst part for rowdy passengers because they thought
they were better than people in economy; but could not afford the things people get in
first class. Smith cited one experience where a man threw pizza in her face simply because
he ranted about it not being good enough for his son.
16. You’re Fired Flight attendants can get fired for crazy
reasons. It’s probably not surprising that newly-hired flight attendants get placed on
a strict probation period for six months. However, they’ve been let go for some unusual
reasons, like in the case of one female flight attendant, tying the uniform sweater around
her waist. Yep, the preppy ‘80s fashion trend is a big no-no to some airlines. Other
firings are a bit more justified, like the new hire that pretended to be out of the probationary
period so she could fly home for free, since travel benefits don’t begin until the probation
period ends. Now that one, I get. One of the most surprising violations, though, is flying
while ill. If they call in sick, they are not allowed to fly. They cannot even be a
passenger on another airline. Doing so can result in immediate termination. Now, we all
wish our coworkers would just stay home when they are sick. But, to be terminated if you
Don’t stay home? That’s strict.
15. Diet Coke Drag They absolutely despise Diet Coke. That bubbly,
acidic nectar is pure hell to flight attendants. The reason is because it takes so long to
pour. Because it’s so fizzy, the fizz takes eons to settle at 35,000 feet. Flight attendants
say that in the time it takes to pour 1 cup of Diet Coke to a passenger, they could have
served 3 different passengers their beverages. While they aren’t supposed to hand out full
cans of the soda, sometimes they do, just to keep things moving along.
14. Open Doors-No Moolah During the pre-flight time when the doors
are open, they aren’t getting paid. Flight attendants hustle like crazy to help
passengers cram bags into overhead bins, direct them to their seats and get the flight ready
so the pilot can take off. However, all that hard work doesn’t earn them an extra dime
on their paychecks. And yes, when the flight gets delayed, cancelled, or they have annoying
layovers; it’s just as aggravating to them as it is to regular passengers. Perhaps even
more because they aren’t getting paid for that time. Airlines do compensate for this,
though, by giving each flight attendant an hourly expense allowance of $1.50; which starts
when they check into the airport to start a shift, and stops when the wheels hit the
gate at their home base. While it’s not a lot, but every little bit helps.
13. Power Off, Please Here’s the thing about your electronics
and powered gadgets. When you board a plane, they always tell you
to turn off your devices. But does it really matter if you do? According to one woman whose
sister is a flight attendant. She says her sister will go to the back of the plane and
use her phone for texts, after she informs all the passengers that they have to turn
off their electronics. Pilots in training all use their phones to
snap photos from way high up in the sky and post them to social media while they’re
in the air. Though it is usually the ones riding backseat for training purposes. Not
the ones piloting the plane. And full-fledged pilots also say the same. One pilot mentions
that it is completely useless to turn off electronics on a plane. Those types of devices
are not going to bring down an aircraft. But the bigger picture is that mobile devices
can be very distracting. Just imagine sitting in the flight deck, descending to your destination,
and hearing the interference of 100+ cell phones all picking up a signal. Some pilots
have mentioned how they have actually missed hearing clearance calls because of those types
of distractions and interferences.
12. Don’t Drink the Water Watch out for the water in those tiny bathrooms.
The water that comes from the lavatory is not fit for human consumption. It’s cringe-worthy
to even wash your hands in it, since parasites become tolerant of the cleansers used in this
water. If you’re thirsty, opt for bottled water instead. To clean your hands, bring
hand sanitizer with you.
11. ‘Changing Table’ Tray Ever hear someone say that a surface he just
scrubbed is clean enough to eat off of? Well, the tray table is Not one of them. Consider
wiping them down with wet naps laced with Lysol. Or, at least wipe them with sanitizer.
Flight attendants can tell you that those trays are never cleaned. The amount of germs
on them is astounding. What’s more disgusting is, many parents change their baby’s diapers
on there. Do you think they wiped up with sanitizer, or anything, after? Likely, they
did not. So, before you dig into your rubber chicken and let your dinner roll flop onto
the tray, remember the added bacteria-laced baby diaper seasoning you’ll be adding.
Bon appetit.
10. Creature Comforts You sure you want a blanket or pillow? Are
you really that cold that you want a blanket? Do you really need a pillow? You might twice
about that. A former popular airline flight attendant talked about those creature comfort
items. She described how they were just folded back up and shoved in the storage spaces awaiting
the next flight, awaiting their next passenger wanting to get warm and comfy. She said the
only time she witnessed new, clean linens were on the very first flights coming from
certain cities. The tip here is to bring your own blanket and pillow. Unless, of course,
you’re into snuggling up to, and wrapping yourself in, someone else’s dead skin cells
and head grease.
9. Fly Little Birdy Planes can still fly while broken. Oh goody!
This one will make you want to hang onto your armrests for dear life. (after you clean them
with sanitizer, of course). Apparently there’s a huge list of things that can be missing
from the aircraft while still being allowed to fly. Is this like the food industry saying
it’s acceptable to have a certain amount of roaches or rat parts in things like peanut
butter? Well, not exactly. But, sort of. There is actually a list called a Minimum
Equipment List (MEL). It may be counter-intuitive, but MEL is a list of what is acceptable to
be broken while still allowing an airplane to be worthy of flight. Surprisingly, an aircraft’s
operational ranges or limits can be altered in response to broken items. For example,
if a particular type of lights are broken, the plane will only be scheduled for daytime
flights. But do take heart…nothing on the MEL has anything to do with the ability of
the plane to takeoff, fly, or land properly. It just sounds a little freaky at first. Hey,
we drive vehicles with broken parts all the time. And if the radio works well, just turn
up the volume so you can’t hear the rattles and squeaks.
8. Cheap Tickets Believe it or not, there is a best time to
buy tickets. If I were a selfish person, I would not share this secret. But, I’m a
giver so here it goes. Flight attendants spill the goods about the when to hunt for the best
deals. One’s experience in the revenue management department touts that grabbing yourself U.
S. based tickets on a Tuesday afternoon can save you some serious scratch. Moreover, the
cheapest time to fly is on Tuesday or Wednesday, and even Saturday. That makes sense. But,
I’m grabbing my next ticket on a Tuesday, so I can afford my own blanket, pillow and
hand sanitizer.
7. Why Settle for Half? You see the drink carts heading up the aisles.
Your mouth starts to water as you imagine enjoying a refreshing cold drink. Then you
finally get one, and it’s all ice. Just a splash of your liquid heaven and it’s
over before you know it. Ahh, but the secret is out. Don’t settle for that tiny cup when
you can get the whole soft drink. If you want more drink than ice, simply ask the flight
attendant politely if you can have the full can instead. And, if your drink of choice
is Diet Coke, even better, Your flight attendant will likely be thrilled.
6. Tipping Tips They don’t work on tips, but…
All airline companies as well as the Association of Flight Attendants discourage tipping. Note,
we said discouraged, not necessarily against the rules. If you offer a tip to your flight
attendant, they will most likely turn it down. Try offering a second time or even slipping
a few bills to them, though, and it will often be greatly appreciated. It may also net you
a free snack or an extra strong drink. But honestly, the best thing you can do for flight
attendants when you receive extraordinary service is to write a letter or email to the
airline, praising their work, or even the entire cabin crew, if applicable. It will
help boost their career and allow them to rise in the ranks.
5. Cockpit Tours Back in the day, it was a big deal to be invited
into the cockpit of a plane. You can still get a tour of the cockpit, believe it or not.
If you loved getting a chance to meet the pilots and check out the cockpit as a kid,
there’s good news. You can still do that on most airlines. All you need to do is ask
politely, but do so AFTER the plane has landed. Before takeoff, things are too busy and the
pilots are rushing to do their checks and get the plane off the ground. The next time
you fly, try asking as you de-plane and see what happens!
4. Safety Seats The safest seats are in the back of the plane.
While we never want to think about the plane crashing, it’s a smart plan to try to sit
in the back. Sitting at the back of the airplane, particularly in the middle seats, will increase
your survival rate if the plane were to crash. And, the other bonus is that you are significantly
closer to the bathrooms!
3. Brace Yourself A rough landing doesn’t mean a bad pilot.
Hard landings in bad weather doesn’t mean your pilot is bad at his job. It’s actually
done intentionally. In order to land properly on a wet surface and not hydroplane out of
control, the pilot must touch down hard to puncture through the water layer. “Landings
are nothing more than controlled crashes.” Well, doesn’t that sound pleasant. At least
you’re putting your life in the hands of someone heavily trained for crashing.
2. Captain Fear Even those brave pilots have their moments
of fear. It takes an extraordinary person to become a pilot. The men (and women) that
pilot our aircraft are very brave and skilled at what they do. Takeoffs and landings don’t
scare them one bit. However, there are things that will stoke the fires of fear in any pilot.
One pilot tells the story of a friend who was flying overseas when a bomb threat was
received. What is one to do in that situation? Well, follow protocol, of course. Yes, they
have procedures for those kinds of things. They must keep calm and not let passengers
know. The pilot described running on adrenaline with every bump of turbulence. But, all the
crew members are trained routinely to keep their cool and take care of us-the passengers,
restless and excited to safely arrive at our destination.
Safe Travels Planes are still the safest way to travel.
We hear it often, and it’s true. Because of stringent aviation regulations
worldwide, pilots undergo extensive training to earn their bars. Statistically, the risks
of life threatening situations regarding the aircraft are very low. It’s the person sitting
next to you that’s probably more worrisome than anything your pilot will have to navigate
through.
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