RedditorBluPillowwanted to from all the people who work the friendly skies. They asked:
"People who work in the airline industry, what are some things you think everyone should know about flying?"
These people are not your maids or personal assistants. And I would hope you treat those people better as well.
basics...
music video britney spears toxic GIFGiphy"We are there for your safety first, your drinks second. Also: we don't turn right back around after a 14 hour flight. How would that even work? I've been asked that so many times."
DerSaftschubser
Safety Concerns
"The reason you are supposed to open your life vest outside the aircraft in case of an emergency ditching is so that you don't float upwards while still inside the plane. This will trap you and increase your risk of drowning. Always open them outside or immediately before you leave the aircraft, should you need to evacuate on water."
DerSaftschubser
Difficulties Abound
"Flight attendant here. I think everyone should know or at least keep in mind that airline travel is difficult. You and your fellow passenger can expect to have: Stress, An altered food schedule, Lack of sleep, Swelling, Dehydration, Discomfort, Confusion trying to figure out new things, Social anxiety, Changing ambient pressure, Loud noises, Nausea, Being hot or cold, Boredom."
"Please remember your fellow passengers are traveling for various reasons. Hopefully it’s vacation but very frequently I run into people going to funerals, going to get medical treatments and commuting to work away from their families. Everyone has a different story and many of us are having a rough day. onboard we all have the same goal. Get there quickly and safely. Including the staff. Have patience with each other and us."
soggy544
All in the prep...
"Worked one preparing meals that goes onto planes for a while. The reason why some things sometimes are or aren't one a plane. EX: type of drink, or a airlines doesn't have the normal cookie/meal they have on a flight EX: Uniteds delicious white chocolate cranberry, this is never the airlines fault this is ALWAYS the company (big one that's world wide is LSG Sky Chef's) fault. Either they ran out and substituted it or they can't find the item in their large freezer."
NorthwestIceman
You're Out
cat skydiving GIFGiphy"We will kick you off mid flight if you misbehave."
Dry-Addition9906
"Skydiving without a parachute. niceeee."
mrkitten19o8
See ya. There needs to be more of kicking the trash out.
Jailtime
bart simpson episode 22 GIFGiphy"Interfering with the air crew is a felony. If you have grievances you can address them with the airline after you disembark."
starfishy
Too Heavy
"No one is physically capable of opening the cabin door while in flight because of the aircraft pressurization. So take comfort in knowing that if a crazy person gets up and starts frantically trying to open the door in the middle of a flight, they're not going to be able to do it at all. You could sit in your seat and watch them work on it for hours and it still won't happen."
EMPulseKC
Hit reset
"I work in System Operations. I try to keep it all on schedule. Here's a few: If you're flying from a small airport, it may be convenient, but it's also more limited on resources. That means if it delays, there's not much to mitigate it. Could go on for quite some time."
"Every aspect of the industry is highly regulated, from aircraft maintenance, to air traffic control, to crew duty restrictions, and more. Please be patient with delays especially around holidays and storms. It is an extremely delicate juggle with all of these challenges to avoid any delays. Got tons more but last one..."
"If you don't want to be delayed, take the earliest flight. There's a bit of a 'reset' overnight each night to start with a clean slate but late in the day, the chances are your plane has done multiple flights already. If any of those are delayed, yours is likely to delay too."
grilldcheese2
Simmer Down Now
"Alcohol has a greater effect on people in higher altitudes so know your limits and don’t push them. Even if you have had a drink in the airport it can still effect you during the flight. As flight crew we do not care that it’s your holiday, birthday, stag party, hen party or that you are nervous."
"If you are drunk and behaving like a jerk it will not be tolerated and you can be arrested and get a ban from the airline. And because airlines share their ban passenger list you could find yourself banned from a few airlines."
posh-old-bird
Scanner
Space Box GIF by BoxMediaGiphy"In most European airports, you can enter the business class security lane with any ticket, not just business. The code scans anyway."
DerSaftschubser
Drink Up
"Your tastebuds are reduced by 30-60% on flights. So more salt and seasoning are added to the food so it doesn't seem bland. Might also be the reason so many crave tomato juice or bloody mary mix ONLY on planes. The air in flight is drier than most of the deserts in the world, this impacts the taste of the food as well as your need to hydrate."
"Make sure you are drinking plenty of water on the long trans-oceanic or even trans-continental flights. Flight attendant jumpseats are waaaaaay more uncomfortable than anything you are sitting on and are usually right by a stinky lav. So keep that in mind when you complain to a crew member about your seat. Jumpseats are about as comfy as those old plastic fold-up lawn chairs."
Angelsunrise
Say Hi
"As pilots we are just darn lazy. We focus our attention on finding ways to avoid anything becoming busy, rushed or any time our capacity might be stretched. We do everything for the simple life. Sometimes that means using the autopilot as much as we can. Sometimes it means manual flying and looking out the window."
"Whilst some of us might secretly relish the opportunity to go off piste and demonstrate our prowess as great aviators in adverse circumstances, no-one wants a sweaty day. Imagery of seasoned sky gods wrestling with the controls are all well and good in the movies, but that’s exactly the sort of stuff we are determined to avoid. In fact most of us are just plain boring. Come say hi - either before after. Small kids and big 'kids’ alike.'"
Cvrk2
Pray
85 South Praying GIF by BET Hip Hop AwardsGiphy"There are no parachutes on commercial flights, so please stop asking. If the plane is going down there is nothing you can do but pray and ask forgiveness for your sins."
Estbolbotkzn
Ridiculous
"I learned that flight attendants don't get paid for the time before and after flights when doing a crap ton of work to clean up and get people on/off, and frankly, I think that's sh**ty. We would never work before clocking in, why is it okay for them?"
"EDIT- The way I had heard it elsewhere -not reddit- was they were essentially only paid for 4 hours when they worked 7, but another comment here said they essentially get paid as a salary worker based on contract hours. So it's not as bad as someone had made it seem."
HairTop23
The Good Side
"Before being a prick to a flight attendant, keep in mind that their actual job is to save your life in an emergency. If I'm flying and know that there are 2 people who will make it a priority to keep me alive even if I'm unconscious, I'm going to make sure I'm on their good side. Just sayin..."
The-Gordon-Project
stop pushing...
"We KNOW your kid doesn't wanna get a peek in the cockpit, stop pushing that crying distressed child inside, dad. Planes often get delayed due to missing their slots, especially during the busy months, chances are we've been sitting on board for a while too as such a flight can be our 3rd/4th leg of the day, we feel you, yet there's nothing we can actually do about it. -FA."
eliysa_tis1
luck has you...
"Unless you're extremely lucky and your aircraft just rolled out of the hangar after major maintenance, there will absolutely be something broken in it. An aircraft can have a whole host of parts be broken and still be allowed to fly, the broken parts just get labeled, recorded, and put on the to-do list for the next time it goes to maintenance."
ConstableBlimeyChips
Whoops
Kaitlyn Bristowe Oops GIF by The BacheloretteGiphy"Ladies, take your batteries out of your vibrators when you're packing. It's not going on the plane if it's dancing all over the baggage conveyor, and the bigger the airport the more difficult it'll be to find you so you can go in and deactivate it."
bpanio
SIT!!
"You don't need to queue before passing through from the waiting room to the aircraft and you can also remain seated when you land. There is no way to exit that aircraft until everyone has exited before you... so you may as well remain seated."
mishmishtamesh
Rules
"I don't need to work in the industry to tell you not only to shut up, shit down, and behave, but also not to mix sleeping pills and booze."
Etterra
This is why I'm skipping air travel still. I can't with people. Good luck to you all.
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So, the next time they ask you to return your seat to its upright position the flight crew prepares for landing, just hit that button instead of giving them flak for asking.
There's a lot we don't know about what goes on behind the scenes, and the last thing everyone onboard needs is unnecessary turbulence.
"Flight Attendants, what’s the dirty little secrets of your industry?"
Flight attendants are people too.
Relatable Inconvenience
"Flight attendants get equally if not more annoyed when flights are delayed. A lot are paid only for the 'flight time' - meaning they aren't paid to sit at the airport to wait....or even to greet customers during onboarding...."
"For that reason alone, the longer the flight the better. Imagine working on a short route where your actual work is 3-4h but you're paid for 55 minutes as that was the duration of the flight."
– psotnica
We Interrupt This Program Because You're A D*ck
"I used to be a flight attendant and when someone was really rude I’d just go to the computer we had to reset the inflight tv screens and I’d keep resetting theirs sporadically so that they couldn’t watch their movie. Very petty of me I know."
– Fluffy-Departure
Kindness Matters
"Not a secret - but if you’re nice you can get quite a bunch of stuff for free."
"Example - I was on a flight home (American Airlines) and there was a baby behind us that was just nooooottt having it. Pretty much cried all the way from Phoenix to Chicago. I felt awful."
"I was in the aisle, and saw that both the parents were taking turns walking around with the baby. So I asked them if they wanted something drink or a snack…I figured even the human interaction would be nice."
"I ordered them something and just went back to my movie. A few minutes later - I got a tap on the shoulder and got a little 'goodie bag' with some treats, and drinks and a little voucher for 24 hour** access to the AA lounge."
"Be nice people - it pays off!"
– Onederbat67
Letting Loose
"My roommate’s a flight attendant and she says the flight crew (including pilots) often stays at the same hotel and parties together, and that the pilots often sleep with flight attendants regardless of marital status. Idk if that counts as a secret of the industry, but she says it is."
– asitype1
It's Not Always Rosy
"I used to work as a flight attendant and I've seen a lot of stupid and crazy shit. The alcoholism, drug abuse and depression is common in the domain. It's hard for a lot of people to live a superficial life. It's fun at first to see new places and new destinations. But at some point rome or new delhi is just another place at work. Sound downing but I've seen a lot people complain about this and me as well."
– ChemicalSet2716
Here are examples of unofficial procedures in place.
Securing The Loot
"A friend of mine who works for Emirates told me this little gem. Whenever they fly into Saudi Arabia, Emirates makes the flight attendants lock the entire galley including all the food, water and drinks, all the napkins and cutlery too. This is beacuse in the past, Saudi Arabian authorities would come on board and literally take anything they want and walk out. And there was nothing the airline or staff could do."
– REAIMY
The Favored Nation
"Back pre-911 I was traveling globally for the military (not American. Canadian and Brit)."
"Whenever I stopped in at a major Canadian airport I would grab a mess of Air Canada luggage tags."
"Alot of my American contemporaries would ask for them when flying commercial to put on their luggage, especially when flying through the Middle East and Africa."
"The American luggage was targeted for abuser, theft, etc"
"They never touched Canadian bags."
– MyNameIsAjax
Ground Crew Benefit
"I worked for the ground crew at a private airport. Flights from other countries have to throw away all uneaten food right off the plane, as it is International Waste, and needs to be incinerated."
"Additionally, if flights for private planes are delayed, their food that was standing by has to go somewhere... So they gave it to us. So tasty."
– Onlyhereforthelaughs
And when things go wrong, it's discreetly swept under the rug.
The Cover-Up
"I once overheard a phone call at the gate check-in. A flight attendant was hungover, slept-in and was going to be pretty late."
"A minute later, the person at the kiosk made an announcement about how some pre-flight maintenance was going to delay the flight."
"I was thinking like, 'you lying sonofab*tch'. Lol"
– TheDjTanner
We Love Connie
"Ah, yes, maintenance. 'Crew delays' is a very dirty word that can result in a sh*t show with perks. I had crew delays once. Each time I needed something, I'd go to the desk and be like 'my flight was delayed, I need a new flight/food/ hotel/upgrade'. The staff was usually pretty over it until the words 'crew delays' were spoken and I'd drop the fat stack of misery (all my changed/canceled tickets and receipts) then all would be resolved."
"There was one lady at the united desk in Charlotte that was A-friggin'-mazing. I believe her name was Connie. You're my girl, I'm so grateful for your help and attitude, and still think about you 8 years later. You were the bright spot in a steaming mountain of sh*t that should have been the best vacation ever."
"United doesn't just break guitars..."
– pilotpanda
The Novelty Wears Off
"I used to work as a flight attendant and I've seen a lot of stupid and crazy sh*t. The alcoholism, drug abuse and depression is common in the domain. It's hard for a lot of people to live a superficial life. It's fun at first to see new places and new destinations. But at some point rome or new delhi is just another place at work. Sound downing but I've seen a lot people complain about this and me as well."
– ChemicalSet2716
They Know What You're Doing In There
"The toilets are near where we sit, and no matter how hard you try to cover the fact that you’re taking a dump. It makes a different noise than if you just go number 1."
"No matter what stupid thing you see or read about getting a 'free upgrade' 99% of the time it’s all bollocks."
– FlyFeetFiddlesticks
Morgue In The Sky
"Used to work for a UK airline (non crew)."
"It was normal for passengers that died onboard to be kept in their seats until landing. They would be wrapped in blankets and propped up to look like they were sleeping to not freak out other passengers."
– gjs78
Mind Thy Tray
"Not a flight attendant, but used to be a supervisor for a major US carrier. We had an employee whose child had a science project about germs. She brought her kid in on an overnighted aircraft and they took samples from all over. The galley, lavoratories, seats, tray tables, just about everywhere. The area with the most amount of fecal matter was the tray tables. Yep. I also never drink anything that is never sealed because I have witnessed cleaners who clean the lavoratories then jump to the galley without changing gloves."
– cardsfan4life17
Monitoring A Certain Demographic
"I buddy of mine has been a pilot for the better part of 30 years and says that back 15-20 years ago the Russian/Soviet pilots and crew had to been watched like hawks (sometimes even being locked in a room) because there was a high chance of them getting absolutely shit faced before when they were supposed to fly."
– richard-777
What's The Most Unsanitary Part Inside A Plane?
"The Galley!"
"Not a Flight Attendant but exEngineer and trust me, if the aircraft galley were inspected like any other food business it would be condemned within the first trolley!"
"That’s excluding the dirty water tanks and cleaning crew using one rag from ceiling lights to floor trim."
"If you ask anyone who maintains aircraft, you bet they’re buy their meal at the airport."
– WoodEngineering
While the last example fit the description of a dirty secret in the industry, the thread served as a general reminder to be nice to flight attendants.
They don't enforce rules not because they're on a power trip, and any traveler who thinks otherwise should be reminded that certain protocols are designed with safety in mind.
Otherwise, you might find your onboard entertainment suddenly being disconnected for no apparent reason.
Cheers!
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For awhile I was thinking about becoming a flight attendant. You get to travel and constantly meet new people/and right there, new people, and I was done with that thought. People are crazy, especially now.
When on Qantas...
harry potter GIFGiphy"A Qantas flight attendant, who moonlighted as a sex worker at a high-end Sydney brothel, had sex with Ralph Fiennes (Voldermort) on an international flight and then bragged to everyone about it. The press got wind of it and made all the papers and nightly news. She was sacked from Qantas, but not the brothel."
"Fish"
"Relaying a story for a flight attendant friend of mine:"
"We see all sorts of stuff, typical customer service nonsense. I have plenty of stories of people thinking they're being subtle about touching themselves when everyone around knows what's happening. For me, though, the strangest one is when the gate supervisor came up the jetbridge and paged a passenger. The passenger hit his FA call button and we let him come up to the main door. The gate supervisor asked the passenger to describe his suitcase. Then the supervisor asked him what he had in his suitcase."
"Fish."
"Apparently, this guy had packed a bunch of fish he caught into his suitcase. He managed to get it through check-in and even through the TSA screen, but after being bumped and tossed in handling, by the time it got to the plane it was wet and smelly and the baggage loaders refused to put it on the plane (thank God)."
"The gate supervisor had to explain to this guy that everyone is going to be much happier if he gets off the plane and retrieves his suitcase, and even offered him rebooking and a voucher if he would come back without the fish. He deplaned and that's the last I heard of it."
The Diddlers...
"On Christmas Day we were working the last flight of the night and it was completely full. Every seat. There was a couple in the last row window and aisle seat. He proceeds to diddle her under their coats. We notice but don't make an issue out of it. Well when she's satisfied she proceeded to return the favor for him."
"Once again we notice but don't want to make a big deal out of it. When we land they were the very last two off the airplane and the grizzly senior lady I'm flying with calls out to them as they were about half way down the aisle. "Just so you know… that's crap you pulled doesn't put you in the mile high club… that doesn't count. Merry Christmas."
"They just turned beat red and scampered off the airplane as fast as they could. I looked at her like she was crazy, sure we were about to get fired. She winked at me and said what are they going to do? Write a letter to the company that we called them out for diddling each other on the airplane? We will be fine now come on kid let's go get a Christmas cocktail."
When unwell...
"I did a flight on New Year's Day a fair few years ago. A older gentleman passed out and his wife thought he had died. The other crew all went to assist and there was a doctor onboard luckily. We had to stop the food service while the gentleman was stabilized which took ages. Once he was stable we tried the food service again. However just as we were getting the trolly from the back galley a woman dramatically collapsed in front of it so we had to deal with her."
"We get her stable and back in her seat and then go for the trolly only for her to come back and collapse again in front of the trolly. It was news years day so this woman had partied too hard the night before and was why she felt sick. A crew member from the front comes down and says they had to stop the food service as well because a kid had thrown up all over the front galley and the toilet."
"We also had a parent who kept letting their child press the call bell for fun. I had to explain twice that it was not a toy and to stop lifting your child up to press the button. The paramedics came and the guy was taken to hospital but not before his wife said that the same thing happened on their flight out. Moral of this story is don't fly if you are very unwell and don't fly hungover."
Air baby
episode 17 friends GIFGiphy"Cousin is a FA. Had a VERY pregnant woman who was en route to deliver at a different hospital in the last 2 weeks of her pregnancy. Unfortunately, her baby wasn't waiting."
"Halfway through the trip, she starts going into labor. They move first class back one row (wasn't full) so they had room. Luckily, the flight had a shock trauma cardiothoracic surgeon and a Navy corpsman on board. She didn't know she was having twins (thought they were obligated to tell you?). One didn't make it. I'm guessing that's why she went into labor."
- tidytibs
That's a whole lot of drama for a few trips in the clouds. And what is the deal with doing it on a plane? Lord, take a deep breath and wait until your destination. Nasty.
Bless You...
britney spears phone GIFGiphy"The nicest flight attendant I ever had was the one that put in my grandpa's eyedrops so my grandma didn't have to. Thank you, JetBlue!"
Back in the Day
"My mom used to be a flight attendant in the '80s and '90s. The things she remembers most are 1) how frequently flights used have to make emergency landings for passengers who had anaphylactic reactions from people eating peanuts or seafood near them."
"2) the time she was put in charge of an unaccompanied minor and ended up having to spend 4 days with the child in a crew hotel, because the child got kicked off the plane for refusing to stop painting her nails and making the cabin stink of fumes."
Just Do It
"Former flight attendant here. Funniest story always is people who are joining the mile high club. You are absolutely allowed to have sex in a lavatory and we won't stop you. People slinking out of the bathroom with crap eating grins and red faces was always hilarious."
Ice Ice Baby...
"My aunt used to be a flight attendant for the airline that is now United. Anyway, she went through CPR training and the basics of helping someone via first aid in case of emergency. On one flight, a baby was choking on an ice cube and she got the cube out of its throat and saved the babies life. So the way she saved the baby putting the baby into her arm (baby facing down) and with her other arm she firmly hit the babies back and the force of the hit ejected the ice cube from the baby's throat."
Seriously?
New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULUGiphy"Man urinated on fellow passenger for not letting him smoke."
Humanity has gone mad; between urinating smokers and people who have to be duct taped to seats, chaos reigns. Thank you sky warriors. You have my gratitude. God speed and good journey!!!
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