Flying sucks. This we know. Unless you can afford first class tickets that is, but even then it still kind of sucks.
That being said, once you learn some of these secrets confessed by real flight attendants about what is really going on in the plane you may somehow think it’s even worse. Seriously.
Anya Mary shared these secrets, which are going to be the least of your concerns by the time you’re done reading…
One of the things, that flight attendants won’t tell you, is that morning flights are better because the air is less bumpy. Obviously, the airline wants you to book at any time of the day. There is also less chance to hit thunderstorm, as these tend to happen mostly in the afternoon. So set your alarm clock early!
Another things is that landing in the rain can be bumpier, because the plane needs to touch the runway hard to avoid aquaplaning. So next time have a rough landing, keep in mind, that although pilots are usually judged by their landing skills, hard landing is necessary and a correct, safe way to land the machine.
For some reason, a lot of people are afraid of the lightning. Did you know, that planes get struck all the time? So no need to worry. The engineers have taken care of the construction to withstand the stress.
Ishrat Parveen starts to take things to the next level…
You get served frozen food which is kept for up to 72 hours.
The most unhygienic thing in the aircraft is your seat belt then the tray tables.
In case of a delay You’ll never make your connection unless it’s with the same airline.
There are ash trays on the lav doors beside the no smoking sign, for those passengers who are adamant and still decide to smoke so that they won’t just trash the lit cigarette in the bin which could lead to a fire.
If you have air sickness , taking a medicine in flight will never help you . Although we still give them because apparently reassurance is the last thing one would want when they’re throwing up throughout the flight.
And now Amar Rama really brings it home with some things we probably would have been better off not knowing…
Most accidents happen during take off and landing. This is why we do a cabin walk through to make sure everyone has their seat belts fastened, tray tables put away, and their seats in the original upright position. Passengers always give me the angry eye when I have to wake them up because their seat is reclined and they are still sleeping and we are about to land.
Turbulence itself can’t hurt the aircraft. No that crazy turbulence isn’t going to make us crash, however if you are walking around or without your seat belt fastened you could be seriously injured or injure someone else. Sometimes we could hit an air pocket unexpectedly and this could send someone crashing into the ceiling or landing back down hard and breaking bones. I’ve had many coworkers who have had injuries as a result of turbulence. I have been fortunate to only have had bruising as a result of hitting turbulence and being thrown against a door handle. So when we tell you to buckle up, it’s really for your own safety and the safety of others so you don’t land on them. Also, if it’s too bumpy for you to walk around, it’s most likely too bumpy for us to walk around. So please don’t press that call button for something that can wait until the ride is more smooth.
The aircraft is filthy. I’ve never seen our ground cleaning crew spend more than 3 minutes on a lavatory and maybe 5 minutes for the rest of the aircraft. They are constantly rushed to get off the plane so boarding can begin. The planes are usually only on the ground for the short period of time before the next set of passengers are boarded. So in between flights, its mainly just surface clean. Yes, people do put their feet and dirty diapers on the tray tables.
It baffles me that people try to hand me trash during food or beverage service. I personally refuse to put trash with other’s food and it’s just unsanitary to be touching trash and food at the same time.
Airplane potable water is gross. You will most likely never catch us drinking anything that requires hot water (coffee, tea etc).
So there you have it. The planes are filthy and the water is undrinkable. Oh yeah, and all that other stuff about turbulence and crashing and whatnot.
Happy traveling!
H/T Quora; Flight attendant image: withGod / Shutterstock.com