Pilots and Flight Attendants Reveal 11 Secrets Everyone Needs to Know About Flying

Flying can be a huge part of life. It’s a way to get away, to visit family, to take those business trips we all love so much. But flying can also be a very stressful part of life – there’s a million annoying and tiring parts about flying that can make the whole experience a drag or sometimes even frightening. And who knows more about those annoying tidbits (and hacks to avoid them!) than the people who live their life in the sky: pilots and flight attendants. Take a tip from these professionals and learn some helpful hacks and interesting facts for the next time you fly.

  1. Pilots Are Served Different Meals

    If there are two pilots on the flight, food poisoning is a big fear, for obvious reasons. To keep at least one pilot healthy, the pilots are served two different meals and are not allowed to share. This way, if one meal is bad, at least one pilot will be able to fly. Smart thinking.

  2. Consider Tipping the Flight Attendants

    The word “bribing” is kind of strong. I’d prefer…letting the flight attendants know you care! Attendants have stated that they never get tips or gifts, so if they were to get saaay a $20 bill or a box of chocolates, you will be treated like royalty.

  3. Add More Arm Room

    This is a great hack for a window seat passenger. On the underside of the armrest, you’ll feel a button right by the joint of the arm. Push it, lift it up and you’ll instantly have more room to lounge about!

  4. Planes Don’t Need Two Engines

    It’s been proven that most large commercial air crafts don’t actually need two engines to fly. Whether it’s comforting or terrifying, one engine will work just as well.

  5. Pilots Need Sleep, Too

    It sounds scary, but it’s true. Half of all pilots admit to taking a nap while flying. Don’t panic: this is what a co-pilot is for.

  6. Opt For Bottled Water

    Think twice about asking for a glass of water, coffee or tea on your flight. Flight attendants have reported that most of the flight’s water comes from a (usually older) holding tank…that means the water is not super clean. Ask for bottled water.

  7. Your Checked Bags Aren’t Always Handled Well

    Baggage handlers have to fit freight and 100+ bags into a cargo pit…needless to say, they’re going to make it fit however they can, no matter how fragile they are. Try your best to avoid bringing delicate objects on board and a “I Love Baggage Handlers” tag never hurt anyone.

  8. Bring Hand Sanitizer

    Planes. Are. Dirty. Your trays especially are covered in germs. So please, do not put your food on your trays. And don’t slack on the hand sanitizer.

  9. Something Will Always Be Broken on the Plane

    Planes are big machines, which means the odds are that something will be broken. Luckily, all the bigger parts of the planes have two or three spares on board, little do passengers know. Generally, the things that are broken on a day-to-day basis are more like reading light, coffee makers ect.

  10. The Truth About Oxygen Masks

    As it turns out, you only have about 15 minutes worth of oxygen per mask. However, that is plenty of time for the pilot to get the plane to a lower altitude. It’s also good to know that you have about 20 seconds before you pass out in a high enough altitude – that’s why you should put your mask on first and then your child’s mask.

  11. The Lights Are Purposefully Dimmed

    The reason the lights are dimmed before landing a nighttime flight is in case you need to evacuate the plane. Just in case you do have to get off the flight quickly, the dimmed lights will have helped your eyes adjust to the darkness so you can move quickly.

 

Do you know any little-known flying facts or hacks? Share them in the comments section below!

Thanks to Next Shark for the info!