20+ secrets and stories of flight attendants that will not be told to ordinary passengers
Passengers may not even guess what is happening on board the aircraft during flights, or after the flight — after all, air transportation employees have their own secrets, and sometimes not very pleasant. We will learn some interesting stories and facts from the employees of the aviation sector, which some of them shared on the Reddit forums.
"I work as a flight attendant. Sometimes, when a passenger makes me very angry, I start to reset the screen that is on the back of the seat in front of him on purpose. So he won't be able to watch the movie properly. Here are such entertainments"
"My friend works as a flight attendant at Emirates. Every time they fly to Saudi Arabia, the crew closes all the lockers with food, water and supplies. In the past, representatives of the authorities of Arabia could come in and take whatever they wanted"
"If you give the crew a box of chocolates, they will give you free sweets and even beer. My friend has been a flight attendant for about 20 years, and told me about it. It doesn't work everywhere, of course"
"One day I accidentally overheard a conversation at the registration. One of the flight attendants of my flight was very late, as he was after a party. Almost at the same time, they announced a flight delay due to technical reasons. These may be the reasons"
"The dirtiest place on the plane is folding tables. During the inspections, the most microbes were found there"
"I worked in the ground handling of a private airport. Usually all uneaten food was thrown out after flights. But if the flight was delayed for several hours, and the food was already ready for it, it also had to be put somewhere. And it was given to us...."
"I worked for a British airline. According to the rules, passengers who died during the flight had to be left in their seats before landing. They had to be covered with a blanket and pretend that they were sleeping — "so as not to frighten other passengers"
"Most of the time pilots are sitting on their phones or reading"
"Once I helped a couple calm down a child who was crying on board. For this, the flight attendant gave me a whole set with free snacks, and even a certificate for free stay in the airport lounge area"
"Flight attendants are also sad when flights are delayed. In some airlines, they are paid only for the flight time, and no one pays extra for waiting hours"
"The crew changes the emergency code words every few months. If a crew member uses this word in a telephone conversation with the pilot, it means danger on board. The pilot will lock the cockpit and will not open the door again"
"I work for an airline. I know that sometimes the aircraft maintenance staff can wipe the floor, lamps, and seats with one rag. If you ask anyone who serves planes, I bet they don't eat airplane food."
"Our airline has a fixed limit on flight hours for flight attendants. Every minute is valuable. At the same time, 12 hours of rest between shifts are mandatory"
"I worked as a flight attendant. A lot of people hate flying, and I can see that. Even us flight attendants. At first it's nice to see new places and new destinations, but at some point Rome or New Delhi is just another workplace, and nothing more"
"I worked for a Latin American airline. Some pilots abused their position and made obscene offers to flight attendants. I was shocked when a 40-year-old pilot invited me, a 19-year-old girl, to hang out during the next stop."
"In fact, planes are very dirty. Some services do not wash the floor and chairs at all"
"I am always scared by the fact how many malfunctions are allowed in airplanes. Even with a certain set of malfunctions, they can still be legally used for flights"
"Maybe it's not a secret, but the flight attendants have a list with the full names and place of each passenger"
"Pilots and flight attendants are paid only when the plane door is closed. That is, the countdown of the clock begins exactly from the moment the door closes and until the end of the flight. Such a system is used in many companies"
"The work of a flight attendant is sometimes never romantic. One of my fellow flight attendants was once spat at and cursed by a passenger, and the company and the police did absolutely nothing about it."
"It has been proven more than once that South African Airways flight attendants stole money and things from passengers' bags"
"Sex on a plane is not such a common thing. We always notice when this happens, but apparently the toilet is too small for this"
"My stewardess friend told me that the crew often stays at the same hotel and throws parties. Pilots often sleep with flight attendants, regardless of marital status. Maybe it's not a secret anymore, but part of reality"
"If you are given a headset in a package, it does not mean that it is brand new. After use, they are cleaned and packed again"