While flying in an airplane, have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the flight attendants and the people working on the plane? There are actually so many things that go on behind the workings of a flight that has probably never crossed your mind. This flight attendant was someone who actually went against protocol, revealing the secrets about flights that would probably stun you. If you are curious by nature, we suggest you take a look at what she had to say...
Do you trust your pilots with your lives? well, when we are carefree and reassured that our pilots are awake, alert, and on the job, you might be surprised to learn the actual truth. So when we entrust them with our lives, there is something that Jack Stephans ended up confessed: “The hotels they put us in now are so bad that there are many nights when I toss and turn."
He revealed that some nights get very rough and that they barely get enough sleep. He complains about the hotels that they are kept in, revealing that. "They’re in bad neighborhoods, they’re loud, they’ve got bedbugs, and there have been stabbings in the parking lot.” Obviously, these are not places where one could get a sound sleep, especially after knowing about all the things that have occurred.
There have been so many changes regarding how air travel is executed. It is certainly not what it used to be. The priorities that have been placed have varied if you compare to what was held important in the past. There is one good example that shows what is considered important these days. The only thing that matters now is not the fact that passengers actually making it on the plane...
This has been explained by a pilot who claims, “The Department of Transportation has put such an emphasis on on-time performance that we pretty much aren’t allowed to delay a flight anymore, even if there are 20 people on a connecting flight that’s coming in just a little late.” Since the only thing help important is punctuality these days, you better make sure you are always on time.
This is certainly one fact that could potentially make you reconsider ever getting on a plane. Also, being struck by lightning is not necessarily a once in a lifetime happening. One American airline pilot actually admitted in an interview that he himself has been “Struck by lightning twice. Most pilots have. Airplanes are built to take it." From what he reveals, he seems to be unaffected by it...
He further explained his experience, "You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that’s it. You’re not going to fall out of the sky.” There is a notion that every plane gets struck by lightning at least once a year. So you have to make sure that the plane you are traveling in does not get unlucky while you are on board. We sincerely hope that this does not frighten you too much...
If you thought holding your baby on your lap while boarding a flight is safe, we seriously suggest that you reconsider this. There is actually so much potential danger that you are putting your baby in. And although airline regulations allow babies till the age of two years old to sit on their parents’ laps, a majority of the pilots agree that this is generally not safe. Why so?
So holding a baby in your lap is similar to holding your laptops. Your babies are in danger of flying straight up into the air if in case your plane hits dangerous conditions like turbulence, updraft, impact, or deceleration. So it is advised that you do not risk it and to quickly get your baby strapped in! You certainly would not want anything of this incident to happen to you, right?
Like we just mentioned, it is fairly common in the airline industry to use polite euphemisms to do away with bad situations. Even in the case of zero visibility, you will always get a reassuring response. They would most likely tell you that “It’s a bit foggy out there.” So next time you hear this, we assure you that things are not always as they seem to be, meaning they could be for the worse...
This can be proven by what they call “water landings.” Actually, it only occurs when the pilot decides it is the last chance for survival. Then he would crash land the plane into the water like we have seen Sully Sullenberger with Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. One pilot has confirmed the truth behind these water landings: “It’s called crashing into the ocean.”
While traveling, be it, on the road or in the air, we want to stay in the most comfortable position possible. We all know that there is a trick for where to sit for the ride to be smooth, there’s a secret trick to sitting in the spot with the best temperature while traveling on a plane. So if at any point you have traveled and you are not satisfied with the temperature, let us tell you what to do...
A tech pilot at a regional Texas airline has explained what to do when these situations arise, “The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back. So if you’re really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can. Planes are generally warmest in the back.” So there you have it, in case you feel chilling in your plane ride.
We must have all been a little annoyed at the flight attendant who tells us that we can’t use our cell phones during the flight. How can a small gadget cause a big plane any issue? But if you ask experts the will tell you that yes, it could affect the whole working of a plan. Even in 2018, there is a good reason why this policy is still followed by all airlines.
You would be surprised to learn that calls can hamper the signals received by the pilots. So, since precise calculations and estimations are required, it could turn dangerous. A retired American Airlines pilot Jim Tilmon explained, “Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we really are.”
This might be the biggest and most shocking secret ever! Another pilot has revealed something surprising about airlines, “You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the curb, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you’re really on a regional airline." So you should not be too sure of yourself while traveling on a plane...
He even went on to reveal something truly bizarre about flying, "The regionals aren’t held to the same safety standards as the majors: Their pilots aren’t required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn’t know that.” So the next time you are flying on a plane, keep this in mind but remember not to freak out because there is nothing you can actually do about it...
Yes, in all seriousness, you just read that correctly. Someone from the Atlanta-based AirTrans Airways captain revealed a fact that would be sensible to frequent flyers, “No, it’s not your imagination: Airlines really have adjusted their flight arrival times so they can have a better record of on-time arrivals." So the next time you assume that flights are accurate, think again.
This is what he says to explain what he means by his statement, "So they might say a flight takes two hours when it really takes an hour and 45 minutes.” You can see that in most rankings of airlines, whether or not a flight arrives on time is of the utmost importance. They do not always have the precise predictions or calculations so you would give them credit.
Flight attendants are way more than just airborne waiters. We need to give them more credit than they actually get. They are highly trained professionals that have been groomed to handle every potential situation, good or bad while flying in the air. A Turkish airlines flight crew actually helped in delivering a premature baby 40,000 feet in the air a few months back.
Another common question is when to actually worry when the pilot makes an announcement? Allow us to clarify this doubt. So, if ever the pilot tells the flight attendants to take their seats, take this as a clear sign that there is some seriously bumpy road ahead. So if any point this announcement happens, you should be sitting down and start buckling yourself.
A pilot may be thoroughly skilled but a rough turbulence will always be enough to send a passenger into panic mode. So what would be the most ideal timing to book a flight? Well, morning time is the smoothest time to fly. Jerry Johnson, a pilot from Los Angeles explains why this is so, “The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it’s much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon.”
It gets irritating during the pre-landing check, when you are asked to move your window shade from down to up. Have you ever thought of the reason why this is done just before the landing? The principle behind it is actually a very sinister one if you actually think about it. In case a crash or emergency landing happens, the flight attendants must be able to see from the windows. Accidents usually take place during takeoff and landing.
Turbulence that happens due to air pockets while flying over regions like mountain ranges, cannot be controlled by the pilots. Hence, a rough flight does not necessarily mean that the pilot in charge is bad at his job. He is not in charge of the weather so you cannot put the blame on him. However, the way a pilot lands is how one can judge his expertise. You should always compliment a pilot based on his landing.
Even though turbulence takes over the whole entire plane, there are regions where the rocking is actually lesser. So if you feel you are a nervous flyer, we advise you to always book your seat over or near the wing. Pilot Patrick Smith, who is the author of 'Cockpit Confidential', has confirmed: “The bumpiest place to sit is in the back. A plane is like a seesaw. If you’re in the middle, you don’t move as much.”
Do you want to know the real reason why laptops should be kept away during a takeoff and landing? “We don’t make you stow your laptop because we’re worried about electronic interference. It’s about having a projectile on your lap. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get hit in the head by a MacBook going 200 miles per hour,” reveals airline pilot Patrick Smith.
Jack Stephan, a US Airways captain, has something to say about the FAA rules. He claims, “Like the fact that when we’re at 39,000 feet going 400 miles an hour, in a plane that could hit turbulence at any minute, (flight attendants) can walk around and serve hot coffee and Chateaubriand. But when we’re on the ground on a flat piece of asphalt going five to ten miles an hour, they’ve got to be buckled in like they’re at NASCAR.”
You might be surprised because updrafts are actually what you should worry about. “A plane flies into a massive updraft, which you can’t see on the radar at night, and it’s like hitting a giant speed bump at 500 miles an hour. It throws everything up in the air and then down very violently. That’s not the same as turbulence, which bounces everyone around for a while,” explains John Nance, who is an aviation safety analyst, and retired airline captain.
We all know that the cost-cutting measures have been implemented at every turn. This could actually even compromise safety. A pilot has gone on to reveal this, “Airlines are always looking at the bottom line, and you burn fuel carrying fuel. Sometimes if you carry just enough fuel and you hit thunderstorms or delays, then suddenly you’re running out of gas and you have to go to an alternate airport."
Pilots are aware that confirming that a situation is bad could lead to panic among the passengers. So pilots often use codewords to avoid the passengers' knowledge and inform the flight attendants. One good example would be that in place of saying, “one engine has just failed,” pilots would switch it to, “One of our engines is indicating improperly.” This would definitely keep the passengers from getting too worked up.
It turns out, cockpit cat naps are quite common. Moreover, the airlines are not against it as one would assume! Los Angeles based former airline captain and current airline accident lawyer John Greaves has spoken about this and explained, “Do pilots sleep in (the cockpit)? Definitely. Sometimes it’s just a ten-minute catnap, but it happens.” It certainly sounds better for a pilot to take a quick power nap instead of barely being awake...
A uniform usually exudes competence. You might think that it is a good idea to ask for directions when you spot a pilot in uniform. Let us tell you that this is actually a bad idea. A pilot who works in Charlotte, North Carolina, reveals, “I may be in uniform, but that doesn’t mean I’m the best person to ask for directions in the airport. We’re in so many airports that we usually have no idea.”
There are a certain jargon and lingo that only industry insiders know. Pilots are known to have somewhat of a secret language that only he and his crew would understant. Examples would be, Blue juice = the water in the bathroom toilet, as in “No blue juice in the lav [lavatory].” Kids are often called crumb crunchers where they would often say, “The flight to Anaheim [near Disneyland] is packed with crumb crunchers.”
While flying, most people dress comfortably and not necessarily stylishly. We usually see people wearing sweatpants and flip flops too. But pilot Joe D’Eon had suggested that putting on a pair of sneakers while traveling is the best option. He recommends, “I always tell my kids to travel in sturdy shoes. If you have to evacuate and your flip-flops fall off, there you are standing on the hot tarmac or in the weeds in your bare feet.”
You might assume that the chilly weather in planes to be the norm, but this is actually not the case. The pilot actually takes charge of the air conditioning. A pilot has revealed, “Cold on the airplane? Tell your flight attendant. We’re in a constant battle with them over the temperature. They’re moving all the time, up and down the aisles, so they are always calling and saying, ‘Turn up the air.’ But most passengers I know are freezing.”
The best perk that coming along with working for airlines would definitely have to be the free tickets. Time has definitely changed this. A pilot from South Carolina explains, “I give them only to my enemies now. Sure, you can get a $1,000 airfare to Seattle for $100. But since you have to fly standby, it will take you three months to get back because you can’t get a seat.” It does not sound inviting at all right?
We mostly associate the word “autopilot” with the pilot relieving himself from the duties that bar him during the flight. However, a pilot has clarified that an “autopilot” is not what he had been lead to believe. “People tend to think the airplane is just flying itself. Trust me, that’s not true. It can fly by itself sometimes. But you’ve always got your hands on the controls waiting for it to mess up. And it does mess up,” he revealed.
Pilots are definitely not 100% investing their attention on flying the plane. They have to keep in mind what goes on in the cabin as well. Whether or not it is for security measures is clarified by this pilot, “We’re not sitting in the cockpit listening to the ball game…But when I fly to Pittsburgh on a Sunday afternoon, the passengers send the flight attendants up at least ten times to ask us the Steelers score.”
The treatment of pilots in flights have gone from bad to worse in recent times. They are usually very exhausted while flying and would take cat naps in the air. There is yet another reason why you should feel bad for them. Pilots are starving! A pilot of a regional carrier confessed, “Sometimes the airline won’t give us lunch breaks or even time to eat. We have to delay flights just so we can get food.”
Look at this man who actually covered himself with a plastic bag to ward off any germ that he could potentially be exposed to. Even though this may be an extreme effort, we must not forget that some people do get sick after flights. A pilot was quoted saying, “Always assume that the tray table and the button to push the seat back have not been wiped down, though we do wipe down the lavatory.”
Even though there are a ton of people who fear flying, the truth of the matter is that many people are prone to serious accident, injury, or death while traveling on the road. Pilot Jack Stephan can back this up and explains, “People always ask, “What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?” I tell them it was a van ride from the Los Angeles airport to the hotel, and I’m not kidding.”