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Flight attendant reveals bizarre secrets passengers should know
While many of us like to think we know quite a bit about travel and flying, it seems there are still plenty of bizarre things passengers have no idea about.
A flight attendant has lifted the lid on some of the secrets of the trade, and fair warning here, some of them are pretty out there.
A Reddit thread asked the question “Flight attendants, what are some disturbing secrets that passengers should know?”
And in less than 24 hours the thread has already received over 1300 comments.
One respondent going by the username HausOfDarling described themselves as a long-haul flight attendant for six years and said they had worked short- and long-distance trips, from economy right through to first class.
The crew member went on to reveal a host of bizarre things that many passengers probably have no idea about – including, for example did you know that medical kits have Viagra on board?
“For long haul, there are basic kits that certified doctors can use on board,” the user wrote. “These include stents, catheters, viagra, adrenaline, IV kits and devices that will literally be shoved down your throat if you're not breathing.”
“I'm not a doctor and have never seen the viagra used on board before, but the general consensus is it’s for hypertension, altitude sickness and wanting to join the mile-high club.”
The attendant also stressed that you should ‘never, ever, ever, EVER’ use the seat pocket or put anything inside of it.
“They are cleared of rubbish but are never 'cleaned',” he said.
“I have pulled out and seen all sorts of things being pulled out from there. Dirty tissues, sick bags, knickers, socks, people’s feet (rest in the pocket), gum, half sucked sweets, apple cores... and then next flight you go and put your phone/laptop/iPad in there.”
The worker also revealed that crew carry a crash axe on board and all team members are trained in self-defence.
“We are trained to defend the flight deck at all costs - how to deal with threats, verbal and physical, bomb threats, suspicious articles, dangerous goods, hijackers and other terrorist acts. We have handcuffs on board and will use them if you need to be restrained.”
When it comes to passenger safety, the flight attendant also has a few things to say about passengers flouting the rules.
“I have seen a passenger crack a vertebra for disobeying our instructions to remain seated before hitting clear air turbulence,” he revealed.
He also said that in the event of an emergency, the pilot’s priority is not the passengers, but rather getting the aircraft to the ground safely and quickly.
Apparently sitting as close to an exit door as possible is also crucial should an emergency occur.
“Take-off and landing is the most dangerous time of flight,” the crew member wrote.
“Try and sit as close to the door as possible. It's pretty obvious but they've done studies where your chance of survival dramatically decreases with every row you're away from the door.”
And if you’ve ever wondered about some of the strange things that might be travelling in the cargo hold of your plane, well he’s lifted the lid on that as well.
“There is more often than not a lot of horrific things in the cargo. Air travel is the quickest way to transport something from A to B,” he wrote.
“Usually the only people who know are the flight deck (pilots) and the Manager/Senior Crew member. Dead bodies, organs, blood are obvious ones but we also carry everything right up to Formula One car parts, exotic animals, marble tables and oversized televisions.”
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