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Flight attendants have seen it all. And I'm not just talking about traveling the world. This also applies to all the (unforeseen) scenarios they go through on the job.
So the next time these folks kindly tell you to return your seat to its upright position, just hit that button instead of giving them a hard time about it. Believe me, there's a reason to what they do and say. Even if you're not immediately aware of it.
Interested in taking a sneak peek at the inner workings of the airline industry, Reddit user bobbylink21 made a post on that platform, asking: "Flight attendants, what's the dirty little secrets of your industry?"
As the comment section grew, we picked the most interesting answers and found a few additional "submissions" from elsewhere on the internet. We then put everything together and ended up with this list that, I think, you'll be quite interested to see. Enjoy!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I used to be a flight attendant and when someone was really rude I’d just go to the computer we had to reset the inflight tv screens and I’d keep resetting theirs sporadically so that they couldn’t watch their movie. Very petty of me I know.
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#2
Not a secret - but if you’re nice you can get quite a bunch of stuff for free.
Example - I was on a flight home (American Airlines) and there was a baby behind us that was just nooooottt having it. Pretty much cried all the way from Phoenix to Chicago. I felt awful.
I was in the aisle, and saw that both the parents were taking turns walking around with the baby. So I asked them if they wanted something drink or a snack…I figured even the human interaction would be nice.
I ordered them something and just went back to my movie. A few minutes later - I got a tap on the shoulder and got a little 'goodie bag' with some treats, and drinks and a little voucher for 24 hour** access to the AA lounge.
Be nice people - it pays off!
#3
We won't hesitate to tape you to the seat if the situation demands it.
#4
Back pre-911 I was traveling globally for the military (not American. Canadian and Brit).
Whenever I stopped in at a major Canadian airport I would grab a mess of Air Canada luggage tags.
Alot of my American contemporaries would ask for them when flying commercial to put on their luggage, especially when flying through the Middle East and Africa.
The American luggage was targeted for abuser, theft, etc
They never touched Canadian bags.
Mike Crow 2 years ago
Im a Canadian and was travelling through the UK on vacation. Met an American woman on a bus and she saw my patch and then asked what part of the USA I was from.
Sa Ruuu 2 years ago (edited)
Ironic given how they treated and continue to treat the indigenous people. Edit: you can downvote me, doesn't make me any less wrong
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karen snyder 2 years ago
This idiotic myth has been perpetuated by Canadians since, at least, the 80s. Here's the reality: criminals look for easy targets. There has never been a pick-pocket out there that figured, "I'm gonna steal this laptop, oh wait, this person is Canadian, I better put it back since Canadians are so great." To believe that someone at an airline or hotel will "abuse" your American luggage while traveling internationally, is a negative assumption of people in those industries that is just not true. Yet, for 30 years of world traveling, Canadians have been telling me to pretend to be Canadian abroad as if it's the secret to blissful travel. Y'all get your stuff stolen too, I've seen it happen, despite the little Canadian flags everywhere.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
Sorry, but some people do get stereotyped because of their nationality. Believe it or not, some people even get stereotyped just because of their first name, Karen.
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Sa Ruuu 2 years ago (edited)
Tbh I find it so ironic that people have such a "through rose colored glasses" view of Canada. Theyre a lot more like America than most people seem to want to admit. *cough*treats indigenous people like s**t*cough* edit: guess people aren't into rights for all if you're downvoting a comment that has quite factually been proven in history. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Don't erase history, learn from it
Pungent Sauce 2 years ago
Yep, in between Vancouver and the GTA there’s a whole lot of “Freedom Convoy” country.
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Mazer 2 years ago
Wait, this makes no sense what so ever. No matter what tag you have on your bag, handlers only know flight info and not much else. People standing at the baggage carousel know exactly where a flight has come from, and the airlines use those colored ID stickers on luggage handles to specify airline and flight information which would blow a “I’m from Canada so have nothing to steal” tag idea
Blue Cicada 2 years ago
When I was in a group of American students visiting in Germany for two months in the late 80s, we were laughing and joking in public, in Muenchen, and a German said some thing in English about rude Americans. "Oh, we're not Americans!" said one of my classmates. "We're from Canada!" We thought it was funny, because Canadians would never be mistaken for Americans. Overall, our group was very well behaved, as our German teacher would accept nothing else from us.
Ki Li 2 years ago
That's funny because we had a group trip senior year but the Germans were obsessed with America. They especially love Levi jeans lol but they wanted to talk all about American culture and stuff.
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Americans end up giving Canadians a bad name, sewing the flag on their backpacks and doing stuff like this. If you want to be proud of your country, fight to make it better!
Daniel Marsh 2 years ago
Back when I was a little kid, there was the perception at least among Americans that they were valuable to terrorists as hostages, hence, "Don't shoot! I'm an American!" As I got older, there came a dark sense of humor about terrorists targeting Americans, hence, "Don't shoot! I'm a Canadian!"
Steven Meyer 2 years ago
This is still true. I am a member of the international organization and our president told me on several occasions when you travel make sure to use Canadian tags. Because American tag luggage are targeted to be opened and stuff stolen by the baggage handlers but never Canadian bags.
Kimberly Brewer 2 years ago
I lived in Saudi Arabia for several years. I was there before and after 9/11. My husband was there even longer. We flew Emirates, Gulf, Saudia, Qatar - all Middle Eastern flag carriers. We never had an issue and never heard of people routinely putting Canadian tags on their bags. Never heard of US luggage being “targeted”. 🤣🤣 But we have heard this story for years afterward. This is a myth that’s circulated for years. In a sea of bags, unless you plaster a great big Stars and Stripes on it and a flashing sign that says THIS BAG BELONGS TO AN AMERICAN - lol no one has any idea where your bag is “from”. Anyone who’s flown even once knows this. No idea why people still buy this story.
Billy Maguire 2 years ago
Some of my most enjoyable times in the air were with Air Canada (Vancouver, BC, to St John's, NFLD) 1992 - 1997, for work.
Jeffrey Diehl 2 years ago
I hitch hiked thorough Europe in the late 1970s with a Canadian flag sewn to my backpack. Made a world of difference.
Suzy the observer 2 years ago
Oh Canada, Terre de nos aieux, Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!...
Riley Quinn 2 years ago
A lot of American tourists, over the years, have resorted to wearing a maple leaf or other conspicuous Canadian items to ward off any abuse or harassment.
Olivia Hughes 2 years ago
As a Canadian -- the amount of Americans who use our flag to disguise themselves in other parts of the world makes me squirm.
Ki Li 2 years ago
How do you find out how many people do that? I've never heard of it happening
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#5
A friend of mine who works for Emirates told me this little gem. Whenever they fly into Saudi Arabia, Emirates makes the flight attendants lock the entire galley including all the food, water and drinks, all the napkins and cutlery too. This is beacuse in the past, Saudi Arabian authorities would come on board and literally take anything they want and walk out. And there was nothing the airline or staff could do.
#6
If you bring a box of chocolates for the flight crew, you will get all the free snacks (and sometimes beers) they can throw at you.
My old coworker had been a flight attendant for like 20 years and knew all the secrets. This was his best recommendation for a good flight.
June’s Very Own 2 years ago
You could also give them chocolates just for the sake of being nice too, you know
#7
The flight attendants already know what you are going to say. Every joke, come on, request, complaint. They KNOW you are going to say that thing. If this is their 3rd flight of the day, they’ve heard it 6 times already.
No one is clever on an airplane.
#8
I once overheard a phone call at the gate check-in. A flight attendant was hungover, slept-in and was going to be pretty late.
A minute later, the person at the kiosk made an announcement about how some pre-flight maintenance was going to delay the flight.
I was thinking like, 'you lying sonofab*tch'. Lol
#9
Flight attendants dont get paid on the ground. Only flying hours are paid. We are slave labor on the ground and duties are continually added to our unpaid work time because the company knows they dont have to pay us. We show up 2 to 3 hours before we even start getting paid and some days we will work up to 14 hrs and only get paid for 5 or 6 of those hours. It should be illegal.
Please be kind when you are boardng the plane and getting all pissy about your bags etc, the flight attendant is a volunteer while she is helping you on the ground, she is essentially doing you a favor.
#10
They ought to change the name "Flight Attendant" to reflect the PRIMARY responsibility instead of the incidental tasks performed when everything is going ok. I've been suggesting "Cabin Safety Officer" for years. I bet with that name, they'd have to take a lot less s**t.
Bella10 2 years ago
I honestly don’t mind being considered a glorified waitress in the sky, because I genuinely love hospitality. But if you have a heart attack, if you are hypoxic, if you need reassurance due to severe turbulence, if we need to evacuate, if there is a depressurisation, if there is a non normal situation and you need someone in control, then I can promise you, we’re highly trained. Call me a trolley dolly, and that is fine…. Hopefully it’s a good day at the office, and that’s all you think of us crew… but we have your back in an emergency 😉
#11
We have a list with every passenger’s full name and seat number. Sometimes when we’re bored we’ll Google you.
#12
Flight attendants get equally if not more annoyed when flights are delayed. A lot are paid only for the 'flight time' - meaning they aren't paid to sit at the airport to wait....or even to greet customers during onboarding...
For that reason alone, the longer the flight the better. Imagine working on a short route where your actual work is 3-4h but you're paid for 55 minutes as that was the duration of the flight.
#13
Used to work for a UK airline (non crew).
It was normal for passengers that died onboard to be kept in their seats until landing. They would be wrapped in blankets and propped up to look like they were sleeping to not freak out other passengers.
River Webb 2 years ago (edited)
what about the people next to them? but then again ig the body could be used as a headrest
#14
Former flight attendant here. First of all I’d like to say that everything varies from airline to airline and country to country. I worked for a Latin American airline. The environment was quite toxic, there was A LOT of harassment from the pilots and copilots.. some of them would abuse the position of power they had to make some indecent proposals to the air hostesses. Maybe this is not a secret but for me it was a shock when a pilot (aged 40+) would text me during my days off to hang out (I was 19), I don’t even know from where he got my number and I felt very uncomfortable around him. This was nothing in comparison to other things that many of us experienced.
#15
Source: my mom is a flight attendant.
When flight attendants greet you as you step on the plane, they're doing two things: 1) checking to see if you're drunk/stoned, and 2) checking to see if you're strong/buff, so in the event of an emergency they can tap you in if need be (i.e. need to pull open the emergency door or lift something, etc.)
Fried Mermaid 2 years ago
I've read this one long ago in a different thread. Last time I flew to visit my home country, when I was leaving, was crying my ass off, and remembered the scanning the attendants had to do. Many of them asked me I was ok, and many others looked at my eyes and just lowered their heads. Felt like a nice gesture, them trying to give me some privacy surrounded by a lot of people and being extra nice the rest of the flight
#16
My friend is a flight attendant, she told me they change their emergency code words every few months. Once an emergency code word (could be something like “marvellous”) is used by a crew member when speaking over PA to pilot, pilot will automatically lock cockpit and not open the door again no matter what.
#17
A significant number of them are homeless. Living out of their suitcase and the crew break room.
I was a pilot for a low paying regional airline in the US. The pay for new flight attendants is pathetically low. Since they spend 90% of their lives on the road anyway some don’t have a permanent place to live.
#18
Not a flight attendant, but used to be a supervisor for a major US carrier. We had an employee whose child had a science project about germs. She brought her kid in on an overnighted aircraft and they took samples from all over. The galley, lavoratories, seats, tray tables, just about everywhere. The area with the most amount of fecal matter was the tray tables. Yep. I also never drink anything that is never sealed because I have witnessed cleaners who clean the lavoratories then jump to the galley without changing gloves.
#19
Flight attendant here.
If someone acts like a major jerk mid flight, we will have security meet you on the ground at the destination.
We have limited resources available, so if you get b****y about wanting steak but we only have chicken left, there are literally zero things we can do about it. There is only so much space we have to stock all the goodies.
There may be major drama going on between crew members, but we do our best to hide it and give good customer service. I have literally cried behind a wall before because a crew member was being condescending and rude, and walked out into the cabin smiling afterward.
We make fun of people for being rude, being inconsiderate of others, playing videos out loud, clipping toenails, eating salt dried fish and leaving the bones on the floor.....
People will literally ask us about mileage points and why they didn’t get upgrades and why their bag got delayed and how they’re going to miss their connection. If there is a major delay flying into a city, we literally hide in galleys to avoid people asking us questions.
If a passenger is rude to our face, we will crunch up the snack mix or cookie before handing it to them, essentially giving them a bag of crumbs.
#20
I worked for the ground crew at a private airport. Flights from other countries have to throw away all uneaten food right off the plane, as it is International Waste, and needs to be incinerated.
Additionally, if flights for private planes are delayed, their food that was standing by has to go somewhere... So they gave it to us. So tasty.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
My first job was with a rental car company at the local airport. Got to know all the airline folks, and the people from the catering company that supplied flights with meals. Got a LOAD of free meals when a flight landed and the plane would be staying at the airport overnight. They can’t (or couldn’t back then, not sure about now) use the meals the next day, and were just going to throw them out, so gave away as many as anyone wanted. Remember, these were complete hot meals with side dishes and desserts, so way more filling than just snacks. I was 19, in my first apartment, and making $3.45/hour (1979, when minimum wage was $2.90/hour) when I started working there, so those free meals kept me going when money was tight. This was back in the late seventies to early eighties at a midsized airport. Probably not like that anymore—-though I’d be so happy to find out differently!
#21
Nobody is ever pronounced dead on a commercial flight. The crew will perform CPR until the body is removed from the plane. Otherwise, the coroner’s office can impound the aircraft for days, until their investigation is complete. If a physician on board declares the patient dead, well, bummer for the airline. More than once I came in to work to find a deceased passenger in the locker room, waiting for the coroner to pick up the body.
Also, dead people are transported as cargo on commercial flights. We refer to them as human remains. If you see a long rectangular cardboard box the size of a coffin being carefully loaded into a cargo bin by several rampers, it’s human remains.
Jette Wang Wahnon 2 years ago
It is not all gloom and doom though...I had a flight Lisbon-copenhagen with a stop-over in Madrid.My dog was travelling with me in his carrier.Due to his size he was in the cargo area.Whenever I travel with my dogs I make certain they are onboard before I enter and when we were boarding the plane in Madrid again I noticed a large box being carried onboard.We took off and after a while the flight attendant came back to coach were I was sitting and asked me to accompany her to first class...yuppie,I thought,I have been up-graded !!....arrive at the 1st class and see my dog lounging in a seat with a silly grin while adoring crew are feeding him goodies..??? a coffin had come on board in Madrid and laws forbid animals to travel in the same compartment as deceased...The pooch didn´t even acknowledge my presence...he was living the life of Brian !
#22
You have a set limit of how many hours you can fly, and you need 12 hours of rest between duties, i've once seen a pilot Wait 2 unnecessary minutes to turn off the engine to make the flight attendant out of hours for the next day.
Sleazy Weaver 2 years ago (edited)
this isn't phrased very well, i can see others are getting confused. let me try to explain: flight attendents have to work x amount of hours before they're required to take 12 hours of rest. otherwise, tired or not, they'll be scheduled to work more. on one flight, the pilot kept the plane on for extra long to use up the last of the flight attendants' hours so they could have a mandatory day off to rest without the airline taking advantage of them having time left (even just two minutes) & scheduling them to work another flight. the pilot was doing the flight attendants a favor; the airline industry has such thin margins for turning a profit that they take advantage of employees whenever possible. the pilot was helping combat this by ensuring his coworkers would have time to rest whether the company likes it or not.
#23
The only dirty thing about my job was the airplanes. they never wash the floors, the seats. it’s gross.
#24
The Galley!
Not a Flight Attendant but exEngineer and trust me, if the aircraft galley were inspected like any other food business it would be condemned within the first trolley!
That’s excluding the dirty water tanks and cleaning crew using one rag from ceiling lights to floor trim.
If you ask anyone who maintains aircraft, you bet they’re buying their meal at the airport.
Phill Healey 2 years ago
That's why aircraft meals are typically made at a special facility and are delivered sealed. They are then just steam heated onboard the aircraft
#25
There's a 600 page book in the cockpit with every. Single. Thing. that can possibly go wrong, from a bulb going out to an engine falling off, a biohazard or a bomb threat.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Makes sense. 99.9% of pilot, and I sure hope flight attendant, training consists of “what-if” scenarios. Everything from an unruly drunk passenger to a hijacker to a bird strike to a bomb. Only a tiny portion has to do with the perfect flight. Why do you think the crew is so calm when there’s an emergency? They don’t panic because they know exactly what to do. When you’re in a situation like that, it’s the not knowing that can make you panic. Training eliminates that, by having you concentrate on the next step instead.
#26
I used to work as a flight attendant and I've seen a lot of stupid and crazy [stuff]. The alcoholism, drug abuse and depression is common in the domain. It's hard for a lot of people to live a superficial life. It's fun at first to see new places and new destinations. But at some point rome or new delhi is just another place at work. Sound downing but I've seen a lot people complain about this and me as well.
Shelley Dawson 2 years ago
I don't know about the depression but you're right about cities of dreams being just another place to visit. When I stopped flying and returned to the UK, I'd mention placed where funny things had happened and people were so jealous. They didn't realise what it is like to wake up in the morning (or evening) not knowing where you are and what day it is.
#27
This little secret has been in the news lately, pilots and flight attendants are usually only paid when the aircraft door is closed. I am a flight attendant for a regional carrier get paid per diem, about two dollars an hour from the moment we sign in until the moment our trip is finished. However, our hourly rate is only paid when the doors closed.
While the hourly rate might sound good ($20-50+ depending on carrier and seniority) we are typically only paid 75 to 85 hours a month.
#28
I buddy of mine has been a pilot for the better part of 30 years and says that back 15-20 years ago the Russian/Soviet pilots and crew had to been watched like hawks (sometimes even being locked in a room) because there was a high chance of them getting absolutely s**t faced before when they were supposed to fly.
#29
There is an alarming amount of things that can be broken/inop on a MEL (minimum equipment list) and the airplane can still fly.
Sleazy Weaver 2 years ago (edited)
actually, this is pretty cool. the parts that make or break a plane are so interesting. most commercial jets can survive with a busted engine or two depending how many it has, but a problem with the jackscrew can take a plane out of the sky with no hope of survival. even a hole in the plane isn't certain death because they're designed with so many failsafes & emergency protocols. it's actually in a plane's best interest to be able to function on minimal equipment, but have enough onboard anyway to make flight safer & easier. problems most often arise when airlines skimp on maintenance because of razor thin margins to turn a profit. the airline industry is garbage but planes themselves are cool as hell.
#30
I was a flight attendant: we had a boiler in the back galley that provided warm water that we used to serve hot drinks (coffee/tea/chocolate).
Well, the tanks in which water is stored are rarely cleaned thoroughly.
I had that water myself every now and then (since it was the only free thing we were allowed to take from the bar -we had to pay for water bottles!!!-), but if I fly as a passenger I try to avoid it as much as I can!
I can’t even imagine the amount of germs and mold that can be forming in those tanks!!
Ah, also, the water intake for the refill of that tank is centimeters away from the waste disposal valve…
June’s Very Own 2 years ago
I’m genuinely surprised. Is there no inspectors who come in and test the cleanliness of airplanes at all? It sounds like they have free reign to be lazy.
#31
The toilets are near where we sit, and no matter how hard you try to cover the fact that you’re taking a dump. It makes a different noise than if you just go number 1.
No matter what stupid thing you see or read about getting a 'free upgrade' 99% of the time it’s all bollocks.
#32
My primary job, is 'Credit Card Salesman'.
My secondary job, is preventing people from writing letters to corporate or appearing on the 6-O'clock news.
My tertiary job is to keep us from getting sued when you run to the bathroom during turbulance.
#33
FA here... crop dusting. Basically farting whilst we walk down the aisle due to the bloating. If you fly frequently theres a high chance an fa has farted right by your head as they walked down the aisle.
#34
Flying isnt glamourous, one of my friend got spit on and cornered by a passenger and the company and the police did absolutely nothing about it. Also have heard of a few pilots trying to get sexual favors in flight, to no avail (from my knowledge).
#35
Pilots are on their phones or reading the newspaper all the time.
What do you think ?
Mr Zipperface 2 years ago
A plane has just landed at it's destination and the pilot makes the standard "Welcome to..." announcement, then thinking he has switched off the PA, he turns to the copilot and says "Well I'm going to have a s**t, shave and a shower then I'm going to f**k that new flight attendant senseless". The FA in question is at the back of the plane and upon hearing this, she starts to run down the aisle to alert the pilot to his mistake, halfway there she trips and falls flat on her face at the feet of a little old lady who looks down at her, smiling, and says "It's ok honey you don't need to rush, he said he's going to have a s**t, shave and shower first!"
Freya the Wanderer 2 years ago
Quite a few of these are worthy of being added to my long, long list of Reasons to Drive Instead.
Roald 2 years ago
A lot of the misery of the crew would be solved by raising the ticket prices, so they would get decent salaries and not get squeezed out with insane rosters. This has been going on for decades. Why? Everybody wants to fly for 29 euros to Madrid, so airlines are in a race to the bottom with ticket prices, else the likes of Ryan or Easyjet will scoop up the passenger. It is not more complicated.
Aileen Horowitz 2 years ago
Shareholders and CEO'S would just take the increase like they do now. Do you seriously think the executive suite isn't paid outrageously? The airlines needs to pay FA an annual salary or pay FA for actual hours worked.
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Mr Zipperface 2 years ago
A plane has just landed at it's destination and the pilot makes the standard "Welcome to..." announcement, then thinking he has switched off the PA, he turns to the copilot and says "Well I'm going to have a s**t, shave and a shower then I'm going to f**k that new flight attendant senseless". The FA in question is at the back of the plane and upon hearing this, she starts to run down the aisle to alert the pilot to his mistake, halfway there she trips and falls flat on her face at the feet of a little old lady who looks down at her, smiling, and says "It's ok honey you don't need to rush, he said he's going to have a s**t, shave and shower first!"
Freya the Wanderer 2 years ago
Quite a few of these are worthy of being added to my long, long list of Reasons to Drive Instead.
Roald 2 years ago
A lot of the misery of the crew would be solved by raising the ticket prices, so they would get decent salaries and not get squeezed out with insane rosters. This has been going on for decades. Why? Everybody wants to fly for 29 euros to Madrid, so airlines are in a race to the bottom with ticket prices, else the likes of Ryan or Easyjet will scoop up the passenger. It is not more complicated.
Aileen Horowitz 2 years ago
Shareholders and CEO'S would just take the increase like they do now. Do you seriously think the executive suite isn't paid outrageously? The airlines needs to pay FA an annual salary or pay FA for actual hours worked.
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