Flying may be a stressful experience because of congested airports, full airlines, and stringent security regulations. Due to the intricate nature of air travel, numerous rules and procedures must be observed on every given flight, and the majority of the procedure is intended to serve a single function. Knowing the precise reason behind why window blinds should be open during takeoff or the significance of those pings over the aircraft PA system, for example, may make your next flight a little simpler. These are seven obscure facts about airline cabins that most travelers are unaware of.
Cabin Lighting Serves a Particular Function
It’s likely that you’ve observed that your flight’s cabin lights are muted during takeoff and landing. As it happens, there are two excellent explanations for this. Safety is the primary justification. In an emergency, if the lights were left on at maximum brightness and abruptly changed from bright to dark, it would take the passengers’ eyes several crucial seconds to adjust. Our eyes are already acclimated to the low lighting during flight and landing, which facilitates finding an escape.The mood is the second explanation. A person experiencing flight anxiety may feel more at ease under dim lighting, which is more calming than bright lighting. Certain airlines go one step further and incorporate mood lighting in the form of color. For instance, JetBlue passengers will experience the airline’s characteristic soothing blue color across the cabin while in flight.
Those Chimes Signify Various Things
Although the pings that are broadcast over an airplane’s PA system while in flight are well known to all of us, attentive listening will reveal minute variations. The takeoff, climb, and descent phases of the flight, as well as communications between flight attendants and the cockpit, are all signaled by these chimes.The protocol used by each aircraft is unique, and these chimes frequently change. According to airline pilot Jack Herstam, on many airlines, a double chime just before landing usually indicates that the pilots have been given the all-clear to take off. Once the plane has been in the air for a few minutes, you will hear another double chime to signal that it has risen over 10,000 feet. At this point, passengers can use larger electronic devices and flight attendants can generally start moving around the cabin. The plane descends below 10,000 feet and gives the identical double ping. Additionally, there will be a single chime to go along with the indicator light when the fasten seatbelt sign comes on and off. You may also hear a single chime during the flight, which indicates that a passenger has touched the call button to request assistance. According to a widely shared TikTok video featuring flight attendant Tommy Climato, a high-to-low chime indicates that flight attendants are attempting to contact with each other over the aircraft’s phone system. An emergency will be signaled by the unusual triple chime.
It's intentionally cold outside.
There are occasions when travelers lament the chilly conditions within aircraft cabins. It’s rare for flight attendants to dial up the heat in the cabin, but if you’re lucky, some airlines will give you a blanket. This is due to the fact that an aircraft’s temperature has been carefully controlled for your safety.According to a research by ASTM International, a condition known as hypoxia makes people more prone to pass out when flying than when they are on the ground. Our bodies may not acquire enough oxygen in the pressurized cabin of a flight, which can result in fainting. This is more likely to occur in an airplane with a warmer interior. Airlines purposefully drop the cabin temperature to keep passengers from fainting. Although there may be some discomfort involved, your body will be far safer doing this.
It's Not as Dirty as You May Think
The idea that being crammed into an airplane increases your chance of transferring germs and airborne particles to every other passenger is a prevalent misconception regarding air travel. In actuality, cutting-edge HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filtering systems are installed in contemporary airplane cabins to ensure that the interior air quality remains pure. The International Air Transportation Association (IATA) states that hospital operating rooms also employ this similar kind of filter to purify the air. This technology refreshes cabin air 20 to 30 times an hour, more than twice the frequency of an average office building. The outside air is replaced with fresh air, which passes through a filter to help eliminate bacteria and viruses, making the air aboard a flight actually cleaner than you may imagine.
Bathrooms Have External Locks That Can Be Unlocked
Passengers can use the lock in the cabin restrooms, but flight attendants can easily swiftly open the door from the outside. Usually, it’s concealed beneath the door’s flippable “lavatory” sign. For the safety of the passengers: Flight attendants must be able to use the restroom in an emergency without having to pick the lock or remove the door from its hinges. It can also be utilized for kids who can’t open doors on their own, or if a passenger has a health emergency or need assistance while using the restroom.
Window Blinds Must Be Left Open During Specific Hours
Many airlines have flight attendants who ask passengers to lift their window curtains during takeoff and landing. Similar to other aviation regulations, there’s a good rationale for this. The flight crew can notice any problems with the aircraft or the ground thanks to open curtains. Additionally, travelers may report strange events they see outside their windows. In an emergency, lifting the blinds also enables our eyes to swiftly adapt to the outside environment. International aviation safety bodies like the ICAO strongly advise the practice, but not all airlines will enforce it because there isn’t a set regulation in effect. Triangle stickers are occasionally used to identify certain seats on the windows of the cabin. These stickers, according to airline pilot Captain Joe (who has his own YouTube channel), show which windows have the finest views of the wings. When flight attendants need to see the wings for safety reasons, they can quickly locate the triangle. Because of the added stability the wings give, Captain Joe says these lanes would also be excellent for travelers who are easily agitated when traveling.
A Covert Hand Rail Exists
It can be unsettling to walk along an aisle on a moving aircraft, particularly when there is turbulence. There is certainly a better technique, but most passengers end up grasping the seats as they move, which can annoy the persons occupying those seats.When the flight attendants travel down the aisle, you’ll notice that they frequently reach up to the ceiling. This is due to an integrated handle rail that runs the length of the storage compartment’s bottom and can be utilized for self-steadying. The next time, use this secret rail to avoid upsetting other travelers and take a cue from the flight attendants.
