10 things flight attendants know about flying that you probably don’t – including what all those in-flight ‘dings’ really mean
Your flight attendant probably knows more about you than you think – from how you’re feeling, to what your’re wearing and whether you’re carrying anything suspicious
Flight attendants spend hundreds of hours in the air each year, so they learn to notice small details about the planes they work on and the passengers that fly on them.
Whether spotting nervous passengers from their body language or always knowing where the nearest exit is, flight attendants experience air travel in a way totally different from how the average person does.
Here seven flight attendants describe 10 things they notice on flights that passengers probably don't. Four of the flight attendants requested anonymity because of a fear of reprisal from their employers – and the photos in this story do not depict the flight attendants interviewed.
These are some of the small details that stick out to flight attendants.
When passengers don't have bags
“I notice if people don't have bags with them, and sometimes that strikes me as odd,” a flight attendant for United Airlines said.
Passengers who are in a bad mood
“If people are having a bad day, I definitely notice that,” the United flight attendant said. “You can tell by the person's body language or facial expressions or if they've been crying. I know that air travel is really hard for people.”
What the ‘ding’ sounds mean
“There's a lot of 'dings' that go on the plane that mean specific things to the flight crew, but passengers don't know what any of them are,” a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines said.