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Home / Travel

Cabin crew reveal the secrets they never tell passengers about flying

By Martha Cliff
Daily Mail·
28 Sep, 2016 09:00 PM4 mins to read

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One flight attendant revealed on a Quora thread that in-flight meals can be up to 72 hours old. Photo / 123RF

One flight attendant revealed on a Quora thread that in-flight meals can be up to 72 hours old. Photo / 123RF

As we head into a new year, we're revisiting some of 2016's most popular Travel stories. This was one of them .....

Some flights are more turbulent than others and the grubbiest place on a plane isn't the toilet ... flight attendants and frequent fliers have dished the dirt on these and other issues.

With their expertise in hospitality and friendly smiles it's easy to put all of our trust into flight attendants when boarding a plane.

However, a new thread on Quora has revealed that there are some secrets about flying that the cabin crew keep from their passengers.

A user on the open question forum asked "What do flight attendants know about flying that they don't tell passengers?" and the results were very revealing.

Both air hostesses and frequent flyers joined the thread in order to reveal their insider knowledge of life in the air.

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From the three-day old food to tips on when is best time to fly, we reveal the most surprising confessions.

FLY EARLIER TO AVOID TURBULENCE

A frequent flyer named Anya revealed that those who wish to avoid uncomfortable turbulence should aim to fly earlier rather than later.

She revealed: "One of the things, that flight attendants won't tell you, is that morning flights are better because the air is less bumpy.

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"Obviously, the airline wants you to book at any time of the day. There is also less chance to hit [a] thunderstorm, as these tend to happen mostly in the afternoon. So set your alarm clock early!"

YOUR SEAT COULD BE FILTHY

You would be forgiven for assuming that the toilets would be the most unhygienic section of the aircraft but one cabin crew member claims this is not true.

A flight attendant, revealed that "the most unhygienic thing in the aircraft is your seat belt, then the tray tables".

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Last year Travel Math sent a microbiologist to test the surfaces aboard aircrafts and the results confirmed the confession.

The results showed that tray tables were the dirtiest of all the locations and surfaces they tested, having found an average of 2155 colony-forming units (CFUs) per square inch.

THE FOOD IS UP TO THREE DAYS OLD

Being served food at 40,000 feet, you would hardly expect a gourmet dinner service but you might hope for something fresh.

However, another confession revealed this is unfortunately not the case aboard many flights.

One flight attendant revealed that in-flight meals can be up to 72 hours old.

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However, they added that cabin crew members sometimes have to go without their own food in order to feed the customers if they have under catered.

THERE ARE ASH TRAYS PROVIDED ON FLIGHTS

Any regular flyer will be well aware that airplanes are littered with no smoking signs and there are frequent verbal warnings against the habit.

However, one confession revealed that most aircrafts do have ashtrays fitted on board.

A flight attendant revealed: "There are ash trays on the lav. doors beside the no smoking sign — for those passengers who are adamant and still decide to smoke — so that they won't just trash the lit cigarette in the bin, which could lead to a fire ."

DON'T FLY WITH A COLD IF IT CAN BE AVOIDED

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While most of us would never let a common cold stop us from jetting off on holiday, air stewards have warned it could be detrimental to your health.

One steward with personal experience in the matter shared their confession in the thread.

They wrote: "Avoid flying if you have severe cold. It can damage your ears drums and you may lose your hearing.

"Happened to me once, I couldn't hear properly for a week and it hurt like hell."

AVOID TAKING TRAVEL SICKNESS TABLETS MID FLIGHT

It can be hard to predict whether you will suffer from travel sickness ahead of a flight but one air stewardess suggests taking medication beforehand if you do regularly suffer.

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She said: "If you have air sickness, taking a medicine in flight will never help you . . . Avomine or domstal MT always helps. Take them an hour prior to the flight and eat light."

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