LISTEN: Local flight attendant spills the beans on cabin crew secrets

The flight attendant quelled fears by adding that if anything should go wrong, there is always passenger safety involved. Picture: Flickr.com

The flight attendant quelled fears by adding that if anything should go wrong, there is always passenger safety involved. Picture: Flickr.com

Published Nov 26, 2019

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Want to know what goes on behind the scenes of your flight? During Breakfast with Martin Bester on Jacaranda FM, the radio host invited a flight attendant by the name of "D" onto the show.

Bester started off with that all-important question: "Is there a lot of stuff we don't know about?" D's response was a swift "definitely". 

And when it comes to technical difficulties with the plane?

The flight attendant quelled fears by adding that if anything should go wrong, there is always passenger safety involved, which means full disclosure. "We'll never put anybody's life in danger," added D.

But he did add that sometimes they tend to "sugarcoat" the extent of the problem. There's a clear reason for this, said D. He explained that the crew don't want to cause negative panic or hysteria.

Below, D answers some burning questions:

Why the brace position?

"The brace or crash position is an instruction that is given to prepare for a possible crash. The position puts passengers in a safe position for if something were to fall - it would fall on the seats."

Why do you put the cabin lights off before landing?

"We put the lights off before landing so that your eyes can adjust to the light. The blinds must be open because pilots can't see behind them so we (flight attendants) must inform them if something goes wrong."

Have you ever caught people joining the mile-high club?

"I've seen people go into the toilet together. But it's none of my business."

Why can't I just have my phone on?

"We ask people to not be on their phones so that we can have their attention. We have 90 seconds to remove everyone from the flight if something happens." 

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