5 Things Flight Attendants Know

AND YOU PROBABLY DON’T

No one has more insider knowledge about flying than flight attendants. Being in the transportation business, Boston Corporate Coach™ knows lots of flight attendants and we spoke to our contacts to unearth 5 lesser-known facts about flying. Whether you want more attentive service or are looking to avoid getting kicked off your flight, read on for the inside scoop:

• Airplanes aren’t nearly as clean as they might look
  Microbiologists have found tray tables to be the least hygienic surface on an airplane. According to at least one flight attendant, people change their babies’ diapers on their tray tables all the time. And then there are other unsanitary incidents that occur on the plane that passengers rarely see or consider, like accidents in the lavatory or a passenger’s seat.
• You really should avoid the water
  A flight attendant reported: “Flight attendants will not drink hot water on the plane. They will not drink plain coffee, and they will not drink plain tea. The EPA found that one in every eight planes failed the agency’s standards for water safety and 15% of tested aircraft water systems contained potentially harmful bacteria.
• You have a better chance of avoiding delays if you fly earlier in the day
  As a general rule, the later in the day you travel, the more likely you are to catch a delay. That’s just a fact.
• Checking in last comes with a perk
  Your best option to get your checked luggage from the baggage claim first is to be one of the last passengers to check your bags. It pays to be last, just saying.
• You could be out tens of thousands of dollars if you deploy the emergency slide
  In 2014, a passenger on a China Eastern Airlines plane who said he wanted to “get off the plane quicker” deployed the emergency slide after the aircraft landed at Sanya Phoenix International Airport. The incident caused the aircraft to be delayed for two hours and reportedly cost about $16,000 in damage. Last April, a United Airlines flight attendant pulled the same stunt, costing the airline between $6,000 and $12,000 just to repack the undamaged slide into its container.

If you’re flying for business or pleasure, we here at Boston Coach hope you have learned something from the flight attendants we spoke to who shared their knowledge with us for this blog. Meantime, if you need a ride to the airport, allow us to transport you with our first-class, luxurious chauffeured transportation. Just call us at +1-800-664-4480 to make your reservations or visit https://bostoncorporatecoach.com/reservations/.