Here Are 18 Dirty Secrets The Airlines Don’t Want You To

Flying on an airplane can be stressful for most people. You’re putting your life in the hands of strangers, all the while sitting in a metal tube in the sky, praying it doesn’t just stop floating up there. These 18 secrets about flying aren’t necessarily going to make you feel better.

There are some dirty facts that the airlines don’t want you to know. Like…

: 1.) Lavatory stalls can actually be unlocked from the outside.

: 2.) Pilots are fed different meals, just in case one gives them food poisoning.

: 3.) Pilots routinely doze off during long flights (and not just during their scheduled nap times).

: 4.) No. One. Washes. These.

: 5.) Some airline employees don’t get paid until the flight is in the air… meaning they might overlook issues if that means a successful take-off.

: 6.) The oxygen masks actually only supply about 15 minutes of oxygen.

: 7.) There is a guideline for how many screws are allowed to be totally MISSING.

: 8.) Someone has probably changed a baby on your tray table.

: 9.) Planes frequently get struck by lightning.

: 10.) The emergency door handles exist so that, amid chaos, flight attendants don’t get pushed out.

: 11.) People steal the flotation devices. All of the time.

: 12.) Flight attendants can wait to serve food on night flights so that more people are asleep… and they have less work to do.

: 13.) If a bomb threat is called in when a plane is over the ocean, you probably won’t hear about it (as a passenger).

: 14.) Bacteria levels in plane spigot water are 100x the limit in the US.

: 15.) If ANYTHING in your bag vibrates, you will be called out for an examination. Even extremely personal items.

: 16.) The lights in the aisle are to help you get out during an emergency. It’s not for the atmosphere.

: 17.) Flight attendants totally use their cell phones during flights while you pay for your internet.

: 18.) The earphones they hand out during flights? No one washes those either.

(H/T Ranker)

See, I knew that the airplane blankets and pillows were gross! (And now you probably feel extremely dirty for ever having touched them, let alone used them.) Teach others the dirty truths about flying. They should probably know these things.

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