August 28th 2023.
From mile high club attempts to champagne hand baths, a lot goes on up in the air that we don't see. Flight attendants know the ins and outs of the job, from the funny to the scandalous. But what really goes on during flights?
The Agency spoke to two former flight attendants to hear their secrets of the job. They revealed that the mile high club is a thing, and that sex between passengers is attempted regularly. Hannah Murphy, who now works in children's fitness, said: “Mile high attempts happened often. I would regularly catch passengers trying to squeeze into the tiny toilet cubicles together. I think most passengers soon realised that the toilets were so tiny and actually so smelly that it wasn’t really worth the hype.”
Unfortunately, these attempts can be annoying for the inflight team. Daisy White, a former attendant who now is an author, says: “The glamour of heels and red lipstick is maintained by quick visits to the toilet to redo make up or take five minutes to just lean against the wall with your eyes closed. So if as crew you need to do this or even need the loo, it’s super annoying to find passengers having sex in the toilet and holding up the queue. Why would you do this? In airline lore a quickie in the toilet would be a dumpable offence.”
According to the attendants, airline relationships happen frequently, too. Hannah said: “The airline industry is quite incestuous. When I worked for my first airline, everyone was seeing each other. Cabin crew and pilots, pilots and pilots, cabin crew and cabin crew. Many times when we night-stopped we would have crew nights out and nearly always someone would end up with someone different that night. What happened down route tended to stay down route. I think the unsociable hours and lifestyle made it a lonely life and made it difficult to meet people who weren’t in the same industry.”
It's not just the mile high club, though. Daisy said: “Sometimes passengers who aren’t feeling well turn up in the galley and keel over. You can have a seriously ill passenger on oxygen in the back galley, while the rest of the passengers remain blissfully unaware. Until you have to divert due a medical emergency…”
The attendants also revealed that champagne has to be drained post-flight, depending on the airline. According to Hannah, “When I worked for long-haul, we used to have to pour away the champagne at the end of the flight if the bottle had been opened. This was heartbreaking to do so what we discovered as crew is that actually washing your hands in champagne after exfoliating with sugar, it left your hands feeling soft for days. I used to look forward to my end of flight champagne hand bath.”
Also, while you might be tempted to indulge in plane food, Daisy suggests taking your own healthy snacks and water instead. “I always would take my own healthy snacks on board, because aircraft food is high in salt and seasoning because your taste buds are numbed by the altitude. It’s tough with security now but I would always take my own water. Fill up your reusable bottle airside once you have been through security.”
Of course, it goes without saying that passengers should avoid pressing call bells unnecessarily. Daisy said: “Don’t press call bells every five seconds. Trouble makers are spotted almost immediately and your reputation will spread. Then if you have a genuine emergency or really do need something, you are less likely to get a quick response.”
Finally, Daisy added: “Flight attendants are highly trained, super busy and practical people. Do not dismiss them as waiters and waitresses. Being kind and you just might be able to get a seat upgrade while on board, as these can happen too rather than just during check-in. Upgrades can happen onboard as most flights are under-booked and passengers can be shunted into other cabins. Don’t expect this though – and if you are polite it’s more likely to happen to you.”
So there you have it – secrets of the job from two former flight attendants. Remember, be kind and you might just be rewarded. And if you have a story to share, get in touch!
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