Whether it’s loud sounds, unusual plugs and flaps or basic rules, there are things on planes that spark the curiosity of even the most well-versed travellers.
So to ensure travellers remain calm and enjoy their next flight, a number of experts have answered some of the most common airline travel questions they’ve been asked over the years.
Here, FEMAIL rounds up the best responses by Australian experts at Skyscanner, Traveller and Flight Centre.
Here, FEMAIL rounds up the best responses by Australian experts at Skyscanner, Traveller and Flight Centre
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RAISE THE WINDOW SHADE BEFORE LANDING?
According to Skyscanner, this is entirely for safety reasons.
‘Despite swanky new Boeing 787 Dreamliners replacing clunky window shades with self-tinting windows, most commercial aircraft still have solid blinds that raise and lower manually,’ they wrote.
‘In the event of a crash, visibility helps the crew to evaluate hazards if evacuation is required. Is there a fire? Debris? Fuel? Not something you want to think about, we know.
Not only this, but this also allows passengers’ eyes to adjust should there be an emergency and swift movement is required.
‘In the event of a crash, visibility helps the crew to evaluate hazards if evacuation is required. Is there a fire? Debris? Fuel? Not something you want to think about, we know,’ Skyscanner wrote
WHAT DO THE FLAPS ON THE WINGS DO?
According to Skyscanner, the flaps on the wings are ‘used to increase lift during takeoff and landing’.
‘When the flaps are engaged they increase the curvature, or camber, of the wing which helps an aircraft generate the required lift,’ they wrote.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE DOOR OPENS MID-FLIGHT?
Mainly due to Hollywood movies, many travellers have fears of being sucked out of the plane if the doors should fly open mid-flight.
Thankfully, this is impossible.
‘It is virtually impossible to open any of the cabin doors while the plane is in the air due to the pressure inside being greater than that outside the plane,’ the Flight Centre team wrote.
‘As most plane doors are designed to open inward before pushing out, even the strongest person wouldn’t be able to pull the door inward.’
WHY DO PLANES FLY SO HIGH?
According to Flight Centre, ‘most aircraft fly in the 30,000 foot range for efficiency’.
‘Ranging between 30 and 40,000 feet is where a plane’s engines can operate the best. There is less drag in the thinner air, which doesn’t burn up fuel.
‘Of course, the size and weight of a plane are deciding factors in how high it will fly, as are flight directions, weather conditions and turbulence.’
According to Flight Centre, ‘most aircraft fly in the 30,000 foot range for efficiency’
WHAT DO PILOTS DO THE WHOLE TIME?
‘We’re not at the cockpit for 14 hours. We have two crews, so two captains and two first officers,’ Emirates A380 pilot Ian Haines told Traveller.
‘The crew that takes off also does the landing. So say I’m the commander of the flight, the captain on board. We’d have a briefing before the flight, which is about an hour and 15 before take-off. We then go to the cockpit and set up the cockpit.
‘The other crew will do the walk around the aircraft and check that for me. We then take off, climb up to top of climb, at which point the other crew will go back and rest. They will have about five hours’ rest. We will then fly for about five, five-and-a-half hours, then we change control teams.’
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MEALS IN EACH CLASS?
According to Skyscanner, economy class meals include cheaper ingredients and are’ pre-cooked, pre-packaged and often frozen or blast-chilled as a whole item in the food factory’.
‘Main meals in Business Class and First Class are generally not pre-packaged. Instead, each part of the meal, for example, the sauce, vegetables, and fish, are packaged separately, so that they can be reheated – or cooked on board,’ they said.
‘This means that flight attendants can reheat or cook each thing perfectly, and serve the meal as it might be served in a restaurant. Ingredients are often prepared much closer to take off time too.’