30 Flight Crews Reveal The Darkest Secrets of Flying

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Don't drink the water unless you see them pour it from the bottle...

Flight crews from around the world were asked about the dark secrets that go on in the flight industry. Here is some of the most disturbing facts that the FAA doesn't want you to know. 

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Flight attendants say not to drink the water unless you see them pour it from the bottle, their "tap" water is not sterilized and people have gotten real sick. If I were you, I'd just bring my own water if that's what you wish to drink. Ask for a Soda or a Gingerale, those come in cans, there should be no problem with them. 

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Hijacked planes

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Did you know that if a plane is being hijacked while it's still on the ground, they have signs like leaving the wings up? That's their "code" to tell the watchers that there is a problem, so if you're ever on a plane that's in trouble like that, which I hope never happens, the pilot is trained to do certain things to call for help without being noticed. 

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Don't hydroplane during a landing

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Don't get freaked out if there's a hard landing during a rain storm, the pilot does this on purpose to prevent hydroplaning. It's actually for your own safety so don't always say "wow, this pilot sucks at landing" because you don't really know the reason. Some aren't the best, I agree, but, during a rain storm, there's reasons.

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Gross water in bathrooms

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Don't drink the water in the airplane bathrooms, it's not clean. I don't know why anyone would want to drink the water anyway, they have bottled water. I wouldn't even clean my face with it, that's how dirty I think it is, but you can do what you want, they highly recommend not drinking it though.

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Tipping a flight attendant

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I had no idea you could or should tip your flight attendant. That's new information to me and I've been flying all over the country! They may slide you a few drinks here and there if it's a long flight, they may just pay extra attention to you, but they do appreciate it. They don't make a ton of money so if they are good, tip them!

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Sneak in your check ons...

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That's right, sometimes you can sneak in your check in baggage. Just do it at the gate. Typically, the attendants at the desk will tell you that your bag is too large and it needs to be checked on, there isn't a way for her to take money, so, it's free. This is a good way to get some of your luggage on free, they shouldn't charge anyway.

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Pilots sleep during flights?

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At night, especially if it's a long flight, most pilots nap. The plane flies itself, we just need the pilot for take off and landing, other than that, they can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride! They make a pretty good salary too to be able to sleep on the job, I don't think I'd want to be away from my family that often though.

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Electronic turn off time!

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I don't think you really HAVE to turn off your electronics, it can't possibly harm anything, can it? Most flight attendants will instruct everyone to turn off their electronics while they go in the back and text whomever. So, what's the difference if the entire plane texts? There isn't one.

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Oxygen Masks

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Has the flight attendants or pilots ever told you that the oxygen that comes out of the masks, when needed, only lasts about 15-20 minutes if there's a full flight? If you're too high, you only have about 20 seconds before actually passing out. This is kind of scary, what if you're in a bad situation and you can't get to it in 20 seconds? The entire plane passes out? Whoa.

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I'm sure they just throw your luggage

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I've seen the way the guys load the planes with bags, they just toss them. If they are marked "fragile" they don't care, it's not their stuff. If you watch them through the window when you're about to board the plane, you can actually see it for yourself, they aren't kind to your things. The way they come out at the end of your flight too are all crooked and dirty. 

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lights out!

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Lights out during take off and landing and typically in night time flights, why? Relaxing? I'm not really sure of the reason but it does make it more relaxing, less tense. I've even closed the windows by me just so I don't have to see us take off, sometimes it's nice to see it but sometime's, like during storms, it can be kind of scary.

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Plane Food

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Did you know the pilot and co-pilot are not allowed to have the same meal? Even if one is throwing it away or doesn't eat something, the other person is not allowed to take anything off of their plate, it could cause immediate termination. They do this to prevent food poisoning, if one gets sick, the other person is there to take over.

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Human Organ flights

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Human organs are a lot of the time, on the same flight as you. Diseased people as well. They are all underneath the plane in the cargo, but they are there and you'd never know. Not that it makes any difference, whether you're alive or not, or need a new kidney, it's got to get to you somehow, right?

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Lightning

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Apparently planes are struck by lightning quite frequently. Most of the time, it doesn't effect the flight what so ever, it may flicker the lights, but it won't bring you down. The pilot knows what to do in scenarios like this, they are trained very well so don't be afraid.

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No coffee or tea

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They say don't drink tea or coffee on your flight, they don't use sterilized water, they just use normal tap water. This could make you have the runs while you're in flight and there's nothing worse than that. If you want coffee, stop at the coffee shop by the gate, there's always at least one place you can get anything you want.

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Pillows and/or blankets aren't clean

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Most of the airlines stuff isn't cleaned or sanitized, blankets, pillows, even the tray you set your food on isn't totally clean. If you're a clean freak, I'd suggest bringing your own wipes and cleaning things before you sit down or put your food on it. They don't take a lot of time cleaning so just be careful.

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Locks on bathrooms

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Did you know you can lock the bathroom door from the outside? Unless you forgot to lock it and the person you are with is next in line, I'm not sure why you would want to lock it from the outside, but you can. You can also see if the bathroom is being used from your seat, there's normally a light that is on or off. 

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Pilots aren't always experienced

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Just because you're on a big airline doesn't mean your pilot is experienced. You have to start somewhere, right? It doesn't make them a bad pilot or you won't have a bad flight, they just aren't as experienced as some. Sometimes big airlines actually subcontract pilots if there isn't any available that is employed by them. 

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Lock your bags

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Lock your bag when checking it in. They don't really need to go through your luggage but sometimes they do. All people aren't honest, things come up missing and no one owns up to it. I'm not saying everyone is a thief but I'm saying just lock your bag, it's better to be safe than sorry.

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Take your batteries out of your devices.

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Have you ever seen someone being escorted off of the plane with their bags? Sometimes it's because your cell phone or ipad or something might vibrate and if an attendant hears or feels it, they have to take you off the plane and go through your bags. Sometimes it's just easier to take your batteries out.

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Truth behind all electronics

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You can still be on your cell phone while on the plane, you just need to put it on airplane mode. It doesn't necessarily need to be turned off, like they ask, it doesn't really interfere with anything, it's more annoying but if you put it on airplane mode, you would be fine. Games, video calls, texts, etc...can all be done with their wifi on the plane. 

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Security sometimes is a joke

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I've been through security where I literally have had a pocket knife in my purse that I completely forgot about. It's crazy how many things you can get away with,but then, sometimes they make you throw away your drink. Taking off your shoes sometimes is a bit much too, I always travel with flip flops but they still make you take them off. 

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Those headphones aren't great

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Some of the earphones aren't new, even if they are packaged. Cleaners collect them at the end of the flight and they are all sent back to the company who provides them and they'll re-package them. That's nasty, who knows if they even clean them...I'm bringing my own from now on.

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Gliding

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You could glide for quite some time if the engines were to go out. I don't know how safe I would feel if the engines were to go out but you could technically glide. Let's hope this never happens, but if it does, you better hope you have a good pilot.

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Hot days make flying hard

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When it's hot out, the air is thinner, which makes flying harder. Especially take off and landing. Arizona and the West Coast always have to have a hard time because they are always so hot over there. I guess I'll know if there's a rough landing and it's hot out, I'll know the reason. Kind of makes sense.

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Ashtrays but no smoking

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Ashtrays are always in the restrooms but you are not allowed to smoke. It's actually against the law to smoke on an air craft. You used to be able to smoke, I remember years and years ago when it was allowed, not anymore. I'm glad they stopped it.

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Flying with pets

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Most pets are on the top with you, in the AC, some are in cargo though if they are too big. If you have a "lap" pet, it will be under your seat. They are so expensive to fly too, typically about $100 one way to fly. That's almost as much as your ticket most flights.

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