Most of us only know the bare minimum of air travel, that entails buying a ticket, getting through security and boarding the plane! But as one would suspect, there is a lot more that a flier should know about and below is our attempt to just scratch the surface:
1) What Plane’s Safety Demo Doesn’t Say!
The cabin lights are dimmed at night to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark so you can find your way to the exit door in case of an emergency. The tray tables are put up at takeoff and landing so the passengers can easily escape if needed and you are requested to open your window shades to allow firefighters to see inside if there’s a fire! On second thought, good thing they don’t tell the reasons in their announcements!
2) Fuel economy is everything
Heavy flights are expensive to carry, which means plane tanks are often kept low to cut costs! This is the reason why planes are landed as soon as possible in case of rough weather or an unexpected delay.
3) What To Do If Your Flight Is Overbooked?
Airplane companies usually offer $200 vouchers on the overbooked flights, but if no one takes up, they keep increasing the offer until they have enough volunteers to give up their seats. And if still, they don’t get enough people, they will start offering cash compensation, which can go up to as much as $1,300.
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4) The Pilots Can’t Eat Together
This probably won’t effect you much, but will certainly tell a lot of about pilots’ dedication. Airlines don’t allow two pilots to fly together after eating food from the same source within an hour from fears of getting poisoned or sick!
5) Lost your luggage?
You must report the loss as soon as it is lost, even if the line is very long. If you delay long enough, your claim will probably be denied.
6) The Seats Actually Are Getting Tinier
You might have an expanding waistline as well, but airplane companies are also shrinking the seats by one inch every few years so they can fit an extra seat in each row.
7) Germs, Germs Everywhere!
Don’t eat that cracker fallen on the tray, they are ridden with germs and are rarely cleaned! Who knows the passenger before you might have changed a diaper on the same tray. So before you touch anything, clean it with sanitizing wipes.
This Is The Safest Seat In Any Airliner According To Science
8) What Do You If Your Flight Is Cancelled?
Get in the refund/reschedule line as soon as possible and also start a call with the airline phone agent, whichever comes first!
9) What’s The Deal With Price Comparison Websites?
Airplane companies abhor these comparison sites since they have to pay a fee every time you book through them. Sites like TripAdvisor and Orbitz are facing more and more sanctions to make it harder for them to thrive and some airlines like Delta and Southwest have stopped releasing fares at all!
10) Know Your Rights!
In case your flight is canceled, you will be offered another one. And even if your ticket says “nonrefundable” fare, most airlines will give your money back if you ask.
Bonus) Locks Are Useless!
