What are some things that airline cabin crews know, but won't tell you?

 Your oxygen mask only holds 15 minutes of air. The bathroom door you just locked is an illusion. And there is a reason the crew secretly refuses to drink the onboard coffee.

1. The lavatory lock can be bypassed from the outside.
Flight attendants can easily unlock lavatory doors from the outside. There is a small latch hidden underneath the "Lavatory" or "Occupied" sign on the exterior of the door. This is a critical safety feature in case a passenger experiences a medical emergency inside, but it also allows the crew to intervene if someone is smoking or refusing to return to their seat during landing.

2. The coffee and tea water comes from rarely cleaned tanks.
The coffee and tea are made with water from the plane's internal tanks. These tanks are notoriously difficult to clean and are serviced infrequently. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have occasionally found coliform bacteria in aircraft water supplies. While the water is heated to brew coffee or tea, many flight attendants bring their own bottled water and avoid drinking the brewed beverages on board.

3. The oxygen masks only provide 12 to 15 minutes of air.
If the cabin loses pressure, the chemical oxygen generators deploy and provide a steady flow of oxygen for only 12 to 15 minutes. This is not a design flaw. It provides exactly the amount of time a pilot needs to initiate a controlled descent and bring the aircraft down to a safe, breathable altitude—usually around 10,000 feet—where supplemental oxygen is no longer required.

4. The chimes are a coded language.
The chimes you hear throughout the flight are not random. A single chime often means a passenger has pressed their call button or the seatbelt sign has been toggled. Two chimes indicate a call from one crew member to another, or a warning that the plane is approaching 10,000 feet. Three or more chimes in rapid succession signal severe turbulence, a warning from the flight deck, or an emergency.

5. The cabin lights aren't dimmed so you can sleep.
The reason the cabin lights are dimmed during nighttime takeoffs and landings has nothing to do with sleep. It is a safety precaution to allow passengers' eyes to adjust to the dark. If an emergency evacuation is necessary, passengers need to be able to see the floor-level escape path lighting immediately, rather than waiting for their eyes to dilate after being blinded by bright overhead cabin lights.

A flight attendant works in the aisle of a passenger aircraft. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Which is the best airline for domestic travel in India?

 I study in Punjab and to go home(Hyderabad) during summer and winter vacations, I usually take flights. So, I’ve traveled in 5 airlines till now, Air Vistara,Indigo, Jet Airways,Spice jet and Air India. Here is my ratings in ascending order.

1. Spice jet : My last preference while booking a flight. Though the cabin crew are helpful, the seats are congested like village bus seats and the in-flight food costs is too high.
2. Indigo : Indigo has the largest share in the airline network but their flight seats doesn't make sense to me. They charge extra money for window and aisle seats in the first rows and I don’t even feel anything different. They have different food menu, but I always feel half-filled with their in-flight food.
3. Jet Airways : They have friendly cabin crew, serve delicious food. The only place they lack is their seats don’t have enough leg room and sometimes they run a bit late. Otherwise, everything is good at jet airways.
4. Air India : I always hear negative comments about hospitality of Air India, but I’ve traveled at least 7–8 times by Air India and never a bit uncomfortable. They always try reach the destination sooner than the arrival time and they do in most of the cases. The food is good and they give you extra cookie or something if you ask, seats are spacious and have enough leg room and what not. I’d just say to all to give a deaf ear to all those rumors and travel trough Air India once.

1. Air Vistara : I have only one word to say about Vistara is ‘Excelsior’. Pick anything about them, it is just great. Beautiful and friendly Air hostesses, mild orange ambiance, delicious food and helpful ground staff. You pick it and they are the best. The only problem I face is their availability. As they are new airlines, they less no. of trips. But I still try to plan according to their flight schedule.

Note: The common reason for jet airways , air India and air vistara to be in the top three is because they operate from Delhi Terminal 3. The most beautiful terminal of India.

Why do airline pilots get paid so well for turning on autopilot and sitting, doing nothing, most of the flight?

 People think pilots just turn on autopilot and sit doing nothing, but this rumor started some years ago that airplanes fly themselves, and this isn’t even remotely true. Pilots fly a highly automated airplane and, yes, they fly on autopilot most of the time, but this doesn’t mean they sit around doing nothing. Flying manually or under autopilot is the same.

Pilots are constantly planning what to do if things go wrong. Conditions change, forecasts sometimes are wrong, weather gets nasty, aircraft systems fail, passengers get sick, babies are born on board, airports get closed, and they cannot stop for troubleshooting. Pilots fly, navigate and communicate regardless of what’s happening, and they have to react calmly under extreme situations.

Pilots are responsible for the safety of their passengers. If something goes wrong with a car, bus or train, you can stop and wait for assistance. This is not possible when you are high up in the sky. The majority of the time pilots are basically in stand‑by mode, but the real value lies in the times outside stand‑by mode—takeoffs, landings, unruly passengers, or when fecal matter hits the rotating metal object. You may recall that a certain pilot Sully faced that very scenario and brought 155 people from imminent disaster to safety. In that moment he earned all of that pay and more.

Pilots are not paid well compared to what they have invested in their licenses and ratings. Many start their career with more than 100,000 dollars in debt, and salaries have been pushed down while work hours have been pushed up. Pilots have to work when most others are sleeping or celebrating holidays. My job carries high levels of stress and responsibility, and I cannot afford to screw up too much. Making the wrong decision can cost me my job or my license, or even worse. Making a good but inefficient decision can cost the company more money than they have paid me in 14 years.

In the old days, transport aircraft had five crew members on the flight deck—captain, co‑pilot, navigator, engineer and radio operator. Better radio equipment removed the radio operator, better navigation equipment removed the navigator, and automated systems removed the engineer. The airline companies saved money, but the pilots got more responsibilities. The autopilot reduces the workload, allowing us to communicate, navigate and manage the systems, especially as the sky becomes more crowded.

While there are indeed some slow times cruising on autopilot, the approach, landing, takeoff and departure can be extremely busy. Add bad weather, crowded skies, overworked controllers and it’s a recipe for hazards. Pilots get paid, most of all, for the ‘what ifs’: an engine comes apart, rapid depressurization, wind shear, another plane on the runway, an impending mid‑air, or countless mechanical issues. We train for all of that and more, including compound emergencies not written down for which we may have to make up a procedure.

What’s harder is how not only to keep calm during emergencies but also do the correct procedures so you don’t make the problem worse and crash the airplane. Physics and math say there’s no way to make an airplane that works perfectly every time. For that 0.001% we need good pilots and they’re not cheap to train or retain. Pilots are paid not for sitting in the seat but for being ready for those moments when equipment fails, mother nature gets nasty, people get unruly, or whatever else can go wrong on a plane—and having the skill and nerves to handle it.