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62 secrets you never knew about flying

Flying 101: experts reveal all
Planes fly high for speed
Calculating flight time is complicated
Air traffic controllers are responsible for 2.2 million passengers' safety
Flights are overbooked to keep fares low
Flight attendants have a variety of roles
The tracks left behind by planes are called contrails
Cabin air may be bad for your health
Air pressure makes your legs swell
Pilots often fall asleep on the job
The oxygen masks only provide up to 15 minutes of air
Budget airlines aren't less safe than full service carriers
Your lost luggage gets auctioned off
There's a reason you almost always enter/exit on the left
Babies born in US airspace become US citizens
24-hour flights aren't far off
Air on top of the wings creates lift, not the air below
Passengers help the crew during take-off and landing
Seats have to be upright for safety
Darkness in the cabin is also a safety feature
The pilot communicates with cabin crew through the 'double ding'
Engine power reduces almost immediately after take-off
If your phone's left on, it probably won't interfere with the equipment
It would take super-human strength to open a door mid-flight
Engines can stall mid-flight but it's rare
Lightning can strike planes but it often goes unnoticed
Turbulence has multiple causes
Planes are unlikely to crash due to turbulence
The seatbelt sign is a communication tool between pilot and passenger
Rationality won't help your fear of flying
Flight crew can also get scared, sometimes
You can get pretty close to other planes in the sky
Crew sometimes sleep in the ceiling on long-haul legs
Meals are prepared on the ground a few days in advance
Aircraft pressure makes the food taste rubbish
Flight attendants have the same meals, but have their own hacks
Dehydration on long-haul flights means you'll get drunk quicker
People cry more on planes
Good manners go a long way
Cabin crew are first-aid trained
'Doors to manual' stops the emergency slide from automatically inflating
Cleaning time is minimal on many flights
Planes can really fly and land themselves
Plane windows are layered
Seat swapping is OK, as long as you stay in your cabin
The world's shortest flight is just one minute long
Air pressure causes your ears to pop
Planes don't dump waste in the skies
Planes are really expensive
Security and safety mean you're not allowed to walk under the wing
Carbon from planes stays in the atmosphere for 100 years
It can take 45 minutes to refuel
That blanket and pillow are safety features too
Planes come with body bags in case of a death on board
Flight attendants have to be strong swimmers
A plane can't take off if you're in the bathroom
Bathrooms are supposed to be cleaned every 30 mins
Airports collect extortionate landing fees
London's main airport averages one emergency landing a week
The fastest plane travels more than 650 miles per hour
Flying from Perth to London once cost almost $24,000 (£20k)
The arrows inside planes have special meanings
Eager to get on board? Cabin crew have a name for you
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Ilker Ergun/Shutterstock

Flying 101: experts reveal all

No matter how often we fly, the wonder of air travel never ceases to astound us. Planes are becoming ever more sophisticated and intelligent, and the in-flight experience has come on leaps and bounds since the early days of airliners. We've done all the research and asked the experts – cabin crew, pilots, airline execs – to explain everything we’ve always wanted to know about flying.
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loveEXPLORING staff

12 November 2019

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