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Flight attendant answers common questions about flying that we all secretly wonder but rarely ever ask
A flight attendant on TikTok is answering some of the most common questions she gets about airplane rules and etiquette — even the ones you’ve been too embarrassed to ask about.
According to Brodie Capron (@brodie.capron), who works as a cabin crew member for Virgin Australia, there are certain questions she gets asked a lot in her line of work, and she’s ready to set the record straight.
In her now-viral TikTok, Capron says a lot of people worry about whether or not the water handed out on flights is safe to drink.
“Yes, it is,” she says matter-of-factly after coming home from her latest flight. “It is filtered, and it’s clean.”
That said, not all airplane water is created equal. According to a 2019 study on the subject, certain airlines like JetBlue and Spirit earned low rankings for their water quality, so you may want to stick to bottled water or do your own research beforehand.
Other passengers have wondered why the window shades really need to be in the upward position during take-off and landing since, depending on the time of day, it can be quite bright.
Capron says the answer to that one is simple: During take-off and landings, pilots and cabin crew members are all strapped into their designated seats for safety reasons. Because of that, only passengers sitting in certain seats have an actual view of the engines. So, in the event that anything goes wrong, having all of the window shades up allows more people to spot an issue and alert the crew in case of an emergency.
Another question Capron gets asked has to do with the toilets.
Apparently, people have been curious if the “wee and poo go straight into the sky” after they flush. Luckily, the short answer to that one is no — it all goes straight into the plane’s sewage tank, which then gets emptied upon landing. (Phew.)
Other frequently asked questions include why we’re told to put our own oxygen masks on first before tending to others — “You won’t be very useful if you don’t have oxygen yourself,” says Capron — and whether the plane doors can be opened mid-flight. (“Unless you have super-human strength … no,” she says.)
As for those carry-on bags, the weight limits we all groan about apparently have more to do with the capacity of the overhead bins than the actual plane itself. And when it comes to getting more drunk in the air than on land, Capron says it’s not actually all in your head.
“Because of the lower oxygen percentage in the air, the effects of alcohol are greater,” she says.
Now that the post has gone viral, a lot of people are saying it was actually pretty helpful.
“huh, I actually learnt something new. nice,” one person commented. “thanks for knowledge.”
Others said this explains a lot about their past flight experiences.
“That’s why I get so tipsy on flights,” one person mused.
“Never understood the window shade thing,” said another. “good to know.”
And, incredibly, at least one person said they recognized Capron from a previous flight.
“I’ve had you as a flight attendant,” they shared. “You were amazing.”
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