Reason why flight attendants watch passengers during boarding

Have you ever felt like a flight attendant gave you more than a long stare while you boarded?

Well, turns out they may have been watching their passengers, but not for the reason you might think.

Cabin crew have a plethora of gestures and secret codes to ensure smooth service during the flight – with one former crew member even sharing a special code word his team used to indicate they liked a passenger .

But now, speaking to Joe Marler Show Podcastan air hostess – said Damian revealed a more serious reason why cabin crew might be paying special attention to people on board.



A flight attendant has revealed the secret reason why they might be caught staring at passengers

Coming to the subject, England rugby player Joe recalled hearing a story about why flight attendants lined up to officially greet passengers when they boarded a plane.

He asked Damien to lift the lid on why he and his colleagues are often caught peeking at guests.

Damien explained that this was part of the identification of “ABP”, that is, “able-bodied passengers”.

“He’s someone who travels alone, who speaks English – or whatever language the airline operates in – and seems able enough to help you in an emergency,” he explained.



Air marshals
A steward revealed that flight attendants look for ‘able-bodied passengers’ when boarding

But rather than giving any lucky passenger in that category a better seat, Damien suggested it just meant they would be referred for help in an emergency.

“In an emergency, you will stand in the cabin and give passengers an emergency briefing,” he said.

“Then you find that person and ask, ‘Are you traveling alone? ” Do you speak English? And would you be willing to help me?



Airplane seats
Flight attendants try to identify passengers who might be able to help in an emergency

“Basically you take them to your seat, show them how your harness opens, how the door works, what to expect when the door opens…”

In the same episode, Damien also explained why the flight crew pushes passengers to buy in-flight purchases.

“We want you to buy it because we get a commission on it,” he admitted, before acknowledging that only the price of alcohol and cigarettes represents a reasonable offer in the air.

To get more Daily Star lifestyle stories straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our free newsletters here.

Comments are closed.