A flight attendant has revealed the real reason why they greet each passenger as they board the plane – and it’s not just to be polite.

As you make your way onto a plane, you tend to be greeted by a smiling flight attendant before spending far too long trying to locate your seat.

While it may seem like staff are simply being friendly, there’s actually a whole other reason why they try to welcome each passenger as they board.

Rania when welcoming people onboard a flight. (TikTok/@itsmekikooooo)

Many of us like to enjoy a couple of overpriced drinks in the terminal bar areas before flying. Suddenly, you hear the ‘final call’ (although it lasts for a long time) and you’re rushing to the departure gate.

We’ve all been there.

The friendly staff member then greets you as you board, but you’re unaware that the warm welcome is only part of the task they’ve been given in that moment.

According to one flight attendant who flies across Europe, cabin crew are actually analysing every passenger for other motives as they board the plane.

Over on TikTok, flight attendant Rania (@itsmekikooooo) revealed the real reason why she says hi to every single passenger as they board the plane, leaving social media users shocked.

Rania said: “Your flight attendant greets you, not only out of politeness, but also to check whether you are too drunk or sick to fly.”

Not only this, checking people out is also to analyse which passengers could help cabin crew in the unfortunate event of an emergency, she added in the video’s description.

Social media users were quick to share their thoughts in the comment section.

One person commented, alluding to already knowing this, saying: “I had pancreatitis when I was in Corfu, I acted normal going on to the plane; otherwise, I knew they wouldn’t let me on.”

Flight attendants have shared some secrets about flying. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

A second person joked: “Me with headphones walking on the plane completely ignoring the flight attendants…”

While a third said: “Ah okay this makes a lot of sense, I always get the same look going on flights.”

Another flight attendant in the comment section also added: “We look for anyone who hasn’t got any mobility issues, can speak English, looks like they will be able to open a door and ideally travelling alone.

“That makes you an ABP (able-bodied person).”

Many cabin crew have shared advice online recently, with one even revealing why you really shouldn’t ask them out when doing their job.

In a sit-down interview with LADbible, another person in the industry revealed exactly what happens when people try and join the mile high club while flying through the skies.

This article contains affiliate links and LADbible Group might make a commission on anything purchased.

We’re big fans of doing hand luggage only when we can. Not only do you not need to worry about lugging large cases around with you, there’s also no chance of your bag not making it with you to your final destination if it’s on your person.

So, we’re always on the lookout for ways to get around the ever-changing free carry-on luggage restrictions.

And one hack in particular will save you from having to spend a penny extra on baggage fees this summer….

Ryanair

What are the new free carry-on luggage restrictions?

If you’ve flown on a budget airline recently you’ll probably already know that most only allow a bag that can fit under the seat in front of you as part of your allowance. This means that your best bet is often a compact but still rather spacious backpack.

And since the airlines can often be pretty strict, you’ll want to ensure that it fits the latest size requirements before you even leave the house for your holiday.

So, here’s everything you need to know about Ryanair’s latest carry-on luggage restrictions, as well as our pick for the best bag to keep you within those measurements.

What are Ryanair’s rules on carry-on luggage?

Ryanair is one of the most popular budget airlines, with affordable flights taking off daily for Europe and beyond, making them an ideal choice for city breaks, beach holidays and weekend trips.

But at the start of this year, they updated their baggage policy once again. This means that at the moment, you’re only allowed one piece of carry-on baggage and this must be within 40cm x 20cm x 25cm. And you don’t need to get your tape measure out to realise that this isn’t a huge amount of space to work with.

So, you’ll want to pick a bag that truly makes the most of these dimensions.

Of course, you can upgrade your ticket to include a larger bag, with a 55cm x 40cm x 20cm size and a 10kg limit. But that will increase the cost of your budget getaway.

Antler

Our top pick

Even though its official measurements of 40cm x 17cm x 28cm are a tiny bit bigger than Ryanair’s restrictions, the fact that the Antler Chelsea Backpack is a soft, malleable bag means that you will be able to fit it both into the airline’s bag sizer and under the seat in front of you.

Normally priced at £140, it’s a definite investment but one that could easily be worthwhile if you travel frequently with budget airlines.

Not only does it look incredibly stylish thanks to its sleek and understated design, but it comes with a 16.5” laptop pocket – which has an additional slip pocket for a tablet – a removable packing pocket for shoes or a change of clothes, and it opens fully, almost like a suitcase would, allowing you to truly utilise every inch of space.

We also love that the bag has a back sleeve that slots over a suitcase handle, for longer trips, and space to hold a reusable water bottle.

gchutka

What are customers saying?

Several happy shoppers took to the Antler website to share how handy they found it for travelling hand luggage only.

One admitted: “Got this to match the Clifton hand luggage case and is perfect. Both meet the Ryanair dimensions perfectly for one bag and cabin bag rules. Loads of space and has a handy water bottle pocket on the side. Removable laptop storage area and the zip goes round further than normal rucksacks so you can pack it flat which seems to give you more space.”

While another added: “This is a brilliant backpack. It has plenty of pockets, is structured so it doesn’t sag when you put heavier things in it and it’s waterproof as well. comfortable to wear, it was great when I went on holiday and walked everywhere with it.”

The Chelsea backpack is available from antler.com.

Cabin crew are always on hand when you are boarding your plane, with most of them standing in the exact same position every single time to direct you to your seat.

And in doing so, most of them are stood with their hands behind their back – something that is done for one very specific reason.

Whether it is simply saying ‘hello’ to you as you board the flight, or making sure those who have drank too much in the airport lounge are watched closely, flight attendants do certain things when it comes to getting on board.

All of them have their own reason, with cabin crew running everything to do with the plane outside of flying the thing.

They’re also fountains of knowledge, taking to social media themselves to offer us some handy advice when it comes to certain things like why you should never take your shoes off on the plane.

You should always try and wear your sunglasses, too, for a very specific reason.

Lots goes on around you that you don’t even notice, with one of those things being the cabin crew standing tall with their arms out of sight.

Upright and arms behind their backs, they look like they’re simply greeting you on to the plane in a polite manner.

Well, they are. But it is also a little more than just that alone.

Cabin crew run the plane outside of the cockpit (Getty Stock Images)

Why do cabin crew hide their hands behind their backs?

Cabin crew put their hands behind their backs for security reasons.

No, they’re not ready with pepper spray in case of a rude, drunk passenger (although some might argue they should be). Instead, they have a simply clicker in their hands.

So as not to make people confused or ask questions as to what is going on, the clicker is kept out of sight.

Its purpose? A simple head count of who is on board to make sure no one has gone missing, and the number on board match the number who went through the airport gate.

Cabin crew are responsible for your safety and wellbeing (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

Are clickers really needed on planes?

Yes. Back in 2019, a flight from London Stansted Airport to Belfast was delayed by two hours when staff ran in to trouble counting passengers.

As reported by the Belfast Telegraph, roughly 100 passengers were left stood on the runway floor while crew did their best to confirm numbers.

According to eye witnesses on the flight, cabin crew said they had to account for everyone before they could legally take off. Two people were thought to be missing.

“It looked as though there were two people on the flight who couldn’t be accounted for,” a passenger revealed.

“The flight attendants kept telling us that legally they couldn’t take off until they had the correct number of passengers.”

The plane took to the skies at midnight after everyone was accounted for; one hour and 50 minutes after it was meant to.

The real reason why flight attendants greet all passengers is not just because they love a good chat.

When you hop on a plane – full of excitement for warmer weather and a change of scenery – you’ll often be greeted by a flight attendant.

While the vast majority of us just presume they are being friendly, there is certainly a lot more to it than that.

This is very common procedure for all commercial aircrafts, but why is that?

Well, in a video uploaded earlier this year, a flight attendant explained why they scrutinise each passenger as they board the plane.

In a post to her TikTok account, Kat Kamalani, shared a video in which she explained the routine cabin crew go through when they’re loading up a flight full of excited holidaymakers.

And just before we go on, it’s not because they’re critiquing your choice of travel attire.

Getty Stock Photo

No, in her vid, she explains that there are a number of reasons they stare intensely at passengers when they board.

And the majority of them are down to making sure we’re all as safe as possible.

“Have you ever walked on a plane and saw the flight attendants standing right here greeting you?” Kamalani says in the clip. “Or the flight attendants walking up and down the aisle?

“Well I’m about to tell you what we’re really doing.

“So, when you’re walking on the airplane and you see our happy, smiling face – we’re actually looking you up and down and we are trying to find our ABPs.

“And what that is called is our able body people or person – so, these are people who are going to help us in an emergency.

“For example, military personnel, firefighters, nurses, doctors.

“So, in case of an emergency, like a medical emergency or we are going to land the plane or there’s a security breach, we know who is on our plane and who can help us.

TikTok/@katkamalani

“But, we’re also looking for one more thing – beside from looking for things that don’t belong on the plane, like a boxful of liquids – we’re looking for human trafficking.t

“It happens a lot in the industry and our passengers’ safety is our number one priority.”

So there you have it, turns out that they’re just trying to keep you safe. So no need to go out and get yourself a new wardrobe.

Kamalani isn’t the only flight attendant to let us in on the inner workings of air travel, though.

Speaking previously, a fellow member of the cabin crew community previously shared the very grim explanation of what happens if someone actually dies onboard – and this one isn’t for the faint hearted.

There a few scenarios that you get you thinking about people’s hygiene habits, and the way they act on a plane is probably going to be one of them.

Trapped in a tight space for hours on end seems to bring the worst out in people and their mannerisms, and flight attendants are inevitably picking up on this.

In fact, one flight attendant was so disturbed that she took to TikTok to share her pet peeves about passengers, who seemingly didn’t have any common courtesy or simple home training – and she didn’t shy away from anything.

Colorado-based Natalie Magee began her viral video by slamming passengers who don’t wash their hands after going to the toilet – come on people.

In all fairness, that is something that applies in or out of a plane, as she went on he rant, saying that there are ‘so many’ pet peeves.

Apparently, some people don’t even shut the bathroom door, with others leaving a mess, then flushing without washing because well, they can hear that.

It’s not just the hand hygiene that is bugging Natalie, though.

This particular habit irks the cabin crew. (Getty Stock Photo)

Yep, she revealed that she hates when people head for the airplane loo without their shoes on.

One viewer agreed, commenting: “Please, nobody take their shoes off at all! Disgusting.”

As a rule of thumb, Natalie said: “We would love it if people treated the space as their home and were tidy and respectful.”

In fairness, that might be part of the problem.

We all like slobbing it up a bit when we’re at home, don’t we?

This isn’t the first time that Natalie has let rip on flyers, as she previously railed against people who vaped in the bathroom.

Branding sneaky smokers as ‘douche canoes’, she went on to say: “You are going to mess up a lot of people’s day because you were selfish.”

She also slammed passengers who change their baby’s nappies on the food tray – seriously.

Some change their baby’s poopy diapers up on the same table that they eat on. (Getty Stock Photo)

Hygiene issues aside, I’m not quite sure how a baby can be comfortably positioned on those things.

I can barely fit my sandwich, coke and crisps on there without feeling precarious.

So on the whole, people have a lot of audacity when it comes to flying.

Viewers were horrified and continued to express their agreement with Natalie’s pet peeves in the comments.

One person wrote: “Can’t believe people do any of these”, while another commented: “Everything on the list is basically common sense and common courtesy. As a society, have we strayed so far? Just incredible.”