6 things cabin crew will never tell you once you're on the plane

Most of us fly at least a couple of times a year, whether it's a short trip across the channel or the living hell of a 12-hour flight to somewhere hot.

It may nowadays seem routine, but one thing that retains an air of mystery is what exactly goes on behind the scenes among the cabin crew. What do they know that they're not able to tell us?

One user on Quora decided to find out by asking the question, and the answers poured in from flight attendants around the world. Here are the best:

1. Cabin crews know more about you than you'd think

They have a 'manifest', which lists every passenger on board, writes Avik Chopra. This is now digital so staff can access it on a mobile. They know much more about you than you'd expect, including your 'tier status', special needs, and you're eventual destination if on a connecting flight.

2. They don't get paid as you'd expect

Flight attendants are not paid until the aircraft door shuts for take-off, according to one anonymous confession. That means no pay for the mandatory two hours they need to be at the airport beforehand.

3. Which means delays are bad for you, even worse for them

Delays are even worse for cabin crew than they are for passengers, the same anonymous worker confesses. Every hour of waiting means an hour less rest-time at a local hotel.

4. ... Don't walk around shoeless

Cabin crew can't believe it when passengers don't wear their shoes to walk across the "dirty" floor to use the toilet, writes former flight attendant Kelly Goodnuff.

5. There's still not a lot of hope if you crash at sea

If you crash at sea, you're extremely unlikely to survive the impact. And even if you do, drowning is probable, usually made faster by hypothermia and exhaustion, Goodnuff adds.

6. Finally, your seat cushion can double as a flotation device

Just in case you do crash at sea...