What airlines don't want you to know about flying – from human remains to horses

Buy a ticket, taxi down the runway, and take off. Flying is easy enough, right? Sure, there might be a little bump during the flight, or the cabin could run out of the chicken curry you were hankering after, but soon enough you’ll land and get on with the rest of your day. Such is the simplicity of air travel.

Yet, behind the scenes of a relatively calm flight, there are always plenty of things going on that the people who work in aviation don’t want you to know.

Some airlines prioritise speed over a smooth flight

Did you know that that certain airlines prioritise a smoother flight than others? According to an air-traffic controller writing on Reddit, American low-cost carrier Southwest airlines prioritises quick (and safe) take-offs and descents which cuts the journey time and can save the airline money. American Airlines and United, however, are all about ensuring a smooth ride, with pilots looking out for turbulence, asking air-traffic control about upcoming bumpiness, and diligently reporting back to HQ.

Planes often fly with bits missing

One engineer explained how there’s a huge list of things that are permitted to be missing from the aircraft, yet it’s still able to fly. Reddit user PiperArrown3191 explains that the list is infact a massive book called the “Minimum Equipment List (MEL). This is what can be broken on the aircraft while it still remains airworthy. If certain lights are broken, the aircraft is restricted to daytime use.”

Pilots eat separately

Passenger safety is prioritised to the extent that pilots are even given two different meals. Under Ichago says, "They’re not even allowed to share, just in case they get food poisoning."

You’ll probably be flying with human remains

Users also recommend that passengers keep an eye out for white boxes being loaded onto the aircraft. "That’s a dead body, or, as we call it in the industry, human remains." One baggage handler laments: "Inside of the box is a bag that holds the body, most of the time it is black so you can’t see in it. And no, it is not fun when the box falls apart. I was paid far too little to pick up a dead off of the ground and put it back in the box." The thread estimates that pilots carry around eight dead people each year, and yes, they are listed on the airline manifest.

There is probably poo everywhere

Be careful what you touch inflight. One flight attendant suggests giving the tray tables a wide berth. "Don't touch the tray tables. People change their poopy babies on those. And on the floor."

Special treatment exists

Additionally, if you’ve ever seen flight attendants bend over backwards to help horrible people, this could be because on several flights the crew has a list of all passengers which has their frequent flier status, or notes to explain whether they're friends or family of the crew. Flight attendants will also respond nicely to people who are nice to them. From organising an upgrade if you have a horrible neighbour, to being slipped a few treats from first class, if there’s time or it’s a long flight cabin crew can sometimes go out of their way to say thanks to a passenger who is making their flight extra-pleasurable.

Horses might be travelling just a few foot behind you

One Reddit poster shared how much her horses love to travel. "On the big transatlantic flights behind the ‘back’ of the plane there are containers for horses. A special horse attendant sits in with them and owners and riders can sit in the back row for access. They get loads of hay and cookies for the inflight experience, and there’s an access hatch from the main aircraft." Sometimes the G-force knocks them over though and they end up sitting down, but they're up again pretty soon eating the hay.