Why Do Flight Attendants Greet Passengers During Boarding? (Spoiler: They Check 7 Things About Us)

Flight attendants tend to greet every passenger with a wide smile every time they step onboard. We wonder how they don’t get tired of greeting hundreds of people at a time. Turns out, flight attendants have serious reasons why they do this and they’ve finally decided to tell us about it.

Bright Side found out the things flight attendants learn about us the very moment they say, “Welcome aboard!”

1. Physical strength

A flight attendant will notice and remember your seat if you’re in good physical shape. They might need your help in case there is a trouble-maker who needs to be calmed down. Also, a strong man can help a flight attendant arrange the evacuation process faster and more efficiently in case of an accident.

2. Being drunk

A drunk passenger can be a lot of trouble for flight attendants. Inadequate behavior, making a lot of noise, and making other passengers uncomfortable due to their unpleasant odor are just a few reasons why a drunk passenger might be a burden during a flight. Moreover, this person won’t be of any help in the case of an emergency. Instead, they might be the reason for slowing the evacuation process down by putting other passengers in danger.

Therefore, if a passenger is very drunk or in a state of drug intoxication, a flight attendant may refuse to board them on the plane.

3. Illness

No one wants to catch the flu during a flight. Passengers stay in a closed space together for several hours, which makes it very easy to get the virus.

“If you look pale and unwell and you’re coughing and sneezing, you may be denied boarding,” say flight attendants.

4. The presence of colleagues

Flight attendants also try to find out whether there are other flight attendants traveling on board. That’s because these people have been taught how to behave in emergencies, give first aid, and work in a team. Their help will be very useful if an emergency situation occurs.

5. Aerophobia

It’s important for flight attendants to know which passengers are scared to fly on planes. During the flight, they will give more attention to these people by cheering them up and comforting them.

6. Physical attributes

There are 2 reasons why it’s important to spot people with special physical needs and disabilities:

• According to the rules, handicapped people can’t sit near emergency exits because they are unlikely to be able to open a heavy door in case of an emergency.
• These people might need extra help. Flight attendants make sure such passengers are not forgotten in the case of an emergency.

7. Large carry-ons

A person pulling a huge bag on board might cause a flight delay because it will take time to find a place for such luggage. Very often, passengers try to put their luggage in the places not meant for it. Moreover, a big bag might fall out and traumatize passengers during strong turbulence. That’s the reason why flight attendants need to take note of such luggage as soon as possible to be able to solve this issue quickly.

Do you greet flight attendants in return or do you ignore them? Please tell us about it in the comments!