If you've ever had the good fortune to be travelling on a plane, or perhaps misfortune defending on your choice of airline, then you'll know that as you board the flight the cabin crew will say 'hello' and might give you a look up and down.
You may feel as though you're being appraised in some sort of way, and you'd be correct.
There's lots of things to think about when it comes to air travel and there are all sorts of reasons why the flight attendants might be looking at you.
In fact, they'll be looking out for several things at the same time, which could result in you not being allowed to travel or being called upon in the case of an emergency.
Advert
If you're a nice, normal passenger then it'll just be a quick look as you move towards your seat, but there are some people who get onto planes that can cause trouble.
.jpg)
The sobriety or sickness test
This is one of the most cited reasons among flight attendants who have explained why they'll give you a look up and down as you board the plane.
Flight attendant Rania said they were looking out for signs that a passenger might be 'too drunk or sick to fly'.
Advert
If you need medical attention then you certainly shouldn't be confining yourself to a pressurised metal tube for several hours that'll be away from any sort of hospital.
Even if there's a doctor on board, you might be in more peril than they can manage just with their knowledge alone.
Meanwhile, drunk passengers are a handful to deal with and could end up being escorted off the plane if their behaviour becomes a serious issue.
Knowing who needs an eye kept on them is crucial to staying on top of any situation that might develop.
Naughty or nice
Speaking of which, it's entirely possible for passengers to be dangerous or disruptive without imbibing any alcohol.
Advert
Getting a good look at you can help a flight attendant gain a first impression of who might be a troublemaker and which passengers may be more pleasant to deal with.
Completely sober passengers can be kicked off a flight after kicking off at the flight attendants, and some airline staff have revealed in the past that they'll play little pranks on the ruder passengers.
On the other hand, former Emirates cabin crew member Kamila Jakubjakova said: "It always pays being nice to flight attendants."
She explained that 'if you go the extra mile, we'll probably also go the extra mile in return'.
ABP check
Flight attendant Kat Kamilani said that they were looking out for something else when they greeted you on the plane, and that's who might be an ABP.
Advert
She said: "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."
In the event of an emergency, they need to know who could help and where on the plane that help is located.
Advert
Suspicious baggage
The flight attendant said that they were also keeping an eye out for something else from those passengers boarding the plane, and that's the stuff that shouldn't be there at all.
Kamilani said: "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.
"It happens a lot in the industry and our passengers' safety is our number one priority."
Some people will try and sneak extra bags onto the plane without a larger nefarious goal, but it pays to be vigilant and have an eye out for what the passengers have brought with them.
Topics: Travel, Plane Etiquette
Joe Harker