Secret ‘Coke or stroke’ rule when flying explained as flight attendants reveal meaning behind code

There’s a secret code called ‘Coke or stroke’ which passengers won’t be aware of, but not to worry because we're going to fill you in right now.

If you didn’t know, there’s something that flight attendants do right at the start of the boarding process which allows you to get a feel for the journey.

There’s nothing worse than having rowdy passengers who can oftentimes make things difficult for the duration of the journey, and ‘Coke or stroke’ could help out the staff to prepare.

Travelling the world is all fun and games until you have to do it as a career and once you’re contracted to travel, it means that there is a lot more responsibility placed upon your shoulders.

While it might look nice to wear a matching uniform and carry out safety instructions, there’s a lot more that goes into it.

But there’s a code that all staff live by.

The 'Coke or stroke' code is essential (Getty Stock Images)

There are inevitably going to be moments where the call bell is rung by passengers in need.

As staff has no idea what is to be expected of them, they have a motto to help things go smoothly.

It’s the ‘Coke or stroke’ motto which pretty much means what you think it does.

Does this person want a can of Coke or are they having a stroke?

Writing for the Sun, a flight attendant shared: “Our motto for the call bell is ‘Coke or stroke’ - as in it could be someone wanting a drink, or it could be a medical emergency.

“We never know what it's going to be, so we have to respond as quickly as possible.”

“Most of the time, before the plane has even started moving, it's people complaining or asking us to move them to a better seat,” they wrote.

Thankfully, cases of medical emergencies onboard are rare, but at least they have a system which helps them out.

This is why when you enter the plane, there is always a stewardess there to greet you, says flight attendant Kat Kamalani.

Taking to TikTok, she explained: "Have you ever walked on a plane and saw the flight attendants standing right here greeting you? 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.

"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.

"It happens a lot in the industry and our passengers' safety is our number one priority."

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