There are certain seats on a plane that come with a little triangle above them – and a flight attendant has now revealed what it actually means and why it’s there
A flight attendant has shed light on the mystery of small black or red triangles that passengers may notice while flying.
When you’re soaring at 30,000 feet with only a thin plane wall and a few sheets of Perspex separating you from the void, it’s natural for your mind to wander. You might find yourself pondering the purpose of these tiny shapes positioned above certain seats.
These markers, which can be either red or black, are strategically placed within the cabin. If you observe closely, you’ll see they align with the wings outside the aircraft. These triangles serve as indicators for the flight crew when they need to inspect the wings, providing them with the optimal viewing points for the external slats and flaps.
This feature proves particularly beneficial during winter months when ensuring the wings are adequately de-iced is crucial. A cabin crew member, known as @_hennylim_ on TikTok, took to the social media platform to elucidate this system.
“1. Passengers sitting next to the triangles get the best view of the wings. 2. If flight crew need to check the wings, these triangles let them know the best vantage points for the slats and flaps outside,” she explained.
Seats located beneath these triangles have also earned the nickname ‘William Shatner’s seat’. This moniker stems from an episode of The X-Files featuring the actor, in which his character spots a goblin perched on the wing through his window. Those tiny stickers on commercial jet windows aren’t the only features that might catch your eye and spark curiosity. Perhaps more alarming, you might notice little holes in those same windows.
Concerns about cabin pressure safety have understandably risen among flyers following an incident last year when a passenger’s clothes were dramatically torn from their body as an Alaska Airlines plane’s door exploded out of its frame. However, there’s reassurance to be found – thankfully provided by Henny Lim, an air hostess with Cebu Pacific, a Philippines-based carrier.
Lim explains that these small perforations, also known as ‘bleed holes’, play a crucial role in ensuring aircraft safety. “The tiny hole helps balance the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside air,” Henny clarified in a recent video.
Planes feature windows with three layers – glass and acrylic – which together maintain insulation for passengers and uphold security within the plane. The holes facilitate a controlled airflow, mitigating stress on the windows due to air pressure.
An expert from the Federal Aviation Administration shed further light on the matter to Tech Insider. They noted that as the aircraft climbs, the external air pressure decreases relative to the stabilized cabin pressure. Consequently, the disparity between internal and external pressures grows, placing increasing physical strain on the triple-pane window construction.
There exists a tiny air gap sandwiched between the middle and outer panes, with the hole located in the middle pane. The outer pane bears the brunt of the pressure, while the middle pane serves as a backup should the outer one fail. Additionally, these panes play a crucial role in preventing moisture and condensation from clouding the glass.