10 Things Flight Attendants Rarely Talk About, Plus Tips to Make Your Flights More Comfortable

9. The captain's helpers, not wait staff

The tasks of a flight attendant, according to many, are to provide food, maintain the aircraft tidy, and respond to passenger requests. However, a flight attendant's primary duty is to serve as the captain's eyes and ears. The captain is the plane's chief executive and is in charge of handling emergency circumstances. The flight attendants report to the captain and are in charge of certain areas of the aircraft in the event of an emergency. Flight attendants are required to check in with pilots once every hour to make sure everything is running smoothly.

8. Payment to flight attendants is withheld until the aircraft door is closed.

Flight attendants are paid on an hourly basis by numerous airlines. Only the time spent in the air is compensated, though. For the crew, a delayed flight is therefore terrible news.