3 myths about air travel debunked
Air travel is quite a funny experience, isn't it? If you think about it, hundreds of people in an enclosed space travelling a crazy-fast speeds around the world. Have you ever wondered why we do certain things during air travel like turning our mobile phones off or opening the window blinds during take off and landing? Here we debunk three common travel myths and the reasons why we do certain things while we're in the air.
Airplane food tastes really bad
Airplane food certainly has a bad reputation but why does it always seem to taste bad? Most of us consider it lacks taste because its mass-produced, is cheap and super-processed. Wrong. Airlines go to great lengths to create meals that will taste good 35,000 feet up in the air. Professional chefs strategically choose flavours that will hopefully tempt your taste buds in such a stale environment. Truth is, airline food tastes bad because the engine noise distracts us from really tasting the food. There are even studies on how background or "white" noise can effect our sense of taste if it's too loud.
Window blinds up and seats in their upright position
You're thinking how dare the flight attendant ask you to put your seat in the upright position just when you're enjoying a good snooze. And they even ask you to let in that blinding light when all you want is dark. Even at night they ask you to put up the blinds. You may think it's because they want to "reset" the plane so that it's ready for the next set of passengers (less work for them right?). But it's all about safety. With the blinds up we can see any potential dangers. As for the seats and tray tables, it lessens the space between your head and the seat in front of you in case of impact.
All mobile phones have to be turned off
It's a real drag when the announcement comes on for all mobile phones to be turned off. You've got to get up out of your seat, dig through your bag to find your phone and turn it off. You think it's because the phone signal interferes with the navigation system. It's not entirely correct. After all, no one has ever proven that these types of devices interfere at all. No one is 100% sure but until they are the airline safety guidelines prohibit their use. Instead of testing every phone model with every aircraft type on the ground and in the air (read: £££) they just say no. Besides, would you like to hear your neighbour chatting the entire flight? Probably not.
What's your favourite part of flying? What's your least favourite part of flying?