Flight attendant reveals ‘scary’ reason why they sit on their hands during take-off and landing

Have you ever noticed that flight attendants sit on their hands during take-off and landing?

Well, there's actually a very good reason why - although it is pretty terrifying.

In a TikTok video, flight attendant Henny Lim revealed why members of the crew do this and what it actually means.

In the clip, Henny explained the secret behind the procedure, which is something all members of the crew must do while the plane is taking off and when it's landing at its destination.

First, crew must fasten their belts before sitting upright and then tucking their hands under the top of their legs.

“This position involves fastening seatbelt securely, [sitting] upright, [sitting] on [your] hands, palms up, thumbs [tucked] and arms loose and [placing your] feet flat on the floor,” she explained.

And Henny also revealed why flight attendants do this, adding: “The aim is to keep the body in a rigid pose so that if there was any impact from an unplanned emergency, the body is damaged less.

“This keeps body movement restricted so that there is less chance of injury if there was an impact."

The flight attendant explained that it is during this time that crew are doing a 'silent review' which is where they are preparing for an emergency.

“During this time, [we] will also be going through [a] silent review, which prepares [us] for an emergency situation [during] every take-off and landing.

“This includes being aware of emergency equipment in the location, door operations, commands given and any visual clues outside [of] the aircraft.”

Some viewers were pretty shocked by the video, with one commenting: "Good info. Always preparing for a crash is scary though."

Recently, we told you how crew use a certain codeword to describe a specific type of passenger - and you certainly don't want to be called this.

The anonymous crew member revealed that if you overhear someone being labelled this one particular word during flight, the chances are that they've found themselves on the naughty list.

"If you’re labeled a Philip, then you’ve done something wrong and should probably expect to get bad service for the rest of the flight," she told The Sun.

"That name originated from the term PILP — Passenger I’d Like to Punch — but has changed over time to become slightly more subtle."

If you hear this, you just know you've done something very wrong.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@_hennylim

Topics: Travel

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine