If you’re a long-time reader of Travel at 60, you may remember a story where it was revealed flight attendants have their own language in order to convey their messages as quickly and clearly as possible.
Some airlines call it Aviationese, but there’s more to the language hosties use than just acronyms and jargon. They also use codes to describe emergency situations in order to get the message across to each other quickly while keeping the cabin calm.
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Imagine if airline staff alerted eachother over the plane’s PA system that there was a hijacking in progress? Or if they announced a child had gone missing? It could complicate the process.
The one phrase you do not want to hear on your flight is “7500”, which is code for there is a hijacking taking place. Used within the terminal is “Code Adam”, which means there is a missing child. This will alert other airline staff and security to the situation promptly.
According to The Sun, there’s a filthy code phrase that flight attendants use as well. If a passenger is being rude, flight staff may ‘cropdust’ or break wind past the rude customer. Next time someone is being rude on a flight near you, be sure to keep your ears open and listen out for the nasty phrase.
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Often when our flight is delayed we will hear the pilot come on over the plane’s PA system and say they’re just finishing up some last-minute paperwork. The pilot isn’t lying, but they aren’t going into the full detail either. ‘Last-minute paperwork’ could mean they’re revising the flight plan, checking the plane’s weight or doing general maintenance or waiting on ground crews for any number of tasks.
Airline staff have a number of codes that are just industry lingo, but there are some that identify emergency situations.
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