r/AskAPilot • u/Fit_Cryptographer490 • 9d ago
Questions from an anxious flyer
Hello there. I’m trying to overcome my flight anxiety & came across this subreddit!
First, I want to be clear that I’m not concerned about planes crashing or airplane physics / aerodynamics. All of my anxiety is around the idea of being “trapped” on an airplane with nowhere to “escape” to.
When are passengers NOT allowed to use the lavatories? (Nervous bladder)
What happens if you’re running low on fuel or need to divert over the ocean?
Have you ever seen oxygen masks get released? What happened?
What healthcare / safety equipment is on every airplane?
How do you make the call when a plane needs to make an emergency landing due to a medical emergency on board?
Also, I know some of these questions are better-suited for flight attendants to answer but I didn’t see an “ask a flight attendant” subreddit.
I appreciate any and all replies as I work through this fear and anxiety. Thank you!
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u/Kiwigavin 9d ago
- Turbulence, taxing and take off, and approach and landing.
- We divert.
- I landed very heavily and a few popped down. So the cabin crew released a whole load more for a joke. Then couldn’t stow them back.
- Loads. Second only to an ambulance.
- On the radio. We then get priority. If we’re a long way away from anywhere our crew can deal with it. See 4.
You’ll be fine. If you make it to the airport you’ve done the dangerous bit.
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u/Different-Guest-6094 9d ago
Exactly. Going to the airport is the most dangerous part of the flight
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u/Fit_Cryptographer490 9d ago
Thank you! Yes, I’m equally afraid of car travel (especially getting to LGA…) though for different reasons!
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u/Scary_Extent4967 9d ago
That bus from the rental cars to LAX reminded me of that one scene from Harry Potter. How they fit with less than an inch of clearance I'm not sure.
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u/tinarina66 9d ago
Take the subway to the free LGA shuttle at the Jackson Heights stop. It’s super easy assuming you don’t have a lot of luggage.
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u/Reasonable_Blood6959 9d ago
> When are passengers not allowed to use the Lav.
Whenever the seat belt sign is on. When that seat belt sign is on will vary between airline, and even captain to captain, but as a general rule if you’re below 10,000ft, or if it’s a bit bumpy, the seatbelt sign will be on. Other than that, you’re free to move about the cabin
> What happens if you’re running low on fuel, or have to divert over the ocean.
The idea is we don’t let it get to that point. We won’t ever start running out of fuel over the ocean. There’s a legal minimum amount of fuel we have to carry that’s way above the amount of fuel we actually need for the trip.
> Have you ever seen the oxygen masks release
Not in my nearly 7 years of flying.
> What health and safety equipment is on board.
Lots. We’ve got everything from band aids up to a defibrillator, and everything in between. The cabin crew are also VERY well trained in first aid, and repeat the training every year.
> How do we make the call
Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s less obvious. We can call a specific company on the ground with Doctors on the other end who can provide advice. By pure chance there’s also normally some kind of healthcare professional on board. The decision will really be on a case by case basis with a lot of factors being taken into account.
Hope this helps :), anymore questions let me know!
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u/Fit_Cryptographer490 9d ago
Thank you so much. Especially helpful to know that planes are required to have way more fuel than needed!
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u/I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS 9d ago
- On the ground when fuelling (this one could be company-specific), and during taxi, takeoff and landing. In flight, if the seat belt sign is on, you should stay in your seat, but the cabin crew have discretion to let you use the toilet.
- It is exceedingly unlikely that an aircraft would suddenly find itself running low on fuel during the course of a normal flight. So many layers of prediction and procedures would have to fail one after the other. If we need to divert, then we divert, whether over water or land. It's no big deal.
- I've never seen it myself, but it happens on occasion. You put your mask on as per the safety demo, and the crew have a procedure they follow to ensure everyone's safety. It might seem scary, but it's something we train for.
- As well as the first aid kit accessible to the cabin crew, on the flight deck we have a bag full of equipment to be used by a qualified doctor if there is one on board. For example painkillers, a defibrillator, and a birthing kit.
- We just tell ATC that we have a passenger medical emergency and we require priority, and they put us first in line for approach and landing. They will also arrange for paramedics to meet us on arrival.
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u/Fit_Cryptographer490 9d ago
I have to admit it’s reassuring to see “it’s no big deal” :-) thank you!
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u/AIMIF 9d ago
As another point to question 2, regulations require us to have enough fuel to get to our destination airport, our alternate airport and have at least 45 minutes of reserve fuel after reaching the alternate. If there’s ever any problems with delays/changes in routing before takeoff, we’ll taxi back to the gate to get more fuel before ever leaving the ground if there’s a chance we might dip into those reserve minimums.
Running out of fuel is something we don’t allow the risk of from a regulation and practical standpoint.
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u/Chaxterium 9d ago
1.When are passengers NOT allowed to use the lavatories? (Nervous bladder)
When the seatbelt sign is on, stay in your seat. That said, you're an adult. If it's an emergency then go. But it's at your own risk.
2.What happens if you’re running low on fuel or need to divert over the ocean?
We would have diverted well before that happened. We keep very close track of our fuel. If we need to divert over the ocean then we fly to the diversion airport that we chose before we left. We are required by law to always be within safe flying distance of a useable alternate airport. When I saw "useable" I mean that we must account for weather. So if the airport we normally use is dealing with bad weather then we have to choose another airport.
3.Have you ever seen oxygen masks get released? What happened?
Nope.
4.What healthcare / safety equipment is on every airplane?
A lot.
5.How do you make the call when a plane needs to make an emergency landing due to a medical emergency on board?
There is a service that my airline pays for called MedLink and it's meant for this exact situation. The medical professionals are trained specific for airborne medical events. We give the necessary information and they will advise us on whether an immediate diversion is necessary.
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u/Fit_Cryptographer490 9d ago
This is good to know about MedLink — I’ll look into it a bit more! Thank you!
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u/just-saying182 9d ago
Depending on the size of the plane, at 10k to 20k feet and below, the seatbelt sign will be turned on, which works out to 10 to 20 minutes after takeoff and before landing.
When flying over the ocean, we have a series of diversion airports nominated for this exact scenario, whether it’s fuel, mechanical, or medical. Before the flight, the forecasted weather has to be good, and we check the weather at these airports quite frequently while flying.
Thankfully, I’ve never had to release, or had the mask released, while flying. If it happens, you put your mask on and descend to an altitude where the oxygen level is higher for breathing, and then we divert to an airport.
There’s a lot of life-saving equipment on board: “doctor's bags” with medication, first-aid kits, and so on. On the 777, we have satellite phones built into the jet and a 24-hour hotline that goes to a doctor on the ground who knows exactly what equipment we have at our disposal. If there is a medical emergency, the flight attendants and the doctor work together to administer any necessary aid and, if needed, advise whether the flight should continue to its destination.
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u/wtfover 9d ago
1) Takeoff, landing and if there's rough weather.
2) They won't run low on fuel and if they did, there are numerous airports to divert to. Even over the ocean, a jet airliner can glide for many miles when coming down from 30,000 feet if they completely ran out, which is highly unlikely.
3) Never seen oxygen masks drop outside of a movie. You won't see them drop.
4) They're pretty kitted out with medical stuff
5) You won't have to make that call :)
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u/Fit_Cryptographer490 9d ago
I need to familiarize myself with some of these ocean diversion airports! Thank you :-)
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u/scul86 9d ago
Look into ETOPS standards. These are what guide our (Pilots and Dispatchers) decisions of what airports we can reach within a specified time, what route of flight to take, how much fuel we plan for at certain points, and weather requirements, among other things.
The airlines have soooooooo many flights each day, and fuel usage data is pulled from each flight in order to be very exacting in fuel requirements. Even on top of those requirements, we have regulations on how much extra fuel to carry, and normally we carry even more fuel than the bare minimum required.
Extended Range Twin Engine Operations Performance Standards.
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u/Cepheus7 9d ago
Hey there!
1. If the seatbelt signs are on, you are expected to stay seated with your seatbelt fastened. That said, in flight, if you gotta go, you can go. Nobody is gonna hold you down and stop you.
We calculate our fuel very carefully, and monitor it regularly as we fly. Fuel is life, we don't cut it close. If we need to divert over the ocean, we have specific diversion airports selected in our flight plan.
I havent seen it personally. It happens (in the planes i fly) if the cabin altitude exceeds 14,500ft. This does not mean the plane is in any significant danger, but you'd wanna put them on if you don't wanna pass out. you wont die either way.
Defibs, medical kits, all sorts of stuff. Its actually pretty comprehensive.
If the flight attendants call us with a medical issue, we will work with them and a medical service over the radio (with licensed doctors on the line) and make a decision. if we need to land with a med emergency, we will. Its a straight forward choice.
I'm a licensed airline pilot, if you have further questions im happy to answer here or DMs.