First, came the news that flight attendants are actually scanning you when they greet you onto the plane. And now, it seems that the crew has been sharing secret messages over a little-known code in plane (sorry) hearing of passengers.
John Cox, retired airline captain and owner of safety consulting company Safety Operating Systems, shared the information with USA Today.
He responded to a reader’s question which read, “During a flight, I’ve noticed that there are ‘dings’ when announcements are being made. I once heard a rumour that two dings [are for] something more common (such as fasten seatbelts due to rough weather ahead), while 3 and 4 ‘dings’ are for much more serious issues during the flight. Is this true?”
What was the answer?
Cox replied in the affirmative, saying that “different airlines use the chimes differently.”
For instance, “A single chime could be to the flight attendants to advise them of pending choppy air, perhaps serious enough that they should be seated. Another possibility would be, ‘when you have time, could we please have a coffee?’“
And two chimes is commonly used to mean that the plane is approaching 10,000 feet in altitude, he said.
“A 3+ chime could be to tell the flight attendants to be seated NOW due to reports of turbulence that were just received by the pilots,” or that a passenger is seriously injured, he added.
But “I would not automatically draw the conclusion that more chimes indicate a serious problem,” he said.
Huh!
I know! Flight attendant Tommy Cimato confirmed the fact in a TikTok, saying that tones that go from high to low usually mean that cabin crew are trying to reach each other ― or that the flight deck is trying to contact them.
He says in his video that three chimes are used on his flight to mean there’s an emergency ― though he stresses that this is extremely rarely used.
All I know is, I’ll be keeping my ear out for chimes going forward...