Tom Cruise means many different things to many people, but for a particular segment of the transport industry, it turns out his name is a useful codeword to keep things organized.
‘The Secret Life of The Long Haul Flight’ is a documentary that does exactly what it promises - reveals all the tricks of the trade that flight crew employ to keep passengers, and themselves, happy during those interminable hours in the sky.
And one of the systems unique to air stewards and air stewardesses the world over - having a system for their beverages, which is where the ‘Top Gun’ star comes in.
One of the flight crew featured in the doc reveals:
“We have a little trick that we call Tom Cruise.
“When we talk about Tom Cruise on the aircraft we are not talking about the famous movie star — we are talking about tea and coffee. How do you put them on the trolley, tea then coffee. Tom Cruise.”
Other secrets to be unveiled in the doc include a special sleeping chamber for flight crew, housed underneath the passenger deck, near the cargo hold, where those on shift can grab a few hours sleep between duties, including one tucked-away compartment christened the ‘Harry Potter’ bed.
‘The Secret Life of The Long Haul Flight’ airs on Friday 2 June at 9pm on Channel 5.