Flight Attendant Reveals Secret Codes Crew Use to Describe Passengers
A FORMER Emirates flight attendant has revealed the secret codes crew use for attractive and irritating passengers.
Ever wondered what the cabin crew is saying when they exchange mysterious codes during a flight?
Jay Robert, a senior cabin crew member for Emirates has spilled the beans on the secret language of flight attendants. He has shared the playful nicknames they use for passengers they find irritating, attractive, and more. According to Jay, “When you’re confined to a plane for long hours, boredom kicks in, prompting many crew members to tune into what we call CCFM, or cabin crew radio, for the latest gossip from the aisles.”
The Secret Language of Flight Attendants
If you ever hear the crew refer to you as an HOB, you should take it as a compliment. The acronym stands for ‘Hotty On Board’ – indicating that you have caught the eye of the flight attendants for your looks. On the flip side, being dubbed a VIP does not mean that you are a ‘very important person’. Instead, the cheeky nickname stands for ‘Very Irritating Person’ suggesting that you might be causing a stir in the cabin.
Unveiling the Secret Acronyms
But there are more codes that go beyond attractions and annoying people. ABP, which officially stands for ‘Able Bodied Passenger’ is used to identify passengers who could assist in case of an emergency. Crew unofficially use this code to describe a passenger they are attracted to and think is fit and able-bodied.
BOB can also mean Babe On Board – another flirty abbreviation that some flight attendants will use to inform each other who they’re secretly crushing on. SVML or ‘Suddenly Vegetarian Meal’ refers to a person who suddenly claims to be a vegetarian to get a different meal. POS describes a ‘Passenger Of Size’ which is someone who requires an extension seatbelt. And the term ‘mermaid’ is refers to ‘a passenger who lays across empty seats to prevent others from sitting in their row’.
Handling Sensitive Situations
Mr. Robert also shared that flight attendants use acronyms for Special Services Requests to handle sensitive situations. Specific SSR codes serve as a discreet way for airline staff to handle sensitive situations regarding passengers’ privacy. DEPA or DEPU is discreetly used to say that a passenger is being deported. And INAD is used for an individual that has been denied entry to a country. Other common SSR codes you might hear used on a plane are UM (a child traveling alone), MEDA (a medical case), DPAX (disruptive passenger), DND (Do Not Disturb), EBL (Eat Before Landing) and CIP – to signify that a person is of commercial importance to the airline.
Other Secret Phrases In Aviation
Flight attendants have a special language they use to talk about passengers, including the ones they find attractive. There are a number of other secret phrases used by pilots and cabin crew too, some serious and others less so.
- Cropdusting: If a passenger is being very rude and difficult, then it’s not unheard of for a flight attendant to break wind and ‘cropdust’ past the offender.
Code Adam: This is used by airport staff to alert other staff of a missing child, in honor of Adam Walsh, a child who was abducted in a department store in 1981.
7500: If a pilot “squawks 7500” it means the plane has been hijacked, or a hijacking is a threat.
Crosscheck: If you hear this phrase, usually made by the senior cabin crew, it means that the emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated.
So the next time you are flying, it might be worth listening closely to the cabin crew to catch a glimpse of their secret language.