This Is Why You Cry More Easily on Planes

Are you an emotionally stable person? Someone who doesn’t cry easily?

But what about when you’re on a plane? Have you noticed that you tend to tear up over nothing?

Recent research shows that this is absolutely normal. There are scientific reasons why you might suddenly be overcome with emotion – and not just because flying can be scary.

Let’s break it down. The main reason is altitude. It’s not often you’ll find yourself at 30,000 feet in the air, so when you do fly, the altitude makes your body react differently to how it usually does. While cabin pressure  make passengers a little more comfortable, it doesn’t fix everything – including the emotional aspect.

Kate Sullivan, MSc, Head of Experience at Secret Fares told Reader’s Digest, “It’s a bit like having climbed a pretty high mountain.”

Oxygen is thinner the higher the elevation. So for someone like a mountain climber (or airplane passenger), there is a lower amount of oxygen in the bloodstream.

“With less oxygen available, your body goes into conservation mode,” Sullivan explains. “It takes care of essential functions first, like your circulatory and respiratory system, and ramps down some of the less crucial functions…including emotional regulation.”

But that’s not all. The air is extremely dry while flying. This can cause dehydration. Send in the drink cart!

“Because the air circulated in the cabin is very dry…we get pretty darn dehydrated on a plane,” Sullivan says.

And yes, the stress of flying itself can cause emotional disruption. Maybe you almost missed your plan or you said good-bye to a loved one before boarding. Whatever the reason, your nervousness may heighten, leaving you tired. And once you’re in the air, the altitude strips your body of some of its normal capabilities for regulating emotions.

Photo Credit: Unsplash, Bambi Corro

“From a psychological perspective, the mere act of flying can make you more likely to cry,” Sullivan says. “Even if you’re not afraid of planes, it’s a stressful situation.”

There are ways to combat stress and emotions, though. Drinks lots of water before and during the flight. Staying hydrated may mean more trips to the teeny tiny flight bathroom, but – hey – at least you’re not crying in the aisle to get there. You can also break out a sudoku or crossword puzzle to keep your brain occupied. And, lastly, kick back with in-flight entertainment. Watch movies that are light-hearted and comedic (your emotional side will thank you).

So no matter the reason for pesky tears to surface, know it is okay! This totally normal.

Everything is under control.

The post This Is Why You Cry More Easily on Planes appeared first on UberFacts.

15 Funny Tweets About Flying on Planes

Traveling by plane is obviously incredible, and we shouldn’t complain about it at all, but you know we’re going to anyway!

When you’re flying through the air inside a metal tin at 35,000 feet with 150 strangers, there’s a pretty good chance that someone is going to get on your nerves. And sometimes, you just have funny experiences on those flights.

Enjoy these funny tweets about flying, and I’ll see you at the back of the plane in the basic economy section.

1. She was very surprised.

2. Gee, thanks a lot.

3. Sounds pretty fishy to me.

4. Thank you, sir!

5. I don’t think that’s why they’re looking at you…

6. But I want it…

7. Creep alert!

8. At least he (kind of) laughed about it.

9. Needed the calculator for that one.

10. She had to do it.

11. Very specific tastes.

12. Snakes on a plane.

13. Should be a quiet flight.

14. Like a stink bomb.

15. Let’s watch it together!

Do you have any good/hilarious/ridiculous plane stories?

Share them in the comments so we can all have a laugh together!

The post 15 Funny Tweets About Flying on Planes appeared first on UberFacts.

A Flight Attendant Shared Why You Should Never Order Coffee or Tea on an Airplane

You may be tempted to get a nice, steaming cup of coffee or tea in your hands on your next flight.

Don’t.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Airplanes are very public spaces. Between people removing their shoes and clothes mid-flight to the ever present coughing and hacking, planes are pretty much petri dishes.

But even with all those germs floating around, there are other unsanitary concerns you may not have considered.

Flight attendant Jamila Hardwick spoke with Inside Edition about what you should know before you order any tea or coffee.

Photo Credit: YouTube

The water used for hot beverages is not from a bottle. It comes through water pipes on the plane which, apparently, are rarely cleaned. In fact, airlines are only required to flush and sanitize the lines four times a year.

And heaven forbid anyone clean anything more than required.

Flight attendants spend most of their time on these big birds, so they should know what’s good to order onboard. Watch the clip:

So, coffee’s out.

If you’re thinking about getting a cold soft drink instead, stay away from Diet Coke. Though it’s not any more germy than usual, Hardwick shared that the popular cola fizzes the most of all soft drinks and is a pain for attendants to pour. By the time it settles enough to pass over to you, they could’ve served several others and gone on to other duties.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Flight attendants are hard working people so a little consideration goes a long way with them.

Perhaps the least known tidbit Hardwick shared is that flight attendants aren’t on the clock until the plane doors are closed. So if you request an attendant hoist your bag into the storage compartment above your seat for you, they will probably decline. If they get injured, they aren’t covered by their employers’—the airlines’—insurance. Any medical treatment they need would be out of pocket.

The most useful tip? Bring your own pillows and blankets. The airlines do launder blankets and pillow cases but not between flights. And the pillows themselves are likely never washed.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

What about the seat trays?

Yes, absolutely disgusting.

Hardwick recommends bringing antibacterial wipes and doing a thorough swipe of your tray before using it. She says cleaning crews don’t have time to wipe down every tray when turning an aircraft, so it may be worthwhile to take a few seconds to clean it yourself.

Flying is a great convenience of the modern world, but it’s also germy. Take note of this valuable information for your next journey, and maybe you won’t get so sick the next time you fly!

The post A Flight Attendant Shared Why You Should Never Order Coffee or Tea on an Airplane appeared first on UberFacts.

A Flight Attendant Shared Why You Should Never Order Coffee or Tea on an Airplane

You may be tempted to get a nice, steaming cup of coffee or tea in your hands on your next flight.

Don’t.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Airplanes are very public spaces. Between people removing their shoes and clothes mid-flight to the ever present coughing and hacking, planes are pretty much petri dishes.

But even with all those germs floating around, there are other unsanitary concerns you may not have considered.

Flight attendant Jamila Hardwick spoke with Inside Edition about what you should know before you order any tea or coffee.

Photo Credit: YouTube

The water used for hot beverages is not from a bottle. It comes through water pipes on the plane which, apparently, are rarely cleaned. In fact, airlines are only required to flush and sanitize the lines four times a year.

And heaven forbid anyone clean anything more than required.

Flight attendants spend most of their time on these big birds, so they should know what’s good to order onboard. Watch the clip:

So, coffee’s out.

If you’re thinking about getting a cold soft drink instead, stay away from Diet Coke. Though it’s not any more germy than usual, Hardwick shared that the popular cola fizzes the most of all soft drinks and is a pain for attendants to pour. By the time it settles enough to pass over to you, they could’ve served several others and gone on to other duties.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Flight attendants are hard working people so a little consideration goes a long way with them.

Perhaps the least known tidbit Hardwick shared is that flight attendants aren’t on the clock until the plane doors are closed. So if you request an attendant hoist your bag into the storage compartment above your seat for you, they will probably decline. If they get injured, they aren’t covered by their employers’—the airlines’—insurance. Any medical treatment they need would be out of pocket.

The most useful tip? Bring your own pillows and blankets. The airlines do launder blankets and pillow cases but not between flights. And the pillows themselves are likely never washed.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

What about the seat trays?

Yes, absolutely disgusting.

Hardwick recommends bringing antibacterial wipes and doing a thorough swipe of your tray before using it. She says cleaning crews don’t have time to wipe down every tray when turning an aircraft, so it may be worthwhile to take a few seconds to clean it yourself.

Flying is a great convenience of the modern world, but it’s also germy. Take note of this valuable information for your next journey, and maybe you won’t get so sick the next time you fly!

The post A Flight Attendant Shared Why You Should Never Order Coffee or Tea on an Airplane appeared first on UberFacts.

An Airline Now Features a Booking System That Shows Where All Babies Are Seated on Its Flights

I don’t get super frustrated and freak out when a baby by me is crying hysterically on a plane. That’s why you always bring earplugs AND headphones when you travel, so you don’t really have to hear anything at all except the music you’re listening to. (Pro tip: this means you also don’t have to talk to anyone, which is always nice).

But let’s get to the point of the story. Some people really do get upset about screaming, fussy kids on their flights. So leave it to the innovative Japanese to come up with this idea.

Japan Airlines unveiled a booking system that allows customers to see exactly where babies are seated on flights. Genius!

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Once you’ve booked a flight on Japan Airlines and it’s time to check in, you’ll see a seating chart of the plane with baby icons showing where little ones are seated on that particular flight. The airline’s website says: “Passengers traveling with children between eight days and two years old who select their seats on the JAL website will have a child icon displayed on their seats on the seat selection screen. This lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there.”

That means you need to select your seats as early as possible to avoid sitting next to screaming, puking children, if that kind of thing bothers you.

One other thing to keep in mind: sometimes the baby icon might not appear on seating charts. Examples include if a block of seats is booked for a tour or with award tickets, if tickets were selected in places other than the Japan Airlines website, or if for some reason the aircraft was changed at the last minute.

Still, that’s progress, right?

I have a feeling this feature will become very popular and other airlines will start doing this and they’ll make it even more streamlined. Hooray for innovation!

And remember: don’t forget your earplugs and headphones.

The post An Airline Now Features a Booking System That Shows Where All Babies Are Seated on Its Flights appeared first on UberFacts.

This Is Why Airplane Engines Are Never Painted on the Front Edges

Look closely at the engines on the planes at the gates next time you’re at the airport. All of them will have an unpainted band near the front edge. As sleek as this kind of paint job may look, the reasons behind the styling goes beyond just looking trendy.

Photo Credit: Needpix

YouTuber Mentour Pilot, who runs a channel about everything to do with being an airline pilot, created a video explaining why the front edge of the engine is never painted when the rest of the aircraft is.

It’s something I’d never have thought about in a million years, but someone clearly did.

The first explanation is because of the heat the engines generate. Ice can form quickly on engines and wings when flying through clouds, creating a real safety hazard. Planes use the heat already coming from their engines to keep dangerous ice from accumulating.

Small holes in the unpainted ring of the engine, as well as on the wings, help the ice melt. If this part of the engine is left naked, then the metal heats best for minimized ice formation. Paint would only protect the ice from heat by creating an intermediate layer.

Not safe.

Another reason is that eventually the paint on the intake would begin to degrade, and chips of paint could get sucked into the engine. As this happened, the uneven coats of paint would affect how air flows into the engine, creating mini vortices and disrupting overall efficiency.

Photo Credit: YouTube

He also touches on why most planes are painted white or predominantly white. This one’s a little easier to guess: white paint reflects heat. If a plane is painted white, the air-conditioning system doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the interior cooled – thus better engine efficiency.

Painting an aircraft white is also faster and cheaper, and airlines can place and replace branding as needed without repainting.

If this is interesting, deifnitely check out more of Mentour Pilot’s channel – aside from his cool airplane knowledge, he wears his uniform, has a great accent and an adorable apricot poodle-ish dog, and generally makes you feel good about who is at the controls of these high flying tubes.

The post This Is Why Airplane Engines Are Never Painted on the Front Edges appeared first on UberFacts.

Take a Look at the Cheapest Summer Flights to Europe from Every U.S. State

No matter what state you live in, there’s a deal for you this summer to fly to Europe for a fun vacation. And whether you live on the West Coast, the East Coast, or the Midwest, all the prices are pretty reasonable.

For instance, I live in North Carolina and the cheapest flight is to Reykjavík, Iceland for $663. If you live in California, the cheapest jaunt is to Barcelona, Spain for $583. Not so bad!

Kayak.com crunched the numbers for the past year for flights from May 24-September 2, 2019 and came up with the median prices for these destinations for the summer. So you may see some fluctuation, but these are the middle-est prices.

Photo Credit: Thrillist

Let’s look at the whole list from each state (and Washington, D.C.). Where are you going this summer?!?!

Alabama

Airport: HSV
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $735
Airport: BHM
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $660

Alaska

Airport: ANC
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $693

Arizona

Airport: PHX
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $831
Airport: TUS
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $662

Arkansas

Airport: MEM
Destination: London, England – $985

California

Airport: LAX
Destination: Barcelona, Spain – $614

Airport: SFO
Destination: Barcelona, Spain – $583

Airport: SAN
Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark – $863

Colorado

Airport: DEN
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $618

Connecticut

Airport: BDL
Destination: Dublin, Ireland – $682

Delaware

Airport: BWI
Destination: Lisbon, Portugal – $686

Florida

Airport: MCO
Destination: London, England – $661

Airport: TPA
Destination: London, England – $661
Airport: MIA
Destination: Madrid, Spain – $550

Georgia

Airport: SAV
Destination: Amsterdam, Netherlands – $838

Airport: ATL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $754

Hawaii

Airport: HNL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $612

Airport: KOA
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $619

Idaho

Airport: SLC
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $685

Illinois

Airport: ORD
Destination: Dublin, Ireland – $721

Indiana

Airport: IND
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $720

Iowa

Airport: DSM
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $669

Kansas

Airport: MCI
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Kentucky

Airport: CVG
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $681

Airport: SDF
Destination: Milan, Italy – $985

Louisiana

Airport: MSY
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Maine

Airport: BGR
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $631

Maryland

Airport: BWI
Destination: Lisbon, Portugal – $686

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Massachusetts

Airport: BOS
Destination: Oslo, Norway – $596

Michigan

Airport: DTW
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $648

Airport: FNT
Destination: Dublin, Ireland – $798

Minnesota

Airport: MSP
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $487

Mississippi

Airport: GPT
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $646

Missouri

Airport: MCI
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $575

Airport: STL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Montana

Airport: BIL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $617

Nebraska

Airport: OMA
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $605

Nevada

Airport: LAS
Destination: London, England – $716

Airport: RNO
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $754

New Hampshire

Airport: BOS
Destination: Oslo, Norway – $596

New Jersey

Airport: EWR
Destination: Dublin, Ireland – $608

New Mexico

Airport: ABQ
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $635

New York

Airport: JFK
Destination: Madrid, Spain – $564

Airport: BUF
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Airport: LGA
Destination: Helsinki, Finland – $523

North Carolina

Airport: CLT
Destination: Lisbon, Portugal – $803

Airport: RDU
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $663

North Dakota

Airport: FAR
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $687

Ohio

Airport: CLE
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $453

Airport: CMH
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Oklahoma

Airport: OKC
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $656

Airport: TUL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $654

Oregon

Airport: PDX
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $638

Pennsylvania

Airport: PHL
Destination: Cork, Ireland – $661

Airport: PIT
Destination: Frankfurt, Germany – $679

Rhode Island

Airport: PVD
Destination: Dublin, Ireland – $441

South Carolina

Airport: CHS
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $667

South Dakota

Airport: OMA
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $605

Tennessee

Airport: BNA
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $656

Texas

Airport: AUS
Destination: London, England – $752

Airport: IAH
Destination: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – $664

Utah

Airport: SLC
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $685

Vermont

Airport: BTV
Destination: Milan, Italy – $647

Virginia

Airport: ORF
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Airport: RIC
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $616

Washington

Airport: SEA
Destination: Manchester, England – $729

West Virginia

Airport: PIT
Destination: Frankfurt, Germany – $679

Wisconsin

Airport: MKE
Destination: Oslo, Norway – $694

Wyoming

Airport: BIL
Destination: Reykjavik, Iceland – $617

Washington, DC

Airport: IAD
Destination: Stockholm, Sweden – $685

The post Take a Look at the Cheapest Summer Flights to Europe from Every U.S. State appeared first on UberFacts.

Between 1956 and 1972 Goodyear…

Between 1956 and 1972 Goodyear worked on an inflatable rescue plane for the US military. Despite being fully airworthy, the project was abandoned when the military didn’t order such planes.

A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast

The plane is officially known as the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B, but most people just call it the “doomsday plane.” The aircraft is used to take the Secretary of Defense all over the world, and it is a monster of an airplane. The plane is also known as the National Airborne Operations Center.

The E-4B is almost six stories tall, has four enormous engines, and can withstand the immediate aftermath of a nuclear explosion. How’s that for technology? A member of the U.S. Air Force said, “It’s like a backup Pentagon. There’s always one plane on alert and ready to go 24 hours, seven days a week.”

Just like its sister aircraft Air Force One, the E-4B is like a flying command center, and many of the plane’s capabilities are classified. There are four “doomsday planes” that have been in operation since 1980, and they are based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The aircraft truly is a marvel of technology. The large hump on top of the E-4B is called a “radome” and houses satellite dishes and antennas that allow people onboard to contact submarines, ships, aircraft, and phone lines anywhere in the world. Because of the humongous fuel tanks and the ability to refuel while flying, the E-4B can stay in the air for several days without ever having to land.

The plane can accommodate up to 112 people. It has three levels, 18 bunks, 6 bathrooms, a briefing room, and a conference room. Interestingly, the E-4B is not up-to-date technologically and relies on analog technology.

A crew member said, “It’s a common misconception, but this plane doesn’t have digital touch screens in the cockpit or elsewhere. The conditions that this plane is meant to fly in call for analog, since digital tech would fry during a nuclear war.”

Yikes…

The post A Look Inside the U.S. Military’s “Doomsday Plane,” Built to Withstand the Aftermath of a Nuclear Blast appeared first on UberFacts.