If you hear cabin crew saying "pax" or "spinner", you might be listening in to their secret code. Flight attendants have a whole host of industry terms while they're up in the air. A Qatar Airways air hostess has revealed the secret lingo cabin crew use.
And it turns out they may be insulting you in the process. 'Anna' spoke to MSN and gave a breakdown of the terms used on board. An example is the fairly anodyne term 'Pax', which means means "passengers".
Read more: The truth about 'overtourism' in Spanish hotspot However, they aren't all quite so cute. If the term 'payload' is used with pax, it translates to the combined weight of passengers and cargo. 'Gate lice' refers to over-eager passengers who gather around the gate before boarding has even been announced.
If you hear the term 'briefing', it means crew may be meeting for the first time and discuss the flight ahead. Anna said: "We discuss flying time and flight level, country and airport requirements for passenger and crew service. Supervisors ask safety and first aid questions from the cabin crew, to ensure their knowledge is up-to-date.
" "We also discuss the number of children on board, frequent flyers, passengers who require assistance and any kids travelling alone." 'These' are individuals that the crew seek out just in case of an emergency. 'Runners' are children who are travelling alone.
'Spinner' is a term used for someone who arrives late without an assigned seat. The 'sin bin' is a term used when you're stuck o.