Flight attendant's one-word greeting to passengers and why the reply is vital

Frequent flyers know the most reliable part of any flight is the greeting from cabin crew members at the aeroplane doors.

While many take the warm reception as a simple show of politeness, there’s actually a vital reason behind it.

Wizz Air flight attendant Ioana Iachim (@ioanaiachim) has let the TikTok community in on the trade secret. In the video, Ioana also explains the reason your reply to their greeting matters just as much.

In the caption of her video, Ioana shares that flight attendants' greetings are “not only out of politeness” but also a way to check “whether or not you are too drunk or sick to fly”.

A drunk or unwell passenger will likely be unable to respond appropriately to the cabin crew's friendly greeting. That’s why how you conduct yourself while boarding a flight is so critical.

Many commenters were surprised by Ioana's admission, with one TikTok user saying they thought the crew greeted them because they ‘fancied’ them. Another commenter wrote: “I never greet them back because I am an introvert”.

Meanwhile another passenger said: “They always ask me if I want to sit in the exit row so I must get an A+ during this test.” This hints at another reason flight attendants greet passengers on planes, as revealed by other industry insiders.

And one traveller said they tend to ask for help from the flight attendants when they board the plane, commenting: “I take that quick time to mention my severe flight anxiety, I've been flying Wizz Air as of lately and people are so lovely about it.”

In addition to checking whether passengers are unfit to fly, flight attendants are also scanning for able-bodied passengers that would be able to assist in the event of an emergency.

Being able-bodied and physically fit is a requirement of passengers wishing to sit next to emergency exit doors, which may be why attendants double-check this at the door. Emergency exit seats are often coveted for their extra legroom, though they can cost extra.

Passengers that sit near the emergency exit doors must be willing and able to assist flight attendants in the unlikely event of an emergency. For this reason, Ryanair’s terms and conditions state that it “can change your allocated seats at any time, even if you had reserved it, if we need to do this for operational, safety or security reasons.”

The airline's guidelines stipulate that passengers who wish to sit in rows 1, 16, or 17 where emergency exits are located must meet certain criteria, including being over 16 years old, capable of assisting in an emergency, travelling without an infant, not requiring airport special assistance of any kind, not requiring a seat belt extender, and not having an extra comfort seat booked.

Many flight attendants have begun sharing trade secrets on social media, letting passengers in on the reason for many common behaviours or practices. Another TikTok account recently revealed why flight attendants sit on their hands while they're in jumpseats.