Cabin crew are the first port of call for passengers when they have a concern during the flight. These worries can range from minor problems to serious issues – but sometimes they can be very funny indeed. A flight attendant has revealed one hilarious episode when a mix up led to a very bizarre episode mid-journey. Betty N. Thesky narrated the episode in her book Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase.
“When I answered a call button, a male passenger told me in a very concerned voice that his nuts were swollen,” the flight attendant said.
“He said I should notify the captain right away. I was a little taken aback but he didn’t expound upon his problem so I figured it must be a ‘guy thing’ and that the captain would know what to do.
“So I went to the cockpit and told the captain that a man was complaining about having swollen nuts.
“The captain was very confused and said, “Well, does he need medical help? Is he in pain?’
“I didn’t know so I went back to ask him. ‘The captain wanted to know if you require the immediate assistance of a doctor.’
“He looking very perplexed, and then he held up the snack packet that we had handed out earlier, showing me that the foil wrapper was taut and swollen from the change in air pressure.
“He said, ‘My peanuts are swollen and I’m sure that indicates a problem with the cabin pressure, and I thought the captain should know.’
“When I understood, I burst out laughing, and when he understood what I had misunderstood, he laughed right along with me.”
Cabin pressurisation is something that both concerns and confuses passengers. But what actually happens when the pressure drops?
Loss of pressure in a plane can come from a hole or leak and results in loss of oxygen.
Pilots then need to get the aircraft down to a safe altitude where everyone can breathe normally.
Loss of pressure could be caused by a bomb and destroy the plane in the worst case scenario. However, the vast majority of decompressions are not the explosive kind.
A pilot told Express.co.uk: “For a depressurisation, we will perform a memory drill called an emergency descent.
“This effectively puts the aircraft into a safe decent as quickly as possible but as safely as possible.
“As pilots, we would put on our oxygen masks before doing anything to make sure we are both safe to breathe. The decent continues down to below 14,000ft where the air is safe to breathe.”
The pilot added: “I would advise not to panic as the crew are trained for it. Put your oxygen mask on and try to remain calm.”
