INSIDE EDITION spoke to travel journalist George Hobica about the dirty secrets that some airlines are keeping from this passengers.
In the recent film Flight, Denzel Washington plays a pilot who's so drunk, when he reports for work he falls asleep at the controls.
In real life, here's a shocking secret—one study actually found that half of all pilots surveyed admitted to falling asleep while flying at some point in their careers. An even bigger shocker is that both pilots have fallen asleep.
Travel journalist George Hobica told INSIDE EDITION, “There have been instances where both pilots have fallen asleep in flight and that could be dangerous.”
It happened on a British based passenger jet. Hobica said, “Both pilots fell asleep and it was several hours.”
Hobica spoke with INSIDE EDITION from Studio Air Hollywood about the secrets of planes that you’ll find surprising. For example, those oxygen masks—you might only have 15 seconds to put one on in the event of cabin decompression and the oxygen supply itself is actually limited.
‘Sometimes you only have about a 15 minute supply of oxygen. That's why a pilot will descend to a breathable altitude as quickly as possible,” said Hobica.
Who could forget the Miracle on the Hudson when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger landed safely on the Hudson River. Many passengers needed their life vests, but your life jacket might actually be unavailable in an emergency.
‘This might come to a shock to people, but some passengers actually steal the life vests,” said Hobica.
Some passengers steal them when they disembark. So, it's a good idea to always check to see if your life vest really is under your seat.
Do you think those cabin lights are dimmed to help you rest at night? Think again!
Hobica said, “Cabin crews dim the lights on nighttime take off and landing to help your eyes adjust to the outside conditions in case there is an emergency evacuation.”
Here’s another dirty airline secret: “One thing you probably don't want to hear pillows and blankets are not sanitized much less cleaned between passengers,” said Hobica.
Our expert says it can take months between cleanings.
And now, a secret that could make you lose your appetite. Hobica said, “This table probably hasn't been cleaned in 20 years.”
Gross! Considering some passengers even change diapers on tray tables.
