IF YOU’VE ever glanced out of an airplane window you may have chanced upon – without realizing it – one of the airline industry’s greatest lifesaving tricks.
A small, round and absolutely essential … hole.
While it may jangle the nerves of anxious passengers it is, thankfully, a good thing.
And it all comes down to science.
This strange space in the window actually helps the aircraft to withstand the changing air pressure outside.
But while it may look like a portal to the outside world, this small gap doesn’t go through the entire pane.
Passenger comfort
As one travel expert explained, each window is made up of three different acrylic layers, and it’s only the middle one that contains the breather hole.
The small gap helps to regulate the high pressure environment on the plane, making the experience far more comfortable for passengers.
It was pilot Mark Vanhoenacker who previously revealed the secret life-saving trick.
“The outer two cabin windows are designed to contain this difference in pressure between the cabin and the sky,” he said.
“Both the middle and the outer panes are strong enough to withstand the difference on their own, but under normal circumstances it’s the outer pane that bears this pressure – thanks to the breather hole.”
As well as being vital for passenger safety, the breather hole has another important function.
The small gap allows moisture to escape the aircraft, preventing fog from forming on the window.
Another strange thing
Passengers have often questioned why airlines don’t talk more about how they keep travelers safe, particularly as the breather hole is why you can even fly with a smashed window – and still be safe.
That, of course, may be because the last thing airlines want to do is for passengers to focus on safety.
Except, that is, for those two minutes on the plane when the cabin crew perform their party piece – and everyone else thinks about food.
It isn’t the only strange thing you might spot on planes.
Keen-eyed passengers may notice – particularly on newer planes – hidden handrails underneath the overhead bins.
These can be grabbed should you be returning to your seat from the loo … just as the plane hits turbulence.
Handcuffs, defibrillators and handguns
Flight attendants aren’t only responsible for handing out drinks, they’re also there to keep everyone on board the plane as safe and well as they can.
They’re trained and prepared for a number of eventualities, including when passengers start to get a bit unruly.
Those passengers could find themselves in cuffs and being handed over to airport police, with cable ties now commonplace in the cabin crew’s inventory.
Some airlines come prepared with heavier duty hardware too.
Since 9/11, sky marshals on flights to and from the US have been permitted to carry concealed weapons on planes – they function as undercover armed escorts, ready to leap into action should the need arise.
However, the identity of the armed marshal is kept a secret from even the cabin crew.
In August 2018, a United Airlines steward caught a glimpse of a marshal’s gun, which caused an emergency landing — with the marshal arrested, mistaken for a rogue passenger with a weapon.
Additionally, a defibrillator is also found on most aircraft, to be used if any passenger suffers a cardiac arrest.
