Real reason flight attendants greet you at the plane door is more serious than it seems

When you’re boarding a plane, you’re always greeted by the same thing: flight attendants welcoming you on board with a cheery smile.

But the reality is that they’re there to make a series of judgements from the second they set eyes on you.

Don’t worry, they’re not judging you for fun, it’s just part of their safety protocol.

“Greeting passengers at the door is our first line of defence in identifying threats that could be brought onto the aircraft,” Jay Robert, a senior flight attendant and the founder of A Fly Guy Travels, told HuffPost.

Threats aren’t just weapons. When it comes to travellers, this also includes illness, intoxication, offensive smells, and even darker things like human trafficking.

Crew are trained to read each individual during that split-second interaction to identify anything that’s amiss.

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Jay said the number one thing they’re looking for (and often one of the easiest to spot) is drunkenness.

“It’s much easier to stop someone at the aircraft door than it is to remove them once they’re seated and settled in,” he said.

Flying with an intoxicated passenger can be a serious matter, which can jeopardise the safety of crew and other flyers.

Earlier this year, a Qantas plane flying to the US had to be diverted to Tahiti after a man who appeared to be drunk emerged from the bathroom and allegedly bit a flight attendant.

Jay said there are other things that passengers try to hide which cabin crew are good at picking up on.

“I’m looking for signs of illness, such as clammy or pale skin, excessive sweating or even visible contagious skin conditions that may require us to offload a passenger before the aircraft door closes,” Jay said.

“Passengers often try to hide the fact they’re unwell, so we have to use all the clues the body gives us to quickly determine whether someone is fit to make the journey by air.”

If he notices something off, he can notify fellow cabin crew to keep an eye on the passenger and get a second opinion.

Another thing that can raise a huge red flag for cabin crew? Body odour. “BO is a no-go,” said Robert.

“Many people don’t realise that excessive body odour can significantly affect the comfort and well-being of everyone else on the flight, and airlines have the right to refuse carriage if it becomes an issue.”

In recent years, flight attendants across the world have also been trained to notice more nefarious things among their passengers – signs of human trafficking.

“Cabin crew around the world now receive training to recognise indicators that someone may be a victim and know how to discreetly report their concerns,” says Robert.

But not everything cabin crew are looking for is bad! Flight attendant Kat Kamalani shared a TikTok revealing that they’re also keeping an eye out for passengers who could help them out in an emergency.

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In flight attendant code, these are ABPs.

Kat says an ABP is industry-speak for ‘able-bodied people or person’, which includes people like military personnel, firefighters, nurses and doctors.

“In case of an emergency like a medical emergency or we are going to land the plane or a security breach, we know who’s on our plane and who can help us,” she said.

Robert says that he’s also always on the lookout for “simply someone who looks strong and confident enough to help if a passenger becomes disruptive or assistance is needed during an evacuation.”