A pilot shared a perk of flying that even frequent travellers tend to miss out on.
Even though everyone arrives to the destination at the same time, people are desperate to get on board the plane and take their seats.
But if you want a more “unique” journey, the aviation expert said you should stop and request help from one of the flight attendants.
In an informative TikTok video, the American man said: “As an airline pilot, the one thing that customers under-mine the most is the ability to come up and talk to flight crew.”
Why, you may ask? It turns out that doing so can get you access to more areas on the plane.
The TikToker continued: “If you’ve ever wanted to see inside of a cockpit, talk to the pilot and ask questions or talk about flying, all you have to do is ask the flight attendant.
“I would say nine out of 10 times we’re more than happy to talk to people and show them these things. Of course, it might not happen in the very moment you ask, as we may be a little busy.
“You may have to wait until later on in the boarding process or once we arrive at the final destination. I personally love it when someone comes up and they just want to see what’s going on.”
In the past, the pilot has even signed things for passengers or stopped to take pictures in the cockpit.
He added: “If you’re travelling and you want a unique experience, just tell the flight attendant. There’s a really good chance that pilots would love to have you pop your head in.”
You may wonder why the cabin crew are so accommodating to these requests. But for the pilot, it’s obvious. He added: “We love to share what we do.”
Since it was posted, the video has garnered more than 400 likes and plenty of positive comments. One responder gushed: “I remember seeing the cockpit as a little kid and it was so cool!”
Another said: “Definitely gonna try to get a little experience with my son next month.” Meanwhile, others said their own encounters with pilots had made them want to get into the industry.
A third added: “I can attest. As a kid every year my mum made me take a photo in the cockpit and I recently decided I want to be a pilot and have been talking to the ones from my flights!”