The secret meaning behind chime noises on flights

No matter how observant you are, there are things that go on during a flight that the regular person would fail to notice.

You may have heard the chime noises ring throughout the plane, but did you know that they are actually secret codes meant for the flight attendants? 

Read more: Weight issue gets 40 passengers kicked off plane

Not only do these chimes ring when the seatbelt sign goes on and off, or before the captain makes an announcement on the speaker, but they are also used to share secret messages between staff.

According to an anonymous flight attendant

“Certain chimes [and] other indicators could mean something if our interphone wasn’t working,” she said. 

“[I] won’t go into training specifics, but it’s nothing cool like code words! Even if we did have something I wouldn’t post it here just for security’s sake.” 

Qantas recently blogged about about the constant dings people can hear throughout their flight.

Because there can be up to 30 crew, including cabin and pilots, on an aircraft at any one time, so communication is crucial. 

“On our Airbus aircraft you’ll hear the ‘boing’ sound shortly after take-off – this sound lets crew know that the landing gear is being retracted,” the blog reads.

Here’s a list of other dings and what they mean: 

  • Single chime: Passenger requesting attention
  • HI-Lo chime: Usually attendants asking each other if there are more food options between sections
  • Triple chime LO-LO: Priority message from captain or crew coming through

Article source: https://travel.startsat60.com/articles/the-secret-meaning-behind-chime-noises-on-flights