Flight attendant explains reason for tiny symbol above seats on every plane

A flight attendant explained why you might find yourself sitting under a small black or red triangle when flying – while you might not have noticed it, they're apparently on all passenger planes.

When you're soaring at 35,000 feet with just a few sheets of Perspex and a thin plane wall between you and the sky outside, it's easy to let your mind wander. You might start wondering why there are tiny shapes above some seats.

The inside of the plane cabin is marked with little triangles that can be either red or black. If you look closely enough, you'll see they line up with the wings outside the plane. These triangles show the flight crew the best spots to check the wings, especially the slats and flaps outside.

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The triangles come in especially handy during winter as flight attendants need to ensure the wings are properly de-iced. One cabin crew member, who goes by @_hennylim_ on TikTok, shared a video explaining the system, reports Mirror.

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"1. Passengers sitting next to the triangles get the best view of the wings. 2. If flight crew need to check the wings, these triangles let them know the best vantage points for the slats and flaps outside," she said.

The seats below the triangles are sometimes called 'William Shatner's seat'. This is because the actor starred in an episode of the X Files where he sees a goblin sitting on the wing through his window.

It's a similar reason as to why the window shades must be up when you set off. A flight attendant explained: "In case something goes wrong a passenger can see it and alert the flight crew. It also has to do with safety. If you crash upon take-off inside a dark plane, the light could be blinding upon evacuating."

That's not the only cabin mystery a flight attendant has recently taught the public about. When you're about to jet off on holiday you might be staring excitedly out of the plane window – and then noticing they each have a pinprick hole in the glass.

Henny Lim, an air hostess with the Philippines-based airline Cebu Pacific, explained passengers are always asking her about the holes. She states they’re "bleed holes" and are a vital safety feature Henry noted in a video: "The tiny hole helps balance the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside air."

To understand why this is, the the Federal Aviation Administration explained: "Airplane windows consist of three separate panes. The outer pane deals with this air pressure difference. Thanks to the tiny holes in the middle pane, known as the 'bleed hole.'

"Its primary purpose is to balance air pressure." The "bleed hole" allows pressure to balance between the passenger cabin and the air gap. Meaning the outer pane takes on the pressure while the middle pane acts as a fail-safe."

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