The Unexpected Code Word Flight Attendants Use When They Find A Passenger Attractive

Flight attendants notice a lot about you when you board a plane. They pick up on things like your shoe type (which may hinder movement in case of an emergency), if you appear physically strong enough to lend a hand, and whether you appear to be intoxicated. Flight attendants do an important job, keeping us safe and comfortable in the skies as we jet off to our destination. However, they're still human beings, so they might also notice whether you're kind of hot — and, yes, they may gossip about you and your appearance behind the scenes.

In fact, flight attendants have a set of slang terms they use to speak about passengers without them knowing. If they think you're attractive, you may be referred to as "Bob," which, according to one flight attendant who spoke to Buzzfeed, means "boyfriend on board." Other flight attendants may also use "Bob" to mean "babe on board" or "best on board," so the term isn't only designated for handsome men. The same airline worker also mentioned the term "raftie," which means that you're a person they'd like to have on their raft if there is a water landing. Occasionally, these words may just mean you're the nicest person on the plane, but either way, you're likely to get some good service on the flight.

There is yet another way to refer to people on the plane who are considered attractive, which is "hot coffee," a pretty self-explanatory term. But even if you don't notice cabin crew referring to you with one of these slang expressions, you may come across some other interesting terms and phrases during your trip. For instance, some flight attendants play a game where, when you leave the plane, they say "cheerio" or another unusual goodbye instead of a more conventional farewell. In some airline circles, this is a signal that they think you're good-looking.

To identify you, cabin attendants may also refer to your seat with the number and the NATO phonetic alphabet for the letter. For instance, if you're sitting in 14A, they may say "14 Alpha" when talking about you. It's all in good fun, but if you want to stay in their good graces, remember that pretty is as pretty does, to use an old phrase. In other words, no one is attractive if they act like a jerk. 

This means you shouldn't do things that flight attendants hate, like asking them to fill your water bottle, expecting them to throw away garbage during food service, getting up when the seat belt sign is on, or misusing overhead bin space. In addition, just because someone may mention that you're attractive doesn't give you the license to ask them out or otherwise make them uncomfortable. Remember that they are at work, and being friendly is part of their job. One flight attendant who goes by u/nouniqueideas007 on Reddit said, "I don't like [getting hit on], at all. I'm working & I do not have any interest in sharing any personal info with a passenger." Just take the compliment and feel great about it for the rest of the day.