Flight attendant reveals fascinating reason why cabin crew sit on their hands during takeoff and landing

A professional flight attendant has revealed the real reason why cabin crew sit on their hands during landings.

Henny Lim, a flight attendant with Philippine airline Cebu Pacific, explained on TikTok why passengers will see onboard staff fastening their seat belts in their jump seats before sitting on their hands in the run-up to their plane landing.

“Have you ever wondered why the cabin crew sits like that during takeoff and landing?” The video began, next to a clip of a flight attendant assuming the ‘landing position’ in her jump seat.

“It’s called bracing position,” a voiceover explained.

She took to TikTok to point out why passengers noticed flight attendants putting their hands under their thighs during landings while they were strapped into their jump seats

‘This position involves fastening seat belts securely, sitting upright, on hands – arms up, thumbs retracted – and arms loose, and feet flat on the ground.

‘The aim is to keep the body in a rigid position so that the body is less damaged in the event of an impact due to an unplanned emergency.

‘This limits body movements, reducing the risk of injury in the event of a collision.

‘During this period, [your flight attendants] will also undergo the ‘silent assessment’, which prepares them for an emergency situation at every takeoff and landing.”

“This includes being aware of emergency equipment at the location, door controls, commands given and any visual cues outside the aircraft,” the voiceover concluded, adding, “Safe flight everyone.”

Henny’s video was originally shared in 2022, but recently resurfaced.

According to a memo from the Federal Aviation Administrationthere are ‘two main reasons to brace for impact.’

“One is to reduce sway and the other is to reduce secondary impact,” it said.

‘Secondary impact can be reduced by pre-positioning the body (especially the head) against the surface it would hit during impact.

“Swaying can be reduced by having the resident bend, bend or lean forward over their legs in some way.”

Henny is far from the first flight attendant content creator to go viral by shedding light on what it’s like to work behind the scenes of air travel.

TikTok flight attendant Destanie has previously revealed the wildest stunts she’s seen passengers perform in a bid to get a seat upgrade.

In another post, Destanie opened up about all the things she “didn’t like about being a flight attendant,” from people making her life “hard for no reason” to working with “strong personalities” in the sky.

TikTok flight attendant Destanie has previously revealed the wildest stunts she’s seen passengers perform in a bid to get a seat upgrade.

Still, Destanie insisted, “I love this job and I’m very grateful to have this lifestyle. But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.’

Elsewhere, flight attendant Esther Sturrus talked about how to be an ideal passenger from a cabin crew perspective.