13 Surprising Things Your Airline Knows About You

From birthdays to beverage preferences to how your last vacation went, flight attendants reveal what they know about you—before you even board the plane.

Your reservation

Beirut, Lebanon, May 2nd, 2017, An Indian woman looking at the window of airplane of Qatar Airways in the blue sky flying to Doha Victor Jiang/Shutterstock

Jet-setters, beware: Flight attendants will know if you actually paid extra for the seat beside you. Some airlines also keep tabs on whether you paid more for an extra-legroom seat or if you bought a basic economy ticket. And if you want to upgrade your ticket during boarding, a flight attendant can make that happen using an app on their handheld device.

Your pet

Little dog (Norwich Terrier) in dog carrier with sad eye Droidfoto/Shutterstock

On the United app, a seat with a dog face icon tells flight attendants that the passenger brought Fluffy or Fido along. Specific codes even indicate whether an animal in the cabin is a pet traveling on a paid fare, a trained service animal, or an emotional support animal.

Your favorite beverage

Happy man seating in the aircraft and drinking water before his trip abroad. Halfpoint/Shutterstock

In the future, flight attendants may be able to guess your beverage order before you say a word. JetBlue hopes to one day track onboard purchases using tablets attached on top of beverage-service carts. If a guest orders the same drink frequently, flight attendants can offer the usual. Don’t miss the 40 things that pilots wish you knew.

13 Surprising Things Your Airline Knows About You

From birthdays to beverage preferences to how your last vacation went, flight attendants reveal what they know about you—before you even board the plane.

Your reservation

Your pet

Your favorite beverage

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