Flight attendant shares secret codename they use for annoying passengers

18 June 2024 , 07:00

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Flight attendants have dished the dirt on their secret codes (Stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Next time you're jetting off to sunny Spain, have a listen for some of these cheeky nicknames.

Flight attendants are known to speak in a second language to communicate with each other without passengers being able to listen in. For example, if a staff member likes the look of a certain flyer, they might use the term 'Bob' - code for 'best on board'. Alternatively, flight attendants might say 'cheerio' to passengers they fancy during disembarking.

But sometimes, it's even more subtle and staff will use the passenger's seat number to point out any hotties. For example, if you said "I'm thinking of doing 14 days in Cancun," you'd be drawing attention to whoever is sitting in seat 14C (not planning a fortnight trip to Mexico). However, it turns out flight attendants also have a code name for passengers they're not so fond of...

TikTok travel account The Points Guy asked an anonymous group of flight attendants what acronyms they have curated to berate annoying customers. "If someone refers to you as a 'Philip' - watch out," the video states. "It's short for 'people I'd like to punch'."

According to the Sun, this checks out. "If you're labeled a 'Philip' then you've done something wrong and should probably expect to get bad service for the rest of the flight," a flight attendant told the paper. "That name originated from the term PILP - Passenger I'd Like to Punch - but has changed over time to become slightly more subtle."

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However, many viewers flocked to the comments section doubting the codename, arguing they've never heard of 'Philip' being used. "I've been a flight attendant for 29 years and I've never heard any of these terms," one user claimed.

Another agreed, commenting: "This video made me doubt if I'm really a flight attendant." While a third added: "Been flying for 16 years. Never heard any of these terms."

Liam Gilliver