QANTAS: How the crew tell if your Business Class seat is upright for landing on an A330

This is not exactly a secret, but I just took notice of it on a recent flight.

The cabin crew don’t have to look at the actual recline of your seat. They have an actual indicator that tells them that your seat is correctly positioned.

Recently observed in Business Class

On a recent trip on a Qantas A330 on the way back from Auckland to Brisbane, I noticed this, when my partner in crime A2 was reminded that his seat needed to be upright for landing. I noticed that the cabin crew member cast her eyes down to the side of his seat. I looked at an adjacent seat and realised that there is a little light. Green if it is in the correct position, and I presume red if it is not.

Other indicators

This is only one of the indicator light used in the cabin. Cabin crew can send ‘secret’ messages to each other via a bit of kit, hidden in plain sight.

You know that Exit sign, most easily seen at the front of the plane? Have you noticed that has a series of colour bars below it, and that these sometimes light up?

Known as the ‘Area Call Panel’ or ‘ACP’, and it can be used to communicate a wealth of information. For Example – the Yellow/Amber light indicates someone has pressed the call button in one of the bathrooms. The smoke alarm has be triggered when the same light is flashing. The blue light, indicates that a passenger has pressed the call button at their seat (sometimes there are two to indicate which side of the aisle’s the passenger is sitting). There will also be a corresponding light go on over the passengers seat, or adjacent to the lavatory if its an alert there.

All of these indicators are accompanied by an audio chime to alert cabin staff.

Often when one end of a plane is communicating with the other, there will be a chime when they use the handset. I can’t remember which light turns on, maybe you know?

2PAXfly Takeout

Put that seat upright!

Take a look the next time you are on a plane, and notice these signals.