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This Is What Those Little Triangles In Plane Cabins Are For

This Is What Those Little Triangles In Plane Cabins Are For

They could actually help you out on your next flight…if you know how to use them.

James Dawson

James Dawson

There's all sorts of confusing shit inside of a commercial aeroplane. From the massive door handles, which if you touched everyone would probably die, to all the flashing buttons and levers in the cockpit, which if you touched everyone would probably die.

Suffice to say, for the most part, confusing shit in commercial aeroplanes is probably best left alone.

However, there is one confusing thing you may have noticed in a plane cabin before that could actually help you out on your next flight...if you know how to use it.

Ever spotted those little triangles dotted around the cabin interior? Turns out they're more than just a really shit decorative feature, they actually serve an important purpose.

The location of these triangles informs the cabin crew of the best vantage points within the cabin to see the wings.

This is useful for checking the slats and flaps, and can be particularly helpful in wintery conditions for ensuring that the wings are properly de-iced - although this is usually done by the ground crew before take-off.

Credit: Aero Icarus/Creative Commons

That's all well and good, but how can these little markings help YOU out?

Well, next time you're on a flight that allows you to pick your own seats pay close attention to them, because these little triangular stickers have another unintended function. They basically tell you exactly where to sit in order to ensure you get the best possible view.

Perfect for looking at the view on a clear day, or even snapping a few shots for Instagram.

The seats directly below the markers are also jokingly referred to as the 'Shatner Seats', a reference to a well-known episode of The Twilight Zone, starring William Shatner, in which his character spots a weird gremlin thing out of his passenger window on a flight.


In the episode, Shatner tries to alert the stewardess and others on the plane to the hairy creature, who is jumping around on the wing causing a right old song and dance, but whenever anyone else looks out of the window it disappears.

The episode culminates in Shatner being half sucked out of the aeroplane window, but managing to shoot the creature before being hauled back in to safety.

On second thoughts, maybe don't sit in that seat, unless you think you have what it takes to shoot a gremlin out of an open plane window at 20,000 feet. Rather you than me.

Featured Image Credit: Imgur