Flight attendant shows why your answer is very important when they say ‘hello’ as you get on plane

When you board a plane, you'll likely come across a flight attendant saying hello to everyone in succession.

Of course, you're going to want to say hello back - largely because it's the polite thing to do - but also because there's another reason why the flight attendants are chatting to you.

See, in the time before you boarded the plane you might have decided to wet the whistle at the overpriced airport pub and for some passengers, the whistle is very wet indeed.

These are the ones who usually end up getting kicked off the plane, like the guy who had the entire flight laughing at him as he was so sloshed he couldn't even 'walk down the steps' to disembark.

You don't want to end up like that guy, so it's best if you don't give off the impression that you're blind stinking drunk.

And apparently this is the reason why flight attendants will say hello to you as you get on the plane, as they're trying to get a response from you which might help indicate if you're drunk or unwell.

These are things they need to know about in order to keep on top of what's going on inside that metal tube hurtling through the sky at incredible speeds.

Wizz Air flight attendant Iona Iachim recently posted about this very topic, saying that the greeting as you got onto the plane wasn't just about being polite but also 'to check whether or not you are too drunk or sick to fly'.

Other flight attendants have given this as an extra important reason for saying hello at the start of the flight, but they also said it could also help them identify which passengers might be helpful to call upon in an emergency.

It gives them a bit of time to quickly assess you and work out where you'll be sitting on the plane so if things go wrong, they'll have a rough idea of where to look for helpers.

If you were thinking it was because you were special and the cabin crew found you attractive, then you're probably incorrect.

However, if you hear the word 'bob' that could be secret flight attendant code for 'best on board'.

While others will chat to their colleagues about 'what they wanted for dinner tonight' as a sort of code to discuss who they might be interested in.

Of course, you ought not to flatter yourself too much and assume they're talking about you, and generally they don't want to to try flirting with them at 30,000ft.

It's awkward for them, and if you really are interested then you should just give them your number as you get off the plane.