ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Hidden meaning behind black triangles you see in some planes
Home>Lifestyle>Travel
Published 20:50 20 Mar 2024 GMT

Hidden meaning behind black triangles you see in some planes

The strange black triangles you see in plane cabins have been explained

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Those weird black triangle stickers you sometimes see in plane cabins are actually there for a very important reason.

Now, for most of us, the first thing we do once we get on a plane is whack the headphones on and sit quietly until that drinks trolley comes along.

Instead, others will read the safety manual and notice every little thing - from the little round holes in the windows, to realising the windows are in fact round and not square.

Advert

Very quickly, this was because of an incident in 1945 when a plane from Rome took off to London.

35 people were aboard the aircraft when it suddenly exploded in the sky and landed in the Mediterranean Sea.

A few months later, the same sort of incident took place with a plane on its way from London to Johannesburg.

The one thing both aircrafts had in common was that their windows had sharp squared-off corners.

So, The Telegraph did an investigation into the twin tragedies, and found that the square shape of the windows resulted in metal fatigue.

Specifically, the sharp corners would put more pressure on parts of the plane in high altitudes.

Once this investigation was published, airlines changed their designs to make windows more circular, as this allows the stress on the metal to flow more evenly around the edges.

There's a reason why plane windows are round and not square.
Pexels

Now, the reason why you're here, flight attendant Henny Lim has explained the situation with these little black triangle stickers.

“Passengers sitting next to the triangles get the best view of the wings,” the cabin crew member said.

She also noted that the wing view windows are the 'best vantage points for the slats and flaps outside'.

“If you’re flying an airline that allows you to choose your own seat, look for one of the triangles in the cabin,” she continued.

“Anybody who loves taking window shots or videos will get the best view over the wings from these seats.”

In the comments, one person wrote: "Very informative."

Have you ever noticed this before?
Aviation Stack Exchange

"Wow interesting," a second added, while a third commented: "Thanks so much for the tip."

In another video, Henny explained the reason why flight attendants sit on their hands in the 'bracing position'.

“This position involves fastening the seatbelt securely, sitting upright, sitting on hands, palms upright, thumbs tuck and arms are loose with feet on the floor,” she said.

“The aim is to keep the body in a rigid pose so that if there was any impact from an unplanned emergency, the body is less damaged.”

The pose basically 'keeps body movement restricted so that there is less chance of injury if there was an impact'.

Featured Image Credit: MiddleSeatView/X/Getty Stock Image

Topics: Travel, Plane Etiquette

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Recommended reads

Man ate ‘Blue Zone diet’ for seven days to show off impact it had on bodyInstagram/@Willtenny‘Super El Niño’ is carrying deadly ‘silent killer’ threat to entire worldNoaa SatellitesTruth behind ‘hidden’ Radford family member who is rarely seen on showChannel 4Woman arrested at airport over £2.1k all-inclusive holiday ‘dine and dash’National Police

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
22 hours ago
a day ago
  • Instagram/@Willtenny
    9 hours ago

    Man ate ‘Blue Zone diet’ for seven days to show off impact it had on body

    Fitness influencer Will Tennyson tried the 'restrictive' diet and documented the results

    Lifestyle
  • Supplied
    22 hours ago

    Ex-Aston Villa player has rare Stiff Person Syndrome with impossible-sounding bone-breaking symptom

    Ellen Martin has been diagnosed with the very rare neurological disorder, which doesn't have a cure

    Lifestyle
  • Instagram/@laurenlaverne
    a day ago

    BBC presenter Lauren Laverne diagnosed with rare 'smouldering myeloma' less than two years after cancer recovery

    The BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs presenter, 48, admitted that she'd 'never heard of it either'

    Lifestyle
  • Getty Stock Images
    a day ago

    Doctor explains how to know if you have normal stomach bug or 'exploding Diarrhea' parasite outbreak that is hard to detect

    There's been 1,600 cases of cyclosporiasis since May in the US, with an additional 5,100 cases currently under investigation

    Lifestyle
  • Jet2, Ryanair and easyJet vaping rule is becoming an airport nightmare - what you can and can't pack
  • Expert explains 'military sleep method' that will allow you to nap on planes in minutes
  • Influencer told to ‘cover up’ on flight by passenger over ‘revealing’ outfit
  • World's most experienced pilot shares truth about why we use brace position on planes