Secret meaning behind why flight attendant might say 'cheerio' to you as you the exit plane

For pretty much any job which involves catering to people's needs while they can see and hear you, staff develop their own codes so they can talk about what's actually going on without you hearing them.

Restaurant workers can talk about things being '86'd' to mean they've been got rid of, refer to particularly important customers as a 'PX' and call you a 'doughnut' if they think you want to be left alone during your meal.

Bar staff also use the '86' code, and several other secret messages which tend to revolve around how attractive they find the customers.

Meanwhile, on board a cruise ship there are all sorts of codes and phrases designed to alert the crew to important happenings without worrying the passengers too much.

It's the same on board planes, if the crew want to talk about a serious matter they're unlikely to shout that the plane is malfunctioning and going to crash.

"That last passenger? Such a Bob!" "Total Bob" (Getty Stock Image)

However, flight attendants also have their own codes with secret meaning for when you're disembarking the plane so they can let each other know what they're thinking without you being in on it.

At least until you've read this and know what they really mean.

If you're getting off the plane and a flight attendant says 'cheerio' to you then it supposedly means they're signalling to the rest of their colleagues that they fancy you.

Apparently, part of the fun is them keeping a straight face in front of the rest of their colleagues as they're all gathered together to see you off the plane.

A flight attendant told the Huffington Post that if they tell you 'cheerio' it could mean 'they have a secret crush', and explained that there were other ways the cabin crew kept each other updated on passengers they found good looking.

"Cheerio!" "Cheerio!" "Back off, I said it first" (Getty Stock Image)

"If you hear them refer to someone as ‘Bob’, they are using the secret acronym ‘babe on board’," they claimed, and it turns out that being in the flight attendants good books can come with some perks.

They explained that they'll 'always run back to the galley and let the rest of the crew know where the sexy passenger is sat'.

If ever you needed proof that being beautiful is a bit of a cheat code in life they added 'we will be extra nice to them and give them freebies'.

Now you know this information you'd be best off using it wisely.

Should you ever be lucky enough to be told 'cheerio' while you disembark a plane then it may be best not to make a scene of it and just treat it like a nice little ego boost.

That should brighten up your day somewhat.