A plane captain has explained what some of the goings-on during flights actually mean, with many having never even thought about the mysterious dinging sounds they hear when traveling by plane.
Captain Steve Scheibner, who also goes by Captain Steve, explained to Newsweek that there are three times he will intentionally “ding” during his regular flights between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and London.
The American Airlines captain said: “There are lots of things that you hear and you don’t even acknowledge. There are three times on purpose when I actually communicate with the flight attendants with that ding.”
@captainsteeeve/TikTok
The ‘ding’ he is referring to is a the brief sound that passengers can hear at moments during the journey that may seem random, the same sound that you hear when it is time to put on your seatbelt. However, Scheibner told Newsweek: “The first is when we’re cleared for take off and we’re taking the runway. I’ll ding them to let them know ‘this is it’.
“Next is climbing up through 10,000 feet. Basically, below 10,000 feet is generally bumpy. The air tends to smooth out a little bit [after that]. I’m telling them it’s smooth enough to get up and start their service. If I don’t ding them at 10,000 feet, they’ll stay seated.
“Sometimes I’ll get a call if I forget. At 18,000 feet or so they’ll call and ask if they can get up. The third time on purpose is coming back down through 10,000 feet.
“I’ve already told them to prepare for landing which means put all of your stuff away and grab a seat. That’s the last time I communicate with them via the ding.”
The pilot shared a video on TikTok, which has received 8 million views since it was posted on November 25, explaining these three dings, with many people admitting that they never even considered what the actual purpose of them was.
Captain Steve’s explanation comes as international air travel reaches pre-pandemic highs. Statista reports that 38.7 million flights are expected to have been taken around the world in 2024 before the year is out, compared to the 2019 record of 38.9 million.
People shared their thoughts and reactions to the video on the comments section.
“I just figured it was none of my business,” said Deanna. Meanwhile, @bsaruba commented: “As a nervous flyer, I love your content! Thank you!”
“The ding for the flight attendant should sound different than the ding for putting the seatbelt on, it gives me a panic attack when I’m in the restroom thinking we got turbulence coming,” @shani.s shared.
G wrote: “I thought it was someone requesting service from the flight attendant. The more you know!”
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