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The real reason flight crew sit on their hands during a plane landing but passengers never should

We also reveal how to reduce feelings of anxiety and sickness on a flight
Close-up of a young woman fastening her seatbelt in an airplane.

THE real reason flight crew sit on their hands during plane landings has been revealed - but passengers should never do this.

Although planes are typically quite chilly inside, flight crew aren't sitting on their hands to keep them warm.

A travel expert revealed that cabin crew must also prepare for turbulence
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A travel expert revealed that cabin crew must also prepare for turbulenceCredit: getty

Landings, takeoffs, and times of turbulence are the most critical points of a flight - and safety for all on board, is paramount.

Court Acree has been a flight attendant for six years - she is also a content creator who goes by Court Too Fly.

She revealed that by sitting on their hands, flight crew are initiating a brace position.

She explained: "This helps them prepare for potential turbulence or emergencies and stay focused on keeping everyone safe.

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"It's all about ensuring they're ready to assist passengers and avoiding unnecessary movement during these critical parts of the flight."

However, not all brace positions require flight crew to sit on their hands.

Court revealed brace positions actually depend on where the airline is based, what type of plane it is, and what sort of jump seats there are.

Sitting upright, back against the back of the jump seat, with feet flat on the floor is very standard, Court admitted.

She continued: "Different head positions, such as chin down, when facing toward the front of the aircraft and chin up when facing toward the back of the aircraft, protect the head and neck during sudden deceleration or turbulence, reducing the risk of injury."

Meanwhile, when it comes to passengers, they "do not need to sit on their hands", the expert advises.

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Instead, passengers should prepare by "buckling their seatbelts low and tight across their hips", while following instructions from the crew.

Passengers should remain seated and worse comes to worse, put on some noise cancelling headphones to ease any plane anxiety.

HOW TO REDUCE MOTION SICKNESS

It comes after a travel expert revealed a 3p trick to stop you feeling motion sickness.

We feel motion or seasickness due to "constant movement" and a "lack of visual reference points", Yasmin Peckel at Blue Cruise revealed.

This, combined with the motion of the transport, causes feelings of nausea.

Sucking on a peppermint or sipping a mint tea can help reduce motion sickness.

Yasmin continued: "I recommend always having a few bags in a handbag, just in case the travel provider doesn't stock them. 

"You can simply ask for hot water from a trolley service or the crew onboard a plane - or make a cup of peppermint tea in your room if on a boat.”

Peppermint helps to "relax the muscles in your stomach and digestive system" which improves the flow of bile, aiding digestion.

Ultimately, the calming and numbing effects produced by peppermint work wonders for settling sick stomachs.

HOW TO LOWER FLIGHT ANXIETY

If sickness isn't a concern but anxiety is worsening your flight experience, a new study which revealed the types of music you should and should not listen to may help.

Fast music with more beats in per minute, can make us feel alert and energetic, Netfights revealed.

While slow music with fewer BPM's evokes feelings of calm.

In fact, listening to music with less beats per minute lowers heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, and reduces the tension on our muscles.

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Some songs with less beats per minute include "Birds of a Feather," Billie Eilish and "Please Please Please," Sabrina Carpenter.

While two songs with high beats per minute include "Apple," Charli and  "Somedays," Sonny Fodera.

Passengers do not need to sit on their hands, instead they should buckle their seatbelts low and tight across their hips
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Passengers do not need to sit on their hands, instead they should buckle their seatbelts low and tight across their hipsCredit: getty
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