The Strange Reason Your Plane Seat Shows 80°F

Bright Side

Ever wondered what’s really going on with planes? In this video, we’re diving into some seriously cool plane facts, including the viral TikTok about why your plane seat shows 80°F—even when the cabin feels like an icebox. From behind-the-scenes secrets about air pressure to why plane food tastes so different, we’ve got all the juicy details. You’ll learn a few things that might even make your next flight a little more interesting (or at least give you something to think about while you wait for takeoff). Whether you’re a frequent flyer or just love a good fact, this video’s got something for you. So buckle up and hit play—you won’t want to miss this flight of knowledge!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00A TikTok user was flying home from New York City to Toronto, Canada late at night and

00:05noticed one strange thing that turned into a viral video.

00:09She glanced at her neighbor's screen, which showed 27C, which is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit

00:14in the corner.

00:16Then she saw that the person in front of them had 26C, closer to 79, on their screensaver.

00:24Since the rest of the screensaver was a tropical landscape, she figured out it must be the

00:28destination temperature in Celsius.

00:31But nope, she was heading to Toronto in late October, far from tropical dreams.

00:36So what did that temperature stand for and why on earth was it different for different

00:41seats?

00:43It took her a while to realize that the numbers and letters actually stood for passengers'

00:47seat locations.

00:49Plenty of fellow TikTok users supported the video's author and said that they had to read

00:54the comments to figure out what was going on.

00:58It's actually not so wrong.

00:59The aircraft is usually divided into several zones.

01:03Each of them normally has its own air conditioning system controller.

01:07These gadgets look similar to home thermostat panels, except every panel has separate dial

01:12settings for each cabin zone.

01:14So there can totally be slightly different temperatures depending on where you're sitting

01:19on the plane.

01:20But crew members mostly set the temperature somewhere between 71F and 75F to make you

01:27feel at home.

01:28This is the temp you're most likely to set on your AC at home, right?

01:32And because all people have different body temperatures, the airplane crew mostly aims

01:36for the lower end of that spectrum, especially during morning and afternoon flights in the

01:41summer.

01:44Feeling a bit chilly is definitely better than sweating as stuffy air makes it harder

01:47for passengers to breathe.

01:50And those who have motion sickness might feel even worse in a warm temperature while flying

01:55through turbulence.

01:57Conditioned air from the cabin also goes into the cargo hold in the belly of the plane.

02:01It gets a little cooler by the time it reaches there.

02:04Plus, the cargo area is less insulated than the cabin, so it's mostly around 44F in a

02:10Boeing 767 cargo hold.

02:13The bulk area where pets are traveling can get as warm as 68F.

02:20Depending on the plane's position, it comes from three main sources.

02:24When a plane is parked at the gate, it often uses air from the ground.

02:28This air, called preconditioned air, PCA, comes from a big air conditioning machine

02:33on the ground.

02:35You might notice a big yellow tube connected to the plane.

02:38This is how the ground air gets inside.

02:41Sometimes a gas-powered air car can be used instead.

02:45Ground air is usually powered by electricity, which is cheaper, cleaner, and quieter than

02:50running the plane's engines.

02:52But it doesn't always keep the cabin cool enough, especially on hot days or if the tube

02:57gets kinked.

02:59Cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, which have very hot weather, have some of the best ground

03:04air systems in the US to handle the heat.

03:09The second source of air aboard is the APU, or auxiliary power unit.

03:14It's like a mini-engine in the tail of the plane.

03:16It's the second option for cooling or heating the cabin, especially if ground air isn't

03:21available.

03:22The APU can work even on the hottest days.

03:26During quick stops, the APU might stay on the whole time to keep the air inside comfortable.

03:31If the plane is preparing to leave the gate, the APU gets switched on just before the ground

03:36air is disconnected.

03:39The plane's main engines can also provide air for the cabin.

03:43This happens when the engines are running, usually after pushback or during the flight.

03:48The engines can keep the cabin cool or warm while also managing the plane's pressurization.

03:54If the cabin feels too hot or cold, pilots can fix it if they start the engines early.

04:00If not, they can use other sources of air.

04:05This might not always work, especially when the temperatures are going up and planes get

04:10extra hot just sitting on the runway.

04:13One flight attendant shares the story of how she felt hot, dizzy, confused, and then blacked

04:19out aboard.

04:21Another flight in Florida was delayed an hour because it was 93 degrees inside the cabin.

04:27The gate agent told the passengers they had to wait for it to drop to at least 85 degrees

04:32to board the plane safely.

04:34The sun wasn't even up yet at that time.

04:37Sadly, the external AC units and the auxiliary-powered cooling systems don't always work properly

04:43because of maintenance issues.

04:45You can increase your chances of feeling comfortable on the flight if you look up the flight number

04:49and what type of plane it uses.

04:52Newer planes will have more advanced onboard technology.

04:55Some will even have temperature regulation by now.

04:58So you'll only have to fight a couple of neighbors to get to the temperature you prefer.

05:05But then there's also the cost control problem.

05:07Some airlines make their pilots save money on fuel and maintenance and won't let them

05:11use the auxiliary power unit and other engines while the plane is at the gate or on the runway.

05:17If they use too much fuel for AC on the ground, they might have to refuel later on.

05:25Another big problem with hot weather is how it affects takeoff.

05:29Planes are very heavy and gravity pulls them down to the ground.

05:32To get into the sky, they need lift, which is the force that opposes the weight of the

05:38airplane and holds it in the air.

05:40When the air gets hotter, it expands, which means there are fewer air molecules to push

05:46the plane upward.

05:48For every rise of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, an airplane loses about 1% of its lift.

05:55So in really hot weather, it can be much harder for planes to take off.

06:00And if it gets too hot, it might even be impossible.

06:04The problem is especially tricky at airports in high places, where the air is already thinner

06:09and at airports with short runways, which give planes less time to speed up.

06:14For example, at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, a plane might need a runway that's 6,500 feet long

06:21to take off.

06:23But if it's 104 degrees Fahrenheit, the same plane would need 8,200 feet of runway.

06:31In 2018, because of a heat wave in London, they had to remove passengers from 14 flights.

06:37It happened at London City Airport, which has shorter runways than other airports in

06:42the area, so they have to take off at a steeper angle.

06:46It would have been impossible if the plane had been loaded to the max, and they would

06:50have had to use a lot of extra fuel to make it fly.

06:55On one flight, they had to ask 20 passengers to stay behind.

06:59Since no one volunteered not to fly to Ibiza, they had to choose them at random.

07:04This made the plane lighter and let it take off safely.

07:08Scientists have also noticed that headwinds that help the plane take off have slowed down

07:13by about 2.3 knots every decade.

07:16It reduced the maximum takeoff weight for planes.

07:20If you're more worried about the cold than the heat, there's some good news for you.

07:25Since planes fly at almost 40,000 feet above the ground, they can perfectly survive freezing

07:30temps of around negative 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

07:34They keep the fuel warm on the ground, and once the plane is flying, the engine heats

07:38it up, so it works perfectly even in the icy skies.

07:43Cold air actually helps planes fly better because it's denser than warm air, which

07:47means they can take off more quickly and fly more efficiently.

07:52But cold weather has its challenges, like ice and snow.

07:56If snow or ice sticks to important parts of the plane, like the wings, it can mess up

08:01the smooth airflow that helps the plane fly.

08:04To fix this, ground staff sprays the wings with heated antifreeze liquid to melt the

08:08snow and ice.

08:10When the plane is flying, the wings stay ice-free because the engine's hot air warms them up,

08:16and the plane's speed prevents snow from sticking.

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