Airplanes have been in the news a lot lately. Whether they’re falling apart in the sky or having their routes drastically cut because of money, it’s almost always bleak. So, why don’t we take a look at a more innocent airplane story? Namely, what’s the deal with those little triangles you see above some of the windows in the cabin?
Well, as it turns out, they aren’t just a fun little piece of design. They actually serve a purpose. A flight attendant for the Philippines-based airline Cebu Pacific took to TikTok to share the two “secret” meanings behind the little black triangles, and they’re useful for both passengers and the crew.
“1. Passengers sitting next to the triangles get the best view of the wings. 2. If flight crew need to check the wings these triangles let them know the best vantage point for the slats and flaps outside,” user _hennylim_ said on TikTok using that creepy AI-generated woman’s voice.
In the 36-second clip, the TikTok-using flight attendant stands in an empty Airbus A320 and tells passengers that if they happen to be on a flight that lets them choose their seat, look for the little triangles to get a great view of the wing.
“Anybody who loves taking window shots or videos will get the best view over the wings from these seats,” she (the AI-lady) says in the video.
In the comments, the flight attendant confirmed that the little triangle’s placement depends on the type of aircraft you’re on. I mean, that makes a whole lot of sense. Every plane type has its wings in different positions.
The New York Post did even more digging into the little triangles, and it actually found a Quora answer from 2015 authored by a retired aerospace engineer named Lee Ballentine:
“The black triangle marks the location of what has been called ‘William Shatner’s Seat,’ the seat with the clearest view of the wing. This is the place inside the airplane from which you can get the best visual check for ice or other problems,” Ballentine disclosed.
“The Shatner reference is to one of the strangest Twilight Zone episodes, ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,‘ which first aired on October 11, 1963,” Ballentine continued. “In it, Shatner’s character sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane he’s a passenger on.”
The more ya know!