Secret communication on board?

What these lights mean for flight attendants

Created: 01/04/2022, 4:41 PM

From: Franziska Kaindl

On some aircraft, colored lights flash under the exit signs.

They have different meanings.

© Imago

On board many aircraft there are different colored lights that are used to alert crew members.

A flight attendant revealed exactly what they mean.

Flight attendants work with different codes to secretly communicate with each other *.

But have you ever thought about the different lights on board an airplane?

Apart from the light signals that are located in each row of seats and that indicate whether the seat belts can be opened, there are, for example, colored lights under the exit signs in many aircraft.

Sometimes these light up in blue, orange or pink - but what exactly do they mean?

This is what the lights on board an aircraft mean for the crew

The lights under the exit signs are called

, as the flight attendant Mateusz Maszczynski reports in an article on the online portal

. When they light up, the crew knows that their attention is needed. The different colors have different meanings: If the

up, it means, for example, that a

and needs the help of a flight attendant. Depending on the aircraft, the blue lights can also appear at both ends of the ACP - so that the crew knows whether the call came from the left or right rows of seats.

Also interesting

Then there is the

: when it lights up, a passenger usually calls a

flight attendant

.

However, if the orange light is flashing, it means the smoke alarm has been triggered.

In both cases, the orange lamp above the corresponding toilet also lights up.

Also read

This is how you can tell whether the crew is communicating with each other

Last but not least, passengers can also

for the

.

When this lights up, it signals a call between two flight attendants via the on-

telephone

.

If the light flashes, all crew members will be brought together for a group call via the on-board telephones, says Maszczynski.

In some aircraft this light can also be green, while a red light means that the call is coming from the cockpit.

The lights therefore help the crew to react quickly to events on board and to establish contact with one another.