Boarding a plane any time soon? Here are some secrets from airline employees shared in a fascinating and freaky AskReddit discussion. Happy flying!

The armrest next to the aisle CAN be lifted.

As redditor derityug noted, “It’s a great way to be the fastest person to stand up and wait 20 minutes once the seatbelt light turns off.” The trick also works for the armrest closest to the window. You know, the one that always jabs you in the side when you’re trying to take a nap? Freedom at last!

If your pets must fly in the luggage compartment, write their names prominently on their carriers. Doing so may ease their nerves.

Do you prefer a smoother flight or a shorter one? The airline you choose makes a difference.

“I don’t work for airlines, but I am an air traffic controller at an ARTCC, a large radar facility. One thing most people are surprised to hear is that it’s absolutely true that certain airlines fly their planes differently. “Southwest for example tends to climb like bats out of hell, and then request direct routing/shortcuts from us, and we are often able to approve them and send them direct, since they’re above most conflicting traffic. it’s one of their signature tricks, and it usually works. This can cut significant time off the flight, which of course has numerous advantages. “In contrast, American Airlines on the other hand tends to be gentle for efficiency and passenger comfort, and they always report chop and turbulence when other guys say it’s smooth. Things like this are actually so profound, it can affect how we control traffic. “You can usually count on guys like Southwest to climb and descend fast for you, for example.” — Reddit user PlatinumAero

And here’s some insight from havaloc:

Never drink the coffee on airplanes.

Need further convincing? Here’s what redditor Mudbutt7 has seen.

“Sometimes, the vehicle that fills the potable water for washing hands and making coffee is parked next to the vehicle that is used to dump the shitters and fill the blue juice for the lavs. They’re not supposed to. Sometimes, they’re parked at a distance from each other, which is policy, yet the guy who is filling the water is using gloves that he hasn’t changed in over 2 years.”

Having a problem with your airline? Turn to the powers of Twitter.

“The most power you could probably wield is twitter. The employee in front of you has so little power to actually remedy tough situations. Baggage handlers are usually short staffed. As well, customer service agents are usually limited in their options. “Also, it would help us get a message to higher ups because our work is not being supported as it should be. Hell, I’d even recommend asking an employee about the problem and say something like, ‘If I were to take my complaint to twitter, how could I phrase it in a way that would help you too?'” —Mudbutt7

On the ground, you can tweet back and forth with a customer service representative and get a solution faster than it would take to wait for the hold music to end.

Not all seats are created equal. Choose yours wisely.

Turbulence can’t bring down a plane, but very rarely, it can be severe enough to snap someone’s neck.

“Turbulence CAN NOT bring down a plane. Period. It is thought to have only ever possibly perhaps maybehappened ONCE in the whole history of aviation. I bet many on here will claim that I’m full of shit, that they’ve experienced “severe” turbulence. No, you haven’t. I’ve had hundreds of passengers jump out of my plane bitching about how it was “the worse flight ever and so horribly bumpy”, as if it was our fault. 99% of the time, those bumps they felt are what we call, and what is defined by the FAA as “light chop”. Big deal, it’s little more than a nuisance. Moderate chop will be what most people complain about but it’s still not even enough to spill a drink. Legitimate severe turbulence WILL toss you around violently enough to slam your ugly face against the seat in front of you, against the ceiling if your seatbelt is off (WHICH IS WHY YOU NEVER EVER TAKE IT OFF UNTIL WE ARE PARKED AT THE GATE AND THE SIGN IS OFF) and snap your neck and die (yes, it has happened), open up the bins and spill bags everywhere, potentially cracking your skull if a hard suitcase hits you. In other words, the stuff you see in Hollywood. Extreme turbulence will actually bend a plane, and that is extremely rare, maybe a couple of times year in the US.” —PM_ME_YOUR_EMPENNAGE

The plane you’re on may have missing or broken parts. It’s nothing to worry about.

PiperArrown3191q and Lettos added that it’s called a Minimum Equipment List (MEL), a “list of what can be broken on the aircraft while it still remains airworthy.”

Sometimes, the operational limits of the aircraft will be altered to respond to broken parts. For instance, if certain lights are broken, the aircraft will be restricted to daytime use. The list will also be tailored to the specific aircraft’s operation. If a plane’s on-ground anti-icing equipment is broken, it can still fly without issue in places such as California.

If it seems like flight attendants are giving preferential treatment to certain passengers, it’s probably true.

“Flight attendants have a list of who is who and what seat they are in. As well as what level of frequent flyer they happen to be. Or if they are employees or family and friends tickets. This is why you will see them being rude to someone or bending over backwards for jerks.” — Reddit user paradoxofchoice

Be nice to flight attendants and they will be nice to you (and might even give you filet mignon).

See the full discussion in the original Reddit thread.