Flight attendants sit on their hands during takeoff and landing as a safety strategy to protect both themselves and passengers. This bracing position helps minimize movement during turbulent moments or potential impacts, allowing flight attendants to respond quickly in emergencies. In this position, flight attendants fasten their seatbelts, sit upright, tuck their hands under their thighs, and keep their arms and feet secure. Cebu Pacific flight attendant Henny Lim shared this safety procedure in a viral TikTok video, explaining how it reduces injury risk. Although this technique isn’t a regulation, it’s a personal choice for many flight attendants to enhance safety during high-risk phases of flight.

“We do need to position our hands properly as part of the brace position, and I guess you could sit on your hands if you want to. The flight attendant rule is just that you can’t hold on to the harness,” said Erin Thomas, who’s been flying more than 15 years. “Being in the brace position is the important part.”

Thomas shared that her prefers to keep her hands on her lap. “I think it makes me look calm,” she says, “and passengers will feed off our energy, so if we’re calm during takeoff, they will be too.”

While this posture may seem rigid, it serves a critical function in protecting crew members from injury and allowing them to assist passengers immediately.

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