在一段漫長而疲憊的飛行之后，如何確保自己的行李可以最先拿到，這和到機場的時間又有什么關系呢？為什么飛機起降時，空乘人員都要求乘客打開遮光板？坐飛機出行時，你想過這些常見但又很容易被忽略的問題嗎？一起來看看這些問題的答案吧。

飛鳥撞進飛機引擎會發生什么？

What happens if a bird flies into a plane engine? The event is called a bird strike. Each year, bird strikes cost US airlines an estimated $1.2 billion. Only part of those costs are from actual damage. The rest comes from flight delays and cancellations.
飛鳥撞進飛機引擎會發生什么？這種事件被稱為“機鳥互撞”。據估計，機鳥互撞每年給美國航空公司造成的損失高達12億美元（約合79億元人民幣），其中實際損失只占一部分，其他來自飛機延誤和取消。

A bird strike can disable a plane's engine. But engines are designed to withstand at least one bird. Plus, pilots can still fly a plane with just one operating engine.
機鳥互撞會導致飛機引擎失去動力。但按照設計，飛機引擎至少能承受一只飛鳥的撞擊。而且，飛行員仍可以在只有一個引擎工作的情況下駕駛飛機。

As a result, the chances of an accident are slim. Between 1990-2015 there were 160,894 bird strikes on US aircraft. Only 0.025% of those strikes resulted in an accident.
所以導致事故的幾率很低。在1990年到2015年間，美國飛機遭遇了160894次飛鳥撞擊，只有0.025%的事件導致了事故。

Despite the low risk, a bird strike can be a shocking experience.
盡管危險性很低，但飛鳥撞擊仍可能成為讓人震驚的經歷。

Expect more bird strikes from July to October. That's when over half of them occur each year. Most bird strikes happen during takeoff or landing. They're also more likely to occur during the day than any other time.
7月到10月飛鳥撞擊事件更多，全年超過一半的飛鳥撞擊事件都發生在這幾個月。大多數飛鳥撞擊發生在飛機起降時。白天發生的幾率更高。

Now, if only there was a way to let the birds know.
要是有辦法讓飛鳥知道有多好。

為什么飛機起降時要打開遮光板？

The FAA requires that every airplane can be fully evacuated in 90 seconds or less. Meaning a flight crew only has 90 seconds to direct passengers to emergency exits. To prepare for a potential evacuation, flight attendants ask passengers in emergency exit rows to lift up their window shades before takeoff and landing.
美國聯邦航空局要求每架飛機都能在90秒之內將乘客疏散完畢。也就是說，機組人員只有90秒時間引導乘客從緊急出口離開。為準備好可能出現的疏散，空乘要求坐在緊急出口附近的乘客在飛機起降前打開遮光板。

"If there's an emergency, we have to be able to look out the window to assess outside conditions. If there is debris, fire, or water blocking the window, we won't use that exit and will direct people elsewhere. It may seem like a small thing but in an emergency every second counts. You don't want to have to fiddle with a window shade when you're trying to safely evacuate a plane in 90 seconds."
“如果發生緊急情況，我們要能夠看清窗外，評估外面的狀況。如果外面有垃圾、火災、或者大水堵住了窗口，我們就不能使用這個應急出口，就會引導大家從別處疏散。聽起來是件小事，但在緊急情況下必須爭分奪秒。當你拼命要在90秒內安全離開飛機時，絕不會想當時再撥弄遮光板。”

下飛機后，如何能最早取到行李？

After a long, tiring flight the last thing you want to do is have to stand around and wait for your suitcase on the luggage carousel.
在疲憊的長途飛行之后，你肯定不想為了等行李在傳送帶前面站好久。

But a baggage handler has revealed how you can make sure that your luggage always comes off first - and it's all to do with how early you get to the airport.
但一位行李搬運工告訴了我們，如何確保自己的行李總是最先出現在傳送帶上，這取決于你到達機場的時間。

“Your best option is to be one of the last passengers to check your bags,” Thomas Lo Sciuto, a ramp worker at a regional airport in the US, wrote on Quora.
美國一家支線機場的機坪操作員托馬斯?舒拓在問答網站Quora上寫道：“你最好的選擇，就是成為最后一批托運行李的乘客。”

“Bags will always be loaded front to back on the bag carts so if you check in last, your bags will be in the last bag cart, which will make them the last on the aircraft, and then the first off the aircraft at your destination.”
“在行李車上，行李都是從內向外裝載的。所以如果你最后辦托運，你的行李就會被裝進最后一輛行李車，最后裝進飛機，到達目的地后也就最先被搬出來?！?/p>

Lo Sciuto says the same logic applies in reverse: check in first and your bag will be last off.
反之也適用：最先辦托運，最后才能取到行李。

But if waiting to check in at the last moment isn't an option, Mr Lo Sciuto says there's another trick you can try.
但如果無法等到最后再辦理托運，舒拓說，還可以嘗試另一個小竅門。

He explained: 'You can also gate check your bag so it will go on last.
他解釋說：“可以在登機口辦理托運，這樣你的行李就會放在最后了?！?/p>

'The downside of that method is that you will not be able to pack liquids or any other items that cannot go in a carry-on bag as you will need to bring the bag with you through the security checkpoint and to the gate.
“這樣做的壞處是你無法攜帶液體或者其他不能隨身攜帶的物品，因為你需要攜帶行李通過安檢抵達登機口。”

But if your bag is too big to go through security, there is one other trick you could try.
但如果你的行李太大，無法通過安檢，你還可以嘗試另一個辦法。

According to Travel + Leisure, you could ask the check in agent if they will put a fragile sticker over your bag.
根據《慢旅Travel + Leisure》雜志報道，你可以問問安檢人員，是否可以給你的行李貼個易碎標簽。

This is because luggage with these on are also often loaded last with more care taken over them.
這是因為貼有易碎標簽的行李通常最后裝載，搬運時都會格外小心。

英文來源：商業內幕網、每日郵報、每日電訊報
翻譯&編審：yaning