Lightning strikes: Its true passenger planes are inevitable targets for lightning, with an average of just one lightning strike on a commercial airline a year. However, lightning hasn't brought down a passenger plane since 1967. Planes have to pass stringent lightning certification tests before they are allowed to fly.
Superstition in the skies: Some airlines, including Air France, Emirates, Lufthansa and Ryanair, have removed row 13 from their planes so as not to worry flyers who are a little superstitious. Lufthansa also flies minus a 17th row, as it's regarded as unlucky in both Italy and Brazil.
Ashtrays: Smoking on planes has been banned for nearly 15 years, but all planes worldwide must legally have ashtrays. That's not to say that the airline is encouraging you to light up, but rather as a precaution in case some sneaky passenger can't control their cravings for the duration. A discarded cigarette once sparked a plane crash in 1973.
Oxygen gets you high: If you've seen Fight Club, chances are you believed Brad Pitt when he said that oxygen gets you high. Not true, it's actually a loss of oxygen that makes you feel this way, so that's why airlines provide the masks in case the cabin pressure suddenly drops.
The safest seat on the plane: According to researchers from the University of Greenwich commissioned by the US Civil Aviation Authority, the myth about the safest seat on the plane is true. Should you be involved in a mid-air incident, the emergency exit is said to be the safest seat. The result was based on the accounts of 2000 survivors in 105 air accidents around the world.
Food is bland in the sky: It's true, food really does taste different in the skies as the atmosphere inside the cabin dries out the nose and then the change in air pressure numbs approximately a third of the taste buds. You can add as much flavouring to the dish as is humanly possible, but it still won't taste the same as it does on the ground.
Random fasten seat belt sign: Lastly, the fasten seat belt sign coming on randomly with no sign of turbulence. This is actually so the pilot can take a toilet break. A cabin crew member will guard the flight deck door while the pilot makes the trip to the lavatory.
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