Three things an airline steward will never tell you

Last time you were on a plane, chances are your biggest fear was the engine failing and you hurtling to earth and a premature death.

While fortunately that's highly unlikely to happen, there are a few ever-so-slightly less worse things that might.

Here are three gross things a flight attendant is unlikely to tell you:

1. You probably want to think twice before having tea or coffee

An investigation by NBC found that more than 10 per cent of commercial aeroplanes had potentially harmful bacteria in their water tanks used for tea, coffee and tap water. That percentage was deemed "high" by a US regulator.

2. The toilets can be opened from the outside

Of course, it makes perfect sense from a safety point of view. Something to think about the next time you spend too long reading the paper or, um, attempting to join the mile high club.

This video shows just how easy it is:

3. The person next to you might be dead

With eight million people flying every single day, it's fair to say a fair few pass away. But if the person sitting next to you dies on a plane, don't expect your flight attendant to tell you about it.

A cabin crew member of a major airline, who spoke to Men's Health on condition of anonymity, explained:

No one officially dies on a plane, because it would create too much red tape. They’re simply belted into their seat and covered with a blanket. Their seatmates have to sit next to a corpse for the remainder of the flight.

More: Flight attendants reveal the worst things that have ever happened on planes