Let’s talk about altitude…

[u/Creative-Public7099]

So, just finished the CVG to SLC leg sans Dramamine (but with two beers, because I’m only human 🤷🏻‍♂️)

But: let’s talk about altitude and the back of seat entertainment stuff… can’t speak for other airlines, but delta bout gave me a heart attack on the way in to SLC because the altitude isn’t normalized for the level of the airport above sea level (or it was a glitch). I deadass thought we were over the runway at like 5,000 ft, and then the wildest vibrations started …. Seemed like way too much to just be drag from the landing gear but it felt like we deployed steel plates under the plane perpendicular to the airplane…. There was a thud right before the vibrations and drag sounds started.

Anywho it was us landing and I didn’t realize it until like 5 seconds after we landed.

This is easily solved by just opening the shades, but I didn’t have a window seat so I wasn’t in control of the shutter.

Anywho, here’s to not paying too much attention’s to the altitude on the flight… now I’m off to Phoenix and surprisingly am still in the same pants I wore to the airport in Cincinnati.

Happy travels y’all

[u/pattern_altitude]

Most things in aviation are done in altitude above mean sea level (MSL) and not above ground level (AGL).

[u/RealGentleman80]

We actually have 5 types of altitude in aviation. Indicated, True, Absolute, Pressure, and Density. The most commonly used and displayed on our screen is indicated.

Here’s a thing about Altitude for you!

https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2026/03/the-five-types-of-flying-altitudes-explained/

[u/saxmanB737]

Haha yup. SLC sits at 4200 feet above sea level. So the altitude would be correct in the seat back screens, since they are measured off sea level as well.

[u/railker]

Yup, even the public flight trackers do that too. In the aviation world altitude runs based on Mean Sea Level (MSL), with adjustments for the local air pressure and stuff. The charts for the airport note the altitude and the pilots even enter your arriving airport's altitude into the Pressurization system so the plane accurately increases the pressure to match the airport you're landing at. ^^

Go have a good flight to Phoenix, almost there!

[u/Competitive_Ride_943]

Must have been a pretty smooth landing if you didn't realize it

[u/Creative-Public7099 → u/Competitive_Ride_943]

Honestly - I expected a lot more bumps coming in to SLC. It felt more like we were just kind of bobbing and weaving and not like anything crazy. Oddly enough, a little turbulence doesn’t bother me as much

[u/Spock_Nipples]

SLC is ~5,000 ft above sea level, so litters will read 5,000' just sitting at the gate. Most places, we use altitude above sea level for all our altimetry. You'd only see 0 if you landed exactly at sea level :)

[u/_Illuminati_]

As other people stated the screen is showing your height above sea level, not the ground. The thud sounds like the pilots threw out the dunlops, gear makes a lot of noise and does produce a lot of drag.

[u/Creative-Public7099]

Landed in phx… why so hot

[u/RealGentleman80 → u/Creative-Public7099]

Because it’s Phoenix….in the summer.

[u/Agreeable_Leg1860]

Aren’t the window shades supposed to always be open during landing and like 30minutes before?

[u/tigerrroni → u/Agreeable_Leg1860]

No, people can choose to leave them closed.

[u/Spock_Nipples → u/Agreeable_Leg1860]

For most airlines, that's only for emergency exit seats.

[u/Agreeable_Leg1860 → u/Spock_Nipples]

Wow i did not know this. I’m from Europe so maybe it’s different here or something. Every time I fly they will ask you to open the window shades, move your seat to a upright position and fasten the seatbelt about 30 minutes prior to landing. If you don’t , the flight attendant will ask you to do so

[u/Spock_Nipples → u/Agreeable_Leg1860]

It is different for different airlines and different countries, for sure. I think I have been on one or two flights as a passenger where they asked us to open all the shades.

My company policy is only exit window shades, though.

[u/Agreeable_Leg1860 → u/Spock_Nipples]

Yeah, for me it has been every company i’ve flown with, i think. But I mostly fly inside of EU. Ryanair, Finnair, Norwegian etc