Everyones

SoFi Technologies (SOFI -0.45%) has faced plenty of sceptics since going public in 2021. Many investors viewed it as a niche player in student loan refinancing, doubting it could ever achieve profitability.

Fast-forward to today, and SoFi not only generates consistent profits, it’s expanding into new areas that have the market buzzing. Shares recently surged to fresh highs, putting the company squarely in the fintech spotlight.

Here are three reasons why everyone is talking about SoFi right now — and what investors should keep in mind before following the crowd into buying the stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

A different kind of bank

SoFi isn’t your typical bank. While most financial institutions make money through a patchwork of branches, tellers, and specialized divisions, SoFi operates as a digital-first platform. Its pitch is simple: Manage your entire financial life in one app.

That means you can open a checking account, refinance a loan, trade stocks or crypto, and even buy into new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — all in one account. The company’s strategy is to cross-sell as many products as possible to each customer, increasing engagement and lowering churn.

This integrated approach matters. Traditional banks often specialize in one area — say, deposits and mortgages — while a brokerage focuses on investing. By integrating everything into a single ecosystem, SoFi increases switching costs and fosters long-term customer loyalty.

Financials are finally clicking

For years, critics argued that SoFi could attract users but not profits. And they were right, at least until 2023.

But that narrative is shifting as Sofi has delivered two consecutive years of positive adjusted net income and continues to do so in 2025. In the second quarter of 2025, adjusted net revenue rose 44% year over year to $858 million. Adjusted net income surged 459% to $97 million. The solid performance is a result of a record high in new members, new products, and an increase in fee-based revenue.

Membership growth was equally impressive. SoFi added 846,000 new members in Q2 2025, pushing its base to 11.7 million — more than double what it had three years ago. Crucially, the mix of revenue is changing. Fee-based revenue contributed 44% of total revenue, indicating the company has expanded beyond its student loan financing roots.

Even its lending portfolio has performed well of late as the company originated a record $8.8 billion in loans in the quarter, while bad debt charge-off has largely been declining over the last few quarters. Expectations for lower interest rates could also further boost lending volumes and profitability in the coming quarters.

Beyond banking

SoFi could easily stop at being a profitable digital bank. Instead, management is pushing into new frontiers. The company will restart its crypto service this year, enabling members to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum. While volatile, crypto broadens SoFi’s appeal among younger and more tech-savvy users.

It also launched new investment products, like the SoFi Agentic AI ETF, designed to capture investor interest in artificial intelligence. Beyond ETFs, SoFi is expanding into private market funds, giving retail investors access to opportunities once reserved for institutions.

These moves highlight SoFi’s ambition to build a full-spectrum financial platform. But they also come with risk. Each market brings established competitors — from Robinhood Markets in trading, to BlackRock in asset management, to Coinbase Global in crypto. Execution and regulatory oversight will be ongoing challenges that investors should track.

What does it mean for investors?

SoFi is no longer just a one-dimensional fintech tied to student loans. It’s becoming a diversified platform with real profitability and a broad set of growth levers. That’s why the stock is getting so much attention right now.

Still, investors should recognize the risks. Valuations already incorporate optimism — as of this writing, the stock trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 62 times — and SoFi must prove it can balance banking, investing, and emerging areas like crypto without losing focus.

For growth investors, the pitch is straightforward. If SoFi can scale its ecosystem while executing on new growth bets, it has the potential to be a defining financial company of this generation.

Either way, it’s worth keeping the stock on watch.

On Sept. 18, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25%. It was the central bank’s first interest rate cut since December, as it looks to balance both sides of its dual mandate to achieve both stable prices and maximum employment.

Interest rate cuts benefit companies with more debt, including small-cap stocks. One value play that investors might be overlooking is regional banks. Here’s why.

Image source: Getty Images.

How interest rate cuts could benefit regional banks

Regional banks can benefit from interest rate cuts because their deposit costs typically adjust downward faster than loan yields. Most deposits are short-term and rate-sensitive, while many loans are fixed or repriced more slowly. This timing gap can boost net interest margins, easing pressure from prior rate hikes.

Lower rates also stimulate borrowing demand, boosting loan growth and fee income. Together, these dynamics can boost profitability and capital flexibility for regional banks during easing cycles. The primary beneficiaries are banks with strong deposit franchises, sensitivity to interest rates, and balance sheets heavily tilted toward lending.

PNC Financial is one regional bank with a relatively low deposit beta, supported by a stable, low-cost funding base and broad geographic reach, with a balance sheet tilted toward lending. By contrast, more asset-sensitive peers such as Zions Bancorp and KeyCorp, whose earnings were pressured by higher deposit costs in the rising rate environment, could see outsized margin recovery if funding cost sensitivity eases with rate cuts.

How investors could play the rebound

For investors, rate cuts create an opportunity in regional banks. As funding costs ease faster than loan yields, margins expand, credit demand rises, and earnings improve.

With valuations still compressed from pressures that emerged during the regional bank crisis a couple of years ago, regionals could deliver solid upside as monetary policy becomes a tailwind. For those interested, the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE -1.25%) is one way to play the rebound across a diverse group of over 140+ regional bank stocks.

Empire of the Sun was released in 1987 and is based on J.G Ballard’s novel of the same name. It stars Christian Bale and is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video

The war epic that catapulted Steven Spielberg into the ranks of Hollywood’s top directors is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Empire of the Sun, which hit cinemas in 1987, features a glittering cast including Christian Bale.

Adapted from J. G Ballard’s novel bearing the same title, this 2hrs 32 min spectacle chronicles the life of Jamie ‘Jim’ Graham – portrayed by the erstwhile Batman actor – a well-heeled British lad residing in Shanghai during the early stages of World War II.

Separated from his parents amidst the Japanese invasion, he is ultimately captured and dispatched to an internment camp where he encounters the intriguing American wheeler-dealer, Basie, enacted by Of Mice and Men (1992) actor John Malkovich.

Striving to endure the severe conditions, Jim aspires to preserve his youthful innocence amid the turmoil and loss, reports the Express.

The cast also includes Southport-born Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers known for Coronation Street (2009-2019) and Chariots of Fire (1981), and The Matrix (1999) star Joe Pantoliano.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has awarded Empire of the Sun a critic score of 77%, while the audience score stands at a commendable 90%.

The film was highly acclaimed upon its release and is often hailed as the hidden jewel in Spielberg’s trove of blockbusters, with some asserting it surpasses the likes of Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and Schindler’s List (1993) as his finest work.

Don’t just take our word for it, with one critic saying: “One of Steven Spielberg’s most ambitious efforts of the 1980s, Empire of the Sun remains an underrated gem in the director’s distinguished filmography.

“Stephen Spielberg’s graduation to grown-up film-making,” added a second, while another added: “Empire of the Sun is a great, overwrought movie that leaves one wordless and worn out.”

Matt, a superfan of the movie, posted on Rotten Tomatoes: “This is one of my favorite films of all time. I’ve been watching it since it came out and it’s just as good each time I see it.

“Absolute stellar cast and should have won a lot of awards. This is actually my favorite Speilberg WWII movie.”

Empire of the Sun is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

A YOUNG mum has revealed the reason she never gets to school on time.

Carmen Louise, from the UK, revealed she went to great lengths to avoid playground politics and ‘DryRobe mums’.

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The mum was sat in her car, possibly waiting for her kids to come out of school.

She revealed she would wait until the last minute to get out to avoid the other parents.

Carmen said: “I am the mum that waits till the very last minute to go and pick the kids up.

“I can’t deal with people.

Claiming she ‘hated everyone,’ Carmen said she avoided mum groups as much as possible.

She continued: “I don’t like those mums that are standing in a f**king group, stuck up their own b**holes wearing DryRobes.”

Carmen also joked that they all stank in their oversized rain coats.

“I just take my car. So I don’t have to speak to people,” she added.

It seemed that the mum’s vent on clicky school mums was something many others could relate to.

The video went viral on her TikTok account @carmslouise97 with over 1 million views and 77k likes.

Plenty of people took to the comments agreeing with her statement and revealed they did the exact same thing.

One person wrote: “Omg the dry robes is TRUE.”

Another commented: “For 3 months I pretended I didn’t speak English.”

“I am the mum that pays for breakfast and afterschool club to avoid people and all those mums you speak of,” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “It’s funny cus I wear my dry robe but also my head phones and sunglasses so nobody can approach me, I can’t see or hear you huns.”

“Same! Cannot stand playground politics,” claimed a fifth.

Someone else added: “I’ve been a school run mum for a few months now and it’s horrible.”

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WHEN I was doing the research for this SURI review, I came across some alarming stats.

Every year, over four billion toothbrushes end up either in landfill or, more worryingly, in the ocean.

And it takes so long for a single toothbrush to decompose that almost every plastic toothbrush produced since the 1930s is still languishing somewhere on the planet.

If you’re an electric toothbrush user, you might think you’re exempt from this, but — I hate to break it to you — you’re not. In fact, you’re probably worse.

SURI 2.0 Electric Toothbrush, £105

Happily, there’s now an ingeniously designed, decently affordable alternative.

Last week, SURI — a brand favoured by celebs including Gwyneth Paltrow — unveiled its second-generation SURI 2.0 toothbrush, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one prior to its release date.

I’ve used the original SURI 1.0 toothbrush for years, but for the last month I’ve been getting to grips with the new model.

Pros

• One of the most thoughtfully-designed products I think I’ve ever come across — the attention to detail is astounding
• MUCH more sustainable than alternatives
• Brilliant battery life
• Pretty affordable, depending on which generation you go for
• Perfect for travel
• If you take care of it, it’ll last forever
• Dentist-approved (it’s approved by the dentist I spoke to, at least)

Cons

• The first generation doesn’t have pressure sensing, which can lead to overbrushing
• The second generation is significantly more expensive than the first
• There’s no bells and whistles like app connectivity — but do you really need them?

Rating: 9.5/10

How I tested the SURI toothbrush

I first met the co-founder of SURI, Mark, at a press event almost three years ago.

His knowledge and passion blew me away, and he was kind enough to give me one of the brand’s toothbrushes to try myself.

It’s tackled my gnashers daily ever since — it’s moved house twice with me, and gone on several holidays.

This summer, I was one of several lucky journalists to be sent the brand’s new and upgraded toothbrush, the SURI 2.0.

As the Sun’s reviews manager, it’s my job to hold it to account, ensuring that it delivers on its promises, provides value for money, and handles day-to-day operations.

SURI toothbrush review: The Nitty Gritty

First impressions

SURI 1.0 Electric Toothbrush, £75

Before I encountered SURI in 2022, I’d happily been using a middle-of-the-road electric toothbrush, without thinking too much about its environmental impact.

If you’d put a gun to my head, I’d probably have told you that electric toothbrushes are better for the environment than manual ones, as they don’t have to be thrown away every couple of months.

I’d have been wrong.

In fact, they’re a nightmare combo of hard-to-mine rare earth metals, carbon-dioxide-heavy manufacturing processes and “planned obsolescence” — they’re only designed to last three to five years or so, so that you routinely come back and buy a new one.

That means that they, too, end up in landfills, where their toxic components can leech into soil and water supplies.

SURI (short for “Sustainable Rituals”), by comparison, has put a LOT of thought into how to end the environmental nightmare caused by billions of humans brushing their teeth.

The handle is made from aluminium, rather than the hard plastic preferred by other brands. This is a very conscious choice — 75% of all aluminium ever created is still in circulation today, because it’s such an easy-to-recycle material.

Other parts of the toothbrush are made from clever materials like cornstarch (the head), castor oil (the bristles), and steel (the internal components).

These are all designed to have as small an environmental impact as possible — when you buy replacement heads, SURI sends you a mail bag so that you can return your used heads to be industrially composted.

Does it deliver?

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SURI 2.0 Electric Toothbrush, £105

So we’ve established that SURI is more sustainable than its competitors — but does it make a better toothbrush?

When I’ve spoken to the company’s co-founder, Mark, he has emphasised the company’s decision not to include the app-powered, Bluetooth-compatible bells and whistles you get in other toothbrushes.

After all, what percentage of people really want to link their toothbrush to an app? Most people I’ve encountered want to get the chore over and done with so they can go to bed.

Instead, the SURI is pretty utilitarian — it includes all the things that you’d need in a modern toothbrush, without adding any unnecessary marketing fluff.

It’s a sonic toothbrush, which is a type of electric toothbrush — they’re defined by their very, very quick vibration, which produces their signature “sonic” humming sound.

The SURI vibrates 33,000 times per minute, which actually puts it at the gentler end of the spectrum — and unlike some competitors, it doesn’t have multiple power settings.

Personally, day-to-day, I’m fine with that — I like a gentler clean, and relatively low vibrations work with the softer castor oil bristles to create a sensation that feels much kinder to my gums than other brushes I’ve used.

However, it would be nice to have a pedal-to-the-metal setting for those days when I’ve had a few glasses of red wine, or accidentally made my way through a large bag of Skittles while watching telly.

The thing about the OG SURI brush that concerned some dentists was its lack of pressure sensor, a feature that notifies you if you’re brushing too hard.

Thankfully, the new SURI 2.0 has added that feature.

There are a host of other features that make this brush extremely practical.

The first that comes to mind is the UV-C Travel Case, which comes as standard with the SURI 2.0 but is an added cost for the 1.0.

As well as protecting your toothbrush from whatever else you throw in your suitcase with it, it comes with a UV light that removes 99.9% of the bacteria on your bristles.

There’s also the month-long battery life — my partner’s electric toothbrush only lasts for a week, if she’s lucky.

Last, but certainly not least, is a tiny thing that I love — each SURI brush comes with a magnetic mount, which you can put on your bathroom mirror or wall.

That might sound pointless, but it stops your toothbrush from amassing that gross toothpaste residue at the bottom, which always makes me feel slightly nauseous.

How much is the SURI toothbrush?

The new SURI 2.0 costs £105.

That’s quite a steep increase from the original brush, which retails for just £75.

However, the 2.0 comes with a travel case as standard, which wasn’t the case for the original brush — if you wanted one, you’d have to fork out another £25.

While it’s not exactly a bargain in a world where you can pick up an electric toothbrush for £40 or £50 on Amazon, SURI markets its device as “the last toothbrush you’ll ever buy” — the toothbrush is designed to be repaired, and SURI will replace the battery for a “reasonable” fee.

The toothbrush head needs to be replaced every couple of months; you can buy a pack of three heads for £14.99, or set up a subscription to have two heads delivered every six months for £8.98 each time.

Where to buy the SURI toothbrush

The best place to get the SURI is probably the brand’s own website, where you can find both generations of the toothbrush as well as all the accessories you might want, including the travel case, chargers, magnetic mounts and toothpaste.

However, it’s also available at selected retailers, including Boots.

SURI alternatives

In terms of its environmental attributes, SURI is in a class of its own.

A few companies are attempting to make Oral care more environmental — for example, Georganics makes a sonic toothbrush with a “Zero to Landfill” scheme, through which the brand promises to responsibly dispose of your toothbrush.

However, it doesn’t have the same stylish mass appeal — it feels a bit granola and tree-hugging than SURI’s chic, Gwyneth Paltrow-friendly version of sustainability.

Plus, SURI puts a bigger emphasis on ensuring that its toothbrushes are made from environmentally friendly materials.

And, of course, if you’re not bothered about eco-credentials, there are tons of options available from normal high-street brands.

Since opening at London Excel last Friday, Layered Reality’s Elvis Experience show has been torn to shreds by punters, who have complained about the visual effects and the cost of tickets

Milo Boyd is a Digital Travel reporter who covers aviation news, the environment, the cruise industry and much else including travel tips, bargain holiday suggestions and inspirational global trips.

“It makes me feel sick.” Not the most glowing of reviews from Ann, a pensioner who opted to leave the Elvis Evolution experience as soon as the mind-bending, sound-warping, completely Elvis-free first half had finished.

Since opening at London Excel last Friday, the show has been torn to shreds by punters like Ann, who had been expecting to see a hologram of the King, only to settle for a selfie with a cardboard cutout. One pensioner was so irate at the steep ticket price he was dragged from the venue after shouting ‘b****cks’ over the live finale.

A tough opening week then for Layered Reality, a London-based events company that combines “the latest in performance technology with live actors and feature quality sets” to produce “the future of entertainment”, or so its website says at least.

When I visited Elvis Evolution on the grey Wednesday afternoon after its opening, I was taken on a “unique immersive” ride into the world of Elvis.

It was just more the parts when he was stuck in a Las Vegas penthouse suite, blasting his mind apart with a diet of nightly shows, hamburgers and Quaaludes, than the bit when he was hot and good at performing.

READ MORE: Baffled Elvis fans dub ’embarrassing’ event the ‘new Willy Wonka experience’

It begins in a 50s-style diner-come-holding pen, where guests are invited to arrive early to enjoy a £10 King and Tonic or a Paramount Pretzel.

“They’ve run out of ice cream, so the Pepsi Floats are off,” Cambridge man Carl told me. He’d had to schlep over the Thames on the IFS Cloud Cable Car from Greenwich after discovering the official car park was closed.

Having had a good moan about the prices as we queued for the first of about ten times that afternoon, we shuffled into the first scene – a recreation of Elvis’s dressing room – and then around it for about 20 minutes. A generous timeslot, given the room was about as faithful a creation of the 50s as the (admittedly incredible) OK Diner on the A1.

And then the lights dim and the conceit begins. A washed-up Elvis is refusing to leave his dressing room and hit the stage for his iconic 1968 NBC Comeback Special. A distressed show manager tells us not to worry, the King will be out soon, and that security guards are on site both for our and the staff’s safety. A little on the nose, given the pensioner dragging that took place just days ago.

Shockingly, the stage manager is wrong. Elvis doesn’t actually appear for the entire duration of the show, aside from in short projected clips of old performances, briefly recreated as an uncanny AI figurine and, at one weird point, as a comic book superhero.

After tempting punters with a hologram Presley just like ABBA Voyage down the road, Layered Reality made the “creative decision not to mimic Elvis’s performances” with the tech. Or hire one of the tens of thousands of impersonators who would’ve probably done a great job. Elvis has not just left the building, he was never in it.

Instead, we get a supporting cast of four actors who whisk us out of the NBC studio to Elvis’ childhood and then on a whirlwind tour back to the moment the King reclaimed his crown.

“I couldn’t hear a bloody thing,” one man told me before following after Ann at halftime and making for the DLR. The sound is admittedly warped and poorly mixed, with the head mics dropping in and out, making the story very hard to follow. “What the hell is going on!?” Catherine, Carl’s wife, asked me as she slurps on a Blue Suede cocktail.

As someone who has served as an elf in the early years of Lapland UK, I know how difficult it is to keep grinning while guiding ripped-off feeling families to the right Father Christmas’ cabin. Or in this case, performing for a visibly bored crowd of pensioners, some of whom have spent up to £300 on VIP passes that get you three “free” drinks and a seat in the finale performance.

The actors gave it their all and were the best thing about the show. But they were fighting a losing battle. The script is bad, the effects are weird, and the sound is not quite ear-splitting enough to mask their Mississippi via London accents.

We are likely to get more and more of this kind of thing as the film industry continues its contraction and immersive events take over. According to Gensler Research Institute’s 2025 Immersive Entertainment & Culture Industry Report, the global market for immersive entertainment was valued at £98bn – and it’s projected to reach £351bn by 2030.

Elvis Evolution has been likened to the catastrophic Wonka and Bridgerton experiences, but that’s a little unfair. Layered Reality has certainly thrown some cash, time and expertise at the event, it’s just not enough.

The show comes to a climax in a small auditorium where groups of elderly people (who clearly have trouble keeping on their feet but only paid £75 for the cheapest tickets) are ushered into the standing pen, while the VIPs enjoy cinema seats at the back.

As has been widely reported elsewhere, Elvis does not appear here as expected. He is beamed onto a flat screen behind a live band, who are pretending to play. It’s a limp way to finish things off, yet it gets people dancing, clapping and smiling for the first time.

It always seemed to me that Elvis was great in spite of his corny origin story, the cringeworthy PR ops he was pressured into and his vast back catalog of sickly sweet love songs. He was great because of his incredible musical talent, which stayed with him until the very end, when he was still able to summon choirs of angels from his broken, slug-like body.

Layered Reality probably should’ve realised this, cut out most of the bells and whistles, and actually hired an Elvis to sing a few of his tunes.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Elvis Evolution has been praised by Elvis fans and newcomers alike — but it’s not a traditional concert or hologram show. From the outset of development, we made a deliberate decision to explore the most powerful and authentic ways to tell Elvis’ story.

“This major scale production brings together a cast of 28 performers and over 300 skilled professionals across design, production, and visual effects.

“Elvis Evolution is a multisensory experience, where technology plays a powerful supporting role — but the show doesn’t attempt to recreate Elvis’ performances. Instead, it joyfully celebrates the ones he gave us. We’re incredibly proud of what’s been created, and of how it’s reconnecting people with Elvis in new and meaningful ways.”

A huge theme park that once attracted half a million visitors in a single year has been left to rot for over a decade. However, it could soon be transformed into something completely different

A creepy, abandoned theme park that has been left to rot for 13 years could finally be handed a fresh breath of life.

Constructed back in 1983, and themed around the legends of King Arthur, the Magical Kingdom of Camelot attracted a staggering 500,000 annual visitors back in its heyday. Renowned for its grand white castle entrance, the theme park – which went through several ownerships – boasted several scream-inducing rides and roller coasters including Whirlwind and Excalibur.

The Knightmare roller coaster, which came to the park towards the end of 2006, is believed to have cost £3 million to build – and quickly became one of the most beloved attractions at the park. However, as the years went on – Camelot’s popularity started to plummet.

READ MORE: Huge abandoned UK underground station frozen in time walked over by millions

By 2005, the theme park, located in Chorley, Lancashire, was only attracting around 336,000 annual visitors – and in 2012, it closed to the public for good. Experts over at Together Money, who offer mortgage and loan products, valued Camelot Theme Park – which sits on some 140 acres – at a whopping £800 million.

It’s therefore no surprise the abandoned site has attracted the attention of property developers, namely Story Homes who want to build a huge housing estate on the land. The company applied to bulldoze the theme park and build similar schemes back in 2017 and 2019, but both applications were refused over objections on the use of greenbelt land.

However, developers have submitted a fresh application to Chorley Council outlining their plans to construct a mega residential development. This consists of up to 350 homes (50 per cent of which would be classed as affordable), a 186.9 square metre community hub, along with ‘associated habitat creation, landscaping, open space, parking, footpaths, cycleways, drainage and other infrastructure’.

“The vision for the site is to deliver a development that provides an exceptional quality of place, underpinned by the highest standards of design and sensitive placemaking,” the supporting planning application statement reads. “The proposed development will deliver the homes that people need, responding to the acute housing and affordability crisis in the Borough by delivering the type, tenure and quality of market and affordable housing, alongside community infrastructure, that will create and support a new community.

“The vision for the site is supported by a generous landscape led masterplan that respects the wider Green Belt and woodland context and provides new green spaces, green infrastructure and habitats as a fundamental element of a new landscape framework.”

At the time of writing, the planning application has received a dozen public comments – with the overwhelming majority slamming the proposals. One furious resident said it would ‘destroy’ the local villages, adding: “There’s absolutely no benefit to this except a money grab for a small group of people. This needs rejecting permanently what an absolute disgrace.”

They argued such construction would ‘destroy wildlife, overload services, increase traffic and lower village house prices’. Another agreed, scathing: “I formally object to the proposed development of 350 houses on the grounds of its significant and detrimental impact on the local area. The development would dramatically increase vehicle traffic on narrow, rural roads that aren’t designed to accommodate such volumes. This would lead to a rise in noise pollution and pose safety risks to pedestrians, cyclists, and existing residents.”

Others argued the development would put too much constraint on local amenities and lead to overcrowding – suggesting the site should be turned into a leisure development instead. However, not everybody seemed to disagree with the application.

One person commented: “There are too many keyboard warriors who don’t know the facts and basically don’t want any more housing in the area. As long as the development is sympathetic to the local nature, I think it is an ideal use of a brownfield site.”

First Homes has published noise impact, air quality, transport, and preliminary roost assessments – along with documents detailing its ecological appraisal. All of these can be viewed here.

The application was validated on Friday, June 20, 2025, and is currently awaiting decision.

Should the development go ahead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Flight attendants are seen multiple times walking on the aisle. Other than serving foods and drinks, there’s one important task they must complete during the flight.

Being a flight attendant has lots of perks, such as travelling around the world. Still, it’s a tough job with a lot of responsibilities, especially for the passenger’s safety.

That said, there’s one important task all flight attendants must regularly complete throughout the flight. Have you ever wondered why flight attendants walk the aisle on certain occasions and even multiple times – even when most of the cabin is asleep? They’re not just stretching their legs, they are actually completing vital safety checks.

From serving drinks and meals, answering questions, offering duty-free, and going through pre-flight checks, cabin crew members are also tasked with being incredibly alert. This means no snoozing on the job, unless it’s a long-haul flight where attendants are designated periods of rest.

READ MORE: British Airways bans cabin crew from taking certain photos on layovers

Whether it’s a short or long flight, safety is the number one priority when flying. As explained on Go Opti’s website, the crew completes a mandatory check every 30 minutes to see if passengers need any assistance or anything that should be reported.

This check also applies at night, when all the lights are off and passengers are asleep. The website says: “Even if the passengers are sleeping, the cabin crew must keep checking that all is well. They will look for anything unusual and scan the passengers and the cabin. The flight crew must be checked upon every 30 minutes to make sure that they are ok and to see if they need anything.”

And their safety first policy doesn’t just come into play mid-flight, they are expected to see every passenger as they get on-board. During boarding, the cabin crew is responsible for identifying passengers who might be able to assist in the event of an emergency, along with anyone who may be unfit to fly. When seeing passengers get off, the crew has to ensure no one – or their belongings – are left behind.

READ MORE: ‘I’m a flight attendant and there’s some serious downsides to the job’

Flight attendant training

On average, flight attendant safety training can last four and six weeks, including real-life scenarios and practical exercises. Walking on the aisle is just one of them.

The exact frequency varies depending on the flight duration. Nonetheless, whether it’s a one-hour or a 16-hour journey, flight attendants will always be alert to keep everyone onboard safe.

Next time, don’t be surprised when you see the cabin crew walking on the aisle. Whether they’re serving food and drinks or swapping areas with their colleagues, they’re also checking out for your safety and at your disposal whenever you need their assistance.