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The aviation industry is no stranger to legends and conspiracy theories. From the Fight Club-inspired belief that plane oxygen masks get you high, to the potty notion that you (or your insides) can be sucked down an aircraft toilet, most of us still have a lot to learn about air travel.

There are countless lists debunking aviation myths across the internet, so there’s no need for us to repeat them. But since everyone loves a good story, we thought we’d share a few of our favourite tales from the world of air travel.

The House That Flew

Nearly everything has a patron saint these days. Take Saint Lidwina, for example, the patron saint of ice skaters, or Saint Drogo, who earned himself the dual title as the patron saint of unattractive people and coffee houses. Why should air travel be any different?

Well, it turns out the aviation industry has a couple, just in case you need to hedge your bets.

Our Lady of Loreto gained her title thanks to a flying house. Not just any house, of course—this is said to be the childhood home of the Virgin Mary. Legends claim that in the 13th century, the house was flown by angels from Nazareth to Trsat in Croatia, before continuing its journey to Italy, first the town of Recanati and then on to Loreto.

To this day, the house stands enshrined in the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto. It is considered such an important site of Catholic pilgrimage, that in 1920, Pope Benedict XV declared the image of the Madonna and Child that hangs inside the house to be the patron saint of all-things aviation.

And then there’s St. Joseph of Cupertino, aka “The Flying Fryer”. Joseph was known for falling into trances and fits of euphoria during Mass, at which point he would often levitate. While this gained him a holy reputation and drew crowds, his superiors suspected that witchcraft was afoot.

In an effort to keep Joseph out of the public eye and quash the hype, the church sent him on several remote sequestrations. But they just couldn’t keep the man or word of his feats from flying around, and eventually he was called before the Holy Inquisition in Naples. After convincing the Inquisition that he could not control his levitations and was not proud of them, he was ultimately found innocent of displaying “affected sanctity”.

Joseph lived out his life away from the public eye, reportedly spending more time in the air as the years went on. In 1767, he was canonised by Pope Clement XIII and named as the patron saint of air travellers and pilots.

From there, the patrons get either more vague or more specific:

• There’s St. Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, who is said to have used his strength to help travellers cross a dangerous river. It’s fairly common to spot Christian travellers wearing a St. Christopher pendant on their journeys.
• St. Brendan the Navigator, who inspired the people by writing about his legendary voyages (though admittedly, they were all by land or sea).
• St Bona of Pisa, another patron saint of travellers, but more specifically flight attendants. She was known for helping pilgrims on the long journey to Santiago de Compostela, successfully completing the trip 9 times.

In fact, there have been protectors of travellers across all religions throughout the ages. Of course, most of them pre-date air travel just a little. But it’s nice to think that Chammo Lam Lha and her giant golden bee would probably have your back these days.

The triangle of no return

Most of you will have heard of the mysterious disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, and the fact that it’s considered a no-go zone by pilots. With stories of navigation problems dating back to Christopher Columbus in the 15th century, it’s hardly surprising that the imaginary sector between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico has gained such renown.

Perhaps the most famous case of aircraft disappearing in the area occurred in December 1945, when Lt. Charles Taylor led a group of student pilots in five Avenger Torpedo bombers on a routine run from Ft Lauderdale. On the return journey, Taylor found himself challenged by failing compasses and increasingly poor weather conditions, ultimately directing the group out into the ocean instead of across the Gulf of Mexico.

Once his transmissions ended, the Navy immediately launched a rescue effort. However, within 20 minutes of taking off, one of the Mariner flying boats involved in the mission also disappeared off the radar. None of the crew or wreckages were ever recovered.

This story is hardly unique, with more than 50 ships and 20 aircraft having vanished from the Triangle, along with all their crew and passengers. And naturally, along with the inexplicable disappearances have come stories of ghostly sightings, alien abductions, wormholes through space and time…

So what actually goes on there? And do pilots really avoid it?

Quite simply, weather is the most likely explanation. The Gulf Stream Current combined with hurricanes and tropical storms can make for volatile conditions out there.

But to give a little scientific credit to the theories that something funny is indeed going on there, evidence indicates that there may be a (perfectly normal) geomagnetic anomaly in the area. That could cause navigation systems to point to “true north” rather than “magnetic north”, ultimately sending pilots off in the wrong direction. Oops!

As to whether pilots avoid the area, the short answer is a resounding “no”. The airspace over the Bermuda Triangle is incredibly busy, with the majority of routes between the US and the Caribbean passing through it. Air traffic controllers and flight crews are very familiar with the changeable weather conditions, so you’re more likely to face a delay than a disappearance.

Book on a Tuesday in incognito mode

Okay, this one’s less of a fun story, and more of an urban legend that’s grown over decades of air travel—but we can definitely give you some real answers here! As Head Flight Finder Tristan shares in our handy guide to flight pricing, it’s hard to know where the truth stops, and the conspiracies begin when you’re trying to find an airfare bargain.

The notion that Tuesdays were the best time to grab a cheap flight started in the early days of online booking systems, when airlines used to load fares at the beginning of the week.

Nowadays, airlines are much more sophisticated in the way that they price tickets, changing the price 24 hours a day, seven days a week (and don’t we know it)! That means it’s close to impossible to know when an unannounced sale might pop up.

Some research has shown prices can be higher or lower on a given day of the week – yet there is no clear consensus on which day that is.

Skyscanner’s analysis shows that fares early in the week can be cheaper than those on the weekends. But this covers from early Monday right up till Wednesday night, rather than just Tuesday at 12pm, so don’t consider this a blanket rule, as you may not find this true in every booking.

The second part of this myth is even more persistent—that airlines and online travel agencies will track your visits with cookies and charge you more if they see you’re monitoring the price.

Of course, airlines and other flight search websites do use cookies like everyone else, but time after time, they have claimed they don't manipulate fares based on search history, saying it would be unethical. This has also been verified by independent watchdogs, who found cookies make no difference.

It’s likely this rumour started because a few unfortunate souls happened to look at the flight just before and after someone else booked, which would trigger the airline to release the next pool of higher-priced seats. So if you spot a bargain flight, don’t hang around!

In case you hadn’t noticed, we really do love a bit of intrigue around here, so you can find plenty more where this came from over in our Travel Hub. If you enjoyed this, Flight Finder Genora takes us through the crazy flight myths that are actually true, while Marnae has put together a list of creepy urban legends from around the world. Yikes!

Nestled between the South and the rest of the Midwest, Missouri sits firmly in the heartland of the USA. It’s affectionately known as the Show-Me State, a non-nonsense, “I’ll believe it when I see it” slogan that Missourians wear proudly.

They’ve also got some serious bragging rights when it comes to classic literature–the town of Hannibal, MO is the birthplace (and inspiration) of Mark Twain. The region has fully leaned into this claim to fame and you can trace the writer’s steps all over town, iconic riverboat included.

Over in St. Louis, you’ll spy Missouri’s most famous landmark: the Gateway Arch. Hitch the tram to the top for a killer view of the city and the mighty Mississippi. Down below, trolleys still roam around town à la Judy Garland, but nowadays, they “Beep!” more than they “Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Kansas City can be overshadowed by its more famous sister across the state (and its mixed up name isn’t doing any favours) but its quirky stops and mouth watering BBQ cement its status as an underrated gem. We’re also talking about book-shaped libraries, the (alleged) finger bone of John the Baptist, and more working fountains than anywhere in the world.

When you’ve had your fill of the popular city sights, try something a little more underground–literally. Missouri’s second nickname is “The Cave State,” and the over 7,500 caverns in its underbelly make us believe them.

Missouri’s caves aren’t usually a hardcore spelunking experience, especially great news for those of us with mobility issues. Most are paved and walkable, and sometimes, even rollable. In prime American style, you’ll also find one that’s drive-thru, so you can explore a cavern as easily as you’d order a McDonald's.

Missouri is probably the only place you can get a cocktail in a cave full of bats while riding a golf cart past a sabretooth tiger skeleton. We’d say that’s a vital stop for anyone who makes their bucket list by throwing darts at a cork board of wild ideas!

Finally, no tour of the Show-Me State is complete without a stop in Branson. It might be a bit tourist trap-y, but Branson isn’t your average roadside attraction. One part theme park metropolis, one part nature reserve, and one part country music legend, this town is easily the best one-stop destination for a family trip when everyone needs something a little different.

Especially if you’re the kind of family that’ll sing along with Glen Campbell on the way there!

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week

• In a move to battle greenhouse gas emissions, France has officially banned domestic short-haul flights. Sounds like a great move, right? Well, there are some caveats—they’re only stopping those where trains take 2.5hrs or less, and connecting flights will be unaffected. All in all, three routes have been discontinued.
• Mexico City is on high alert, as eruptions from the Popocatepétl Volcano continue to increase. While no evacuations have been ordered just yet, the alert level has been increased and flights have been disrupted as ash spews across the country.
• There have been similar scenes in Italy, as Sicily’s Mount Etna erupted. Several flights had to be cancelled as ash descended upon the island, covering the runway at Catania Airport.
• Fancy getting paid to travel Europe by rail? Yep, us too. Radical Storage are looking for a Night Train Tester to review the continent’s sleeper routes. All you’ll need to do is take a bunch of photos and write about your experiences!
• It’s an abrupt end for American Airlines and JetBlue’s partnership. A US District Judge ruled that the alliance between the two companies reduced competition, allowing the airlines to raise prices and taking away passengers’ choice on major routes.
• And finally, it may seem obvious, but we just want to remind everyone not to hit flight attendants with the intercom phone. Or anything, for that matter.

  A passenger travelling from Denver last weekend did not get the memo, apparently, and whacked a crew member over the head as she was being removed from a flight for belligerent behaviour. If you ask us, it sounds like the crew made the right call.