On trans-Atlantic flights, 50,000 feet above sea level?

Every flight I’ve been on has cruised at between 34,000 and 40,000 feet, and most have only deviated from the flight plan to avoid thermal updrafts and gnarly storm clouds.

I didn’t think 747s were still used that much for passenger flights. Airbus seems to dominate now.

38,000 feet is the highest I have ever been in a plane.

Don't you have to microwave popcorn differently at that altitude?

The Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 have a service ceiling of 43,100 feet, while the larger 787-10 has a slightly lower service ceiling of 41,100 feet.

If my memory is correct, the flight from Perth to Melbourne flew at 37,000 feet.

Typically 36000 ft.
I never heard of a passenger plane going 50,000 ft

50K feet is 10K above a 747 flight ceiling. Most of Pacfic-Atlantic flight crossings ceiling is 40K, and that's in 330neo, or 787.

50K is smaller private business jet flight ceiling.

I was at 44,000 once.

Not in an Airbus or a 747.

Never been higher than 45k

When I flew a lot I liked to keep up with airspeed and altitude when possible. Sometime the seat back screen in front of me had a channel to monitor flight data. The Delta Airbus 330-300 I was in hit 41,000 ft. I looked it up once that is about the max operating altitude for that plane. I don't remember if I was coming back or going to Hawaii.

I sat in my seat, the plot flew the plane and landed it, then I got off the plane to go about the business I flew over the ocean to do.

That's my altitud experience.

Oh, the Stewardess did brief us before taking off about the air mask that could fall from the ceiling of the plane and about the life preservers under our seats, both of which I prayed we would not have to deploy! Thats all.

I think I've hit 40,000 ft. I don't think passenger planes can go to 50,000. The Concorde cruised between 55,000 & 60,000 ft though (at 1350 mph (mach 2)).

You may have been flying on a B2.

Most all of my flights cruise at 32-36000' and were announced at that altitude. I would be worried about what my pilot was smoking if he tried to tell me 50K'.

Doubtful, and shouldn't be done anyway because you could collide with weather balloons at 50K.

So the conclusion is 1 of 2 things:
Either I consistently misheard the pilot's announcement every single time he mentioned the altitude of 50,000 feet, despite having excellent hearing, or it was a recorded message that had been mistakenly programmed to say the wrong altitude.