IF YOU’VE ever glanced out of an airplane window you may have chanced upon – without realizing it – one of the airline industry’s greatest lifesaving tricks.

A small, round and absolutely essential ... hole.

While it may jangle the nerves of anxious passengers it is, thankfully, a good thing.

And it all comes down to science .

This strange space in the window actually helps the aircraft to withstand the changing air pressure outside.

But while it may look like a portal to the outside world, this small gap doesn’t go through the entire pane.

Passenger comfort

As one travel expert explained, each window is made up of three different acrylic layers, and it’s only the middle one that contains the breather hole.

The small gap helps to regulate the high pressure environment on the pla

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