Airline safety
Air travel is so safe you'll probably never have to use any of
the advice we're about to give you. But if you ever do need it,
this information could save your life. Airline passengers usually
take safety for granted when they board an airplane. They tune out
the crew's pre-flight announcements or reach for a magazine instead
of the cards that show how to open the emergency exit and what to
do if the oxygen mask drops down. Because of this, people are needlessly
hurt or killed in accidents they could have survived. Every time
you board a plane, here are some things you should do:
* Be reasonable about the amount of carry-on luggage that you
bring. FAA rules require airlines to limit the amount of carry-on
baggage, and if you try to carry too much with you, the crew may
insist that you check in some items. (There is no universal limit;
it depends on the aircraft type and the passenger load.) A bag
that is not properly stowed could turn into an unguided missile
in an accident or block the aisles during an evacuation.
* Be careful about what you put into the storage bins over your
seat. Their doors may pop open during an accident or even a hard
landing, spilling their contents. Also, passengers in aisle seats
have been injured by heavy items falling out of these compartments
when people are stowing or retrieving belongings at the beginning
or end of a flight. Please be considerate of others and put hard,
heavy items under the seat in front of you; save the overhead
bins for coats, hats, and small, soft bags.
* As soon as you sit down, fasten and unfasten your seat belt
a couple of times. Watch how it works. There are several kinds
of belts, and in an emergency you don't want to waste time fumbling
with the buckle.
* Before take-off, there will be a briefing about safety procedures,
pointing out emergency exits and explaining seat belts, life vests
and oxygen masks. Listen carefully and if there's anything you
don't understand ask the flight attendants for help.
The plastic card in the seat pocket in front of you will review
some of the safety information announced by the flight attendant.
Read it. It also tells you about emergency exits and how to find
and use emergency equipment such as oxygen masks. As you're reading
the card look for your closest emergency exit, and count the number
of rows between yourself and this exit. Remember, the closest exit
may be behind you. Have a second escape route planned in case the
nearest exit is blocked. This is important because people sometimes
head for the door they used to board the plane, usually in the front
of the first class cabin. This wastes time and blocks the aisles.
Oxygen masks aren't the same on all planes. Sometimes they drop
down in front of you. On some aircraft, however, you'll have to
pull them out of a compartment in front of your seat. In either
case, you must tug the plastic tube slightly to get the oxygen flowing.
If you don't understand the instructions about how the mask works,
ask a flight attendant to explain it to you. When the plane is safely
in the air and has reached its cruising level, the pilot usually
turns off the "fasten seat belt" sign. He or she usually
suggests that passengers keep their belts buckled anyway during
the flight in case the plane hits rough air. Just as seat belts
should always be worn in cars, they should always be fastened in
airplanes.
If you are ever in an air accident, you should remember
these things:
* Stay calm.
* Listen to the crew members and do what they say. The cabin
crew's most important job is to help you leave safely.
* Before you try to open any emergency exit yourself, look outside
the window. If you see a fire outside the door, don't open it
or the flames may spread into the cabin. Try to use your alternate
escape route.
* Remember, smoke rises. So try to stay down if there's smoke
in the cabin. Follow the track of emergency lights embedded in
the floor; they lead to an exit. If you have a cloth, put it over
your nose and mouth.
After an air accident, the National Transportation Safety Board
always talks to survivors to try to learn why they were able to
make it through safely. They've discovered that, as a rule, it does
help to be prepared. Avoiding serious injury or surviving an air
accident isn't just a matter of luck; it's also a matter of being
informed and thinking ahead. Are you one of those people who jumps
up as soon as the plane lands, gathers up coat, suitcase and briefcase,
and gets ready to sprint while the plane is still moving? If so,
resist the urge. Planes sometimes make sudden stops when they are
taxiing to the airport gate, and passengers have been injured when
they were thrown onto a seat back or the edge of a door to an overhead
bin. Stay in your seat with your belt buckled until the plane comes
to a complete halt and the 'fasten seat belt' sign is turned off.
Never smoke in airplane restrooms. Smoking was banned in all but
the designated smoking sections after an accident killed 116 people
in only 4 minutes, apparently because a careless smoker left a burning
cigarette butt in the trash bin. There is a penalty of up to $2,000
for disabling a lavatory smoke detector. Also, don't smoke in the
aisle. If there is a sudden bump you could stumble and burn yourself
or another passenger. Lit cigarettes have also flown out of passengers'
hands and rolled under seats. |
