What Passengers Can Do to Ensure Safety
Safe air travel is a shared responsibility. Just as government regulators, manufacturers and members of the airline industry play a major role, you too must do your part. You can do many things to enhance your safety and comfort during air travel:
- Pay attention to the flight attendants.
- Listen to safety briefings, even if you've heard them many times.
- Review the safety data card in the seat pocket in front of you.
- Locate the emergency exits. Because airplanes have different configurations, it's important to look around you once you're in your seat.
- Count the number of rows between your seat and the closest exit, and remember, sometimes the nearest exit is behind you.
- Keep your seat belt fastened while seated. Turbulence can strike at any time.
- When traveling with an infant or child under age two, consider purchasing a separate seat. Buckle your child into an approved-for-flying car seat.
- On long flights, exercise your arm and leg muscles.
Fashionable flying
What to wear on an airplane flight is more a question of safety than fashion. While looking good is nice, being safe is more important, and safety-wise, what you wear matters. In the event of an evacuation or emergency landing, you'll want to protect your body.
Here are some air safety fashion tips:
- Wear natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk or leather, which offer the best protection in the event of a fire or evacuation.
- Avoid synthetics such as nylon, rayon or poly-cotton blends, which can melt when heated.
- Skip the short skirts, shorts and skimpy T-shirts. Protect your arms and legs.
- Opt for closed-toed shoes with secure laces or straps. Leave the flip-flops, sandals or high-heel shoes in your luggage. In fact, high heels can puncture an escape slide. In an emergency, you'll be asked to remove high heels.
- Ensure that your clothes aren't tight, uncomfortable or restrictive. You'll need to move quickly and easily in an emergency situation.
Traveling with children
Whether you are traveling across town or across the country, traveling with children requires patience, planning and attention to safety issues. Air travel is incredibly safe -- far safer than going by car.
One of the most effective things you can do to ensure your child's safe air travel is to listen to all announcements. Pay attention to the safety briefing and read the safety card in the seat pocket in front of you. Keep your child's seat belt fastened throughout the entire flight and set a good example by keeping your safety belt fastened too.
If you are traveling with an infant under two years of age , it's a good idea to purchase a separate seat for your child and bring along a government-approved child safety seat. Strap the safety seat into the airline seat and your child into the safety seat, facing backwards. Your child will be much safer if turbulence is encountered during the flight or in the unlikely event of an accident.
Cabin air quality
Boeing airplanes provide safe, clean air for you to breathe. Each passenger is supplied with 10 to 20 cubic feet of air per minute. That's 279 times more oxygen per person per minute than can be consumed. This high flow rate of air also is required to keep the airplane pressurized. Cabin air is 50 percent outside air mixed with 50 percent highly filtered air.
This combined air is ducted to the cabin and distributed through overhead outlets. The air flows into the cabin in a circular pattern and exits through floor grills on both sides of the seat rows.
Because outside air at 35,000 to 40,000 feet contains little moisture, the air in the cabin is very dry. To keep hydrated, it is suggested you drink plenty of water during your flight and avoid caffeine or alcoholic beverages.
Turbulence
If you've ever been on a plane, the odds are that you've experienced some turbulence. Turbulence is that bumpy, choppy sensation you feel as the plane hits a rough air pocket. Turbulence can range from slight to severe bouncing, pitching and rolling.
Even mild turbulence can shift objects in the overhead bins and send drinks flying off tray tables. Severe turbulence can make walking difficult and send loose items flying about the cabin. You can be assured that the plane is built to withstand these conditions. However, severe turbulence can result in injuries.
Here are some strategies to protect yourself from the effects of turbulence:
- Always wear your seat belt when seated.
- Hold on to the seat backs or overhead bins when walking in the cabin.
- Listen to all safety announcements and follow flight crew instructions.
- Remain calm if turbulence occurs.
- Be careful when opening overhead bins following turbulence.
Turbulence is an issue the aviation industry takes seriously. The Federal Aviation Administration recently launched a campaign to educate the flying public about turbulence and the importance of wearing a seat belt. In addition, the aviation industry is working to develop technologies that aid flight crews in identifying and avoiding severe patches of turbulence.
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuations are rare and most are precautionary. In the unlikely event you experience an evacuation, you should:
- Try to remain calm.
- Listen to and follow instructions from the flight crew.
- Check to see if the closest exit is behind you.
- Leave your carry-on items aboard the airplane.
- Wear sturdy comfortable shoes when flying.
Airplanes have numerous features to help facilitate a speedy evacuation. Escape-path lighting will help passengers find their way to the exits in low-visibility conditions. Slides will deploy from each of the exits so passengers can get safely to the ground.
If the plane is in water, the slides can be used as life rafts. Seat cushions also double as floatation devices. They are easily removed and carried in an emergency.
Airplanes used on oceanic routes also have inflatable life rafts on board and a life vest under each seat.
Cabin depressurization
Airplanes are pressurized to a maximum of 8,000 feet. Typical airplane cabin altitudes are 6,000 to 7,000 feet. The cabin is pressurized by the cabin air system, which also controls airflow, air filtration and temperature.
Before each and every flight takes to the sky, flight attendants conduct a safety briefing for all passengers. As part of this routine, passengers are instructed on how to handle a cabin depressurization, including how to use the oxygen masks that will automatically deploy.
Cabin depressurizations are extremely rare events. In fact, airplanes are built with redundancies in place to prevent such occurrences. But in the unlikely event your plane does depressurize, the flight crew will perform a rapid descent to approximately 10,000 feet, where no supplemental oxygen is needed. Once the plane is stabilized at this altitude, the pilots will divert and land at the closest available airport.
Here are a few tips for dealing with cabin depressurization:
- Try to stay calm and breathe normally.
- Pull sharply on the oxygen mask that will automatically drop in front of you to get the oxygen flowing.
- Put the mask over your mouth and nose, then tighten the strap.
- If you are traveling with a small child or an infant, put your mask on first, then help the child.
- Chart: Cabin Pressure Schedule
Medical emergencies
With more people flying farther and more frequently, onboard medical emergencies are becoming more common. All airplanes are equipped with basic medical kits, and airlines train their flight crews to handle some of the more common medical situations. Often there's also a doctor or nurse on the flight who is willing to help with an emergency.
Many airlines have begun equipping planes with automatic external defibrillators to be used if a passenger suffers a heart attack. Onboard telephones and radios facilitate consultations with ground-based medical personnel. In the future, enhanced audio and video technology will make it possible to transmit a passenger's vital signs directly to advisors on the ground.
If needed, pilots also will divert a flight to the closest airport with a hospital or other medical facility nearby.
Ear pain
The inner ear is particularly sensitive to atmospheric or air pressure changes. A common cold or virus can add to this sensitivity and fill the Eustachian tubes with fluid, blocking the inner ear and causing pain.
Flying also can increase the pressure in the inner ear; flying with a cold can prevent the Eustachian tubes from equalizing when the plane changes altitude.
Children are especially sensitive to this problem. Ear pain and pressure is one reason why some babies cry during takeoff and landing. It's a good idea for parents to bring a bottle or pacifier for infants to suck on during these parts of the flight. Adults can chew a piece of gum or flex jaw muscles. The chewing and sucking action opens the jaw, thereby relieving pressure in the Eustachian tubes and alleviating inner ear pain.
Carry-on Baggage
There is a limited amount of space for luggage and other personal items in an airplane cabin. Additionally, federal law requires that all carry-on items be stowed in the overhead bins or beneath the seat for takeoffs and landings. Flight attendants will make this announcement at the start of each flight and can assist passengers in finding a place for their carry-on items. Many airlines have specific rules about the size and number of carry-on items permitted on board.
The reason behind this strict rule is that carry-on baggage can be a safety hazard -- especially if there is any turbulence. Seemingly harmless items like umbrellas or canes can become dangerous projectiles. Heavy bags can fall from overhead bins, injuring the person sitting beneath.
Carry-on items also can pose a safety hazard during an evacuation. Aisles and exit rows must be clear. In the event of an emergency, leave your carry-on items behind. Every second counts during an emergency evacuation.