Do you watch the safety demonstration?

Just wondering who, if anyone apart from me, actually pays any attention to the safety demonstrations etc.

To put some background to this I am an avid fan of crash investigation and am aware incidents do happen, albeit rarely, and that if the aircraft 'lands' it maybe possible to get out - but this has to be done very quickly and possibly in the dark!

Therefore I always watch avidly, count the seat rows forward and back to the nearest door/emergency exit etc etc.

From a purely selfish point of view I find it incredibly ignorant, when I am trapped in a middle or window seat, when the person/people between me and the aisle are reading etc on the assumption that nothing is going to happen to them. [:0]

I am not a pessimistic but more a realist and I'll do what I need to do to get out.

Which leads me on to a secondary issue which amazes me. Why do they preboard those people who cannot do so of their own accord/require more time/need assistance of some kind? Who gets these people off in an emergency or are they sacrificial?[}:)]

I do watch it, but then completely forget it![:I]

[Decker]

I pay attention out of courtesy to the crew. I check where my exits are. I get annoyed by the 'although you may have flown on an XYZ before' bit as safety instructions rarely change in anything other than minor detail. Actually now I think about it I also get annoyed by the LACK of detail. OK we CAN detach the slides and use them as rafts. How? Do we wait until everyone is evacuated? If it's attached 'up there' and we're in the water how do we get 'up there' to detach it? When we remove the emergency exit door where do we throw it to avoid damaging the slide? How do I find the crew member who will provide the flotation devices for my non existent baby? Whilst the oxygen mask bag may not inflate how do I know if it HAS failed other than collapsing through lack of air? Do the lights that show the way to the nearest exit have arrows pointing the way? If not why not? What happens if my carefully memorised nearest exit is blocked by someone who can't fit through because it's an overwing etc etc.

As for the 'Ensign Reds' of the flying world that'll depend on how bad the emergency is.

[mitchja]

I too always pay attention to the safety demo and check where my nearest exits are.

I would, however, still like to know what position pax in Upper need to adopt during an emergancy landing. Yes OK there are airbags but there's nothing else mentioned.

I dont know if there's anything is this, but after watching several crash investigation programs I try and sit no more than 6-7 rows away from an exit if possible.

Regards

[HighFlyer]

Good post Decker. [y]

On VS i do watch it most of the time as i like the cartoon/film. On other airlines, the majority of the time i watch it out of courtesy, but to be honest, when i get onboard a different airline i look at the doors to see what type they are and how to open them and do locate my nearest exit. I also know that in an emergency situation, like hell am i bracing with my legs under the seat infront if i am in PE or US coach.

I have been the person engrossed in the paper when the safety video is on. Yes it might look like i am ignorant to danger but that's not the case. I know that safety video from memory and i have a copy of it on my Mac should i want to see it again, i know the seat plan of a 744, 346 and 343 better than the back of my hand, i know where all the exits are and where to find my lifevest, and i know that God forbid if there was an accident, the safety video doesn't show the 'every man for himself' panic situation that we'd really have to deal with. Many frequent flyers perhaps dont pay attention as they are in the same boat?

Thanks,
Sarah

Originally posted by mitchja
I too always pay attention to the safety demo and check where my nearest exits are.

I would, however, still like to know what position pax in Upper need to adopt during an emergancy landing. Yes OK there are airbags but there's nothing else mentioned.

I dont know if there's anything is this, but after watching several crash investigation programs I try and sit no more than 6-7 rows away from an exit if possible.

Regards

Air New Zealand tell you the position to adopt in the suite[y]
I've forgotten now but it's something like place your feet flat on the ottoman, knees together and lean them against the side of the suite. I think you then place your hands in a 'pray' position then lean your hands onto the side of the suite with your head against them.

The first thing that struck me was 'VS don't tell you this!'

I also think you can find the brace position for a UCS in the safety card. I know 100% that it shows how to get Oxygen if your in a suite in the card.

I always watch it even though before I board the plane I know- as Im sad and know airline configurations- where exactly my nearest emergency exit is.

I must admit I do have to agree with Decker- there is a clear lack of information in all safety demonstrations.

I always watch them, and pay attention to the exits, but normaly I am sitting right next to them.

As for detaching the slides to use as rafts, should you have a landing (crash) on water the plane if it is still floating would be very close to the water oon the main deck, and they are less slide like, and more walk out onto a floating raft.

The exception to this is a 747, where the upper deck slide would still be at an abgle, but not as steep as it would need to be from the door to the ground, as door to water would be a shorter distance. You can detach them by pulling the appropriate handle, if you've ever been down one, you'll know they are easy to spot.

I've seen them drying out in the Lufthansa Flight Training school, what amazes me is how a small space can hold such a large slide/floation device.

At the end of the day the crew are the ones trained to get as many people out as possible, they are the ones with the detail. When it comes to exiting the plane, they will shout and push to get you out as soon as they can. They would not want or expect passengers to start operating the safety equipment without full knowledge or training.

I feel so weird when I check for the nearest exits on an aircraft I'm not familiar with, I usually feel like the only person doing this. I feel like I've seen so many safety videos (and proud myself with the fact that I have the VS one on my computer) that I know exactly what to do in an emergency, but Decker's completely right, I'd have no idea how to do some things like detach the slides and form a raft, this is one thing that's completely ignored.

Originally posted by Decker
As for the 'Ensign Reds' of the flying world that'll depend on how bad the emergency is.

Oh, the Star Trek analogies. [:D]

[Darren Wheeler]

I do too, again out of courtesy to the crew but also note the exit locations and count how many seat rows between mine and the exit.

I absolutely pay attention to the video (and/or crew members), and I also look at the card in the seat back pocket every time I fly, no matter how many times I have been on that airline/aircraft. I also look at the exits, look at how you operate the exits (on the card), etc.

I read an article a few years back in, I think maybe Time Magazine, that was about the information that your brain processes and retains. It said that in times of emergency or stress people can often function on 'autopilot' to some extent, with your brain calling up the info it needs, without you making the conscious decisions to think of that info. They gave many real world examples, and one that always stuck in my head was interviews with people from a plane crash in which there were a number of survivors. It's been too long since I read the article to recall the specifics, but I remember the gist was that people who do pay attention to the demo and read the card may improve their chances in an emergency because their brains will work off of the freshly stored information on what to do.

I don't think I'm doing a very good job of explaining what I read, but I know it convinced me to pay attention each and every time. Additionally, I look at the fire information make sure I am aware of how many doors away from the stairs my room is located in a hotel.

J

I do watch the video, but I've never thought about the issue in hotels - next time will have to read the card on the back of the door...

45.

Out of respect for the crew mostly, even though like many on here I know the safety videos by heart...or have them stored on my computer [:I]

On United flights I have been asked questions (What should you be aware of when opening the door?) by the FA when sitting in an exit row following the safety demo. I think asking passengers in exit rows is a good idea.

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by Speedbird223
I think asking passengers in exit rows is a good idea.

I agree, I have had the same on Gulf Air and America West. VS don't seem quite as choosy about the physical abilities of exit row pax. (As long as they cough up the extra money)[n]

Nick

Absolutely - and I think it very important. Of course it's easier to see when I've put down the champagne and folded up the copy of Hello that's kindly available for me [}:)].

Seriously though, I absolutely do - always ensure that my seat is less than 7 rows from an exit, always leave my contact lens in and shoes on for take off ... but find the oddity that is life jackets and landing on water probably replaceable (isn't there a story that only one plane ever landed on water, and that was a hijacking where they ran out of fuel?).

Also, in hotels I absolutely make sure I know where the fire escapes are.

Originally posted by slinky09
(isn't there a story that only one plane ever landed on water, and that was a hijacking where they ran out of fuel?)

There has to be more than that...some just land harder than others

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_land ... l_aircraft

The uppper deck slides are not to be used in a ditching as they aren't rafts and cannot be detached. The primary escape route in a ditching is down the stairs and out of the doors on the main deck. If exits to the main deck are blocked, then the upper deck doors may be used. If possible, passengers should be moved to the main deck if it's a 'planned ditching'. The primary escape routes should be pointed out 'verbally and visually' after the demo on the upper deck.

I've been crew a fair while but I always listen to the demo on whatever aircraft/airline I'm on. Even on positioning flights with Virgin I listen, it's common courtesy. Also it stops other passengers thinking I'm a tosser for ignoring it.

seats for landing is exactly right, also when you open the doors in an emergency, the door stays attached you dont have to throw it anywhere on older aircraft you may have to throw an overwing exit, if you do there wont be a lide there, these are on smaller aircraft like 737's where you slide down the flaps to the floor.
passengers with reduced mobitlity or who require assistance are not sacrificied, the crew would appiont an 'able bodied passenger' to assist them off. At virgin we are tought to move people from the exit seat if we think they aren't going to be any good to help us, we would then get people who we think would, these are normally single travellers in good health, ideally people like policemen, armed forces and firemen. the demo wouls also be repeated to you, either but the crew or if time showing the video. and after that the crew would shout instructions to you (ever been told to remove your headphones for landing/take off?)

of course we should consider the fact that there may not be time for any of this, (although most emergency landings have had half an hour to 5 hours to prepare!) in that case then the crew would just shout at you and we'd all do our best to just get everyone off as quickly as possible, its about being assertive and doing away with politeness.

piont to consider:
>>the virgin accident years ago, the crew had about 2 hours to prep the passengers for an evacuation. i have flown with some of those crew members and when they tell us about it they said it was so wierd because nobody panicked the passengers just did as they were told.
>>of all the aircraft that have ditched in the sea nearly all of them have broken up on impact, the only ones that dont are the ones that roll into the sea, like off the end of a runway. that highjacked plane was eithiopian airways and although it didn't break up completely alot of passengers drowned because they didn't listen to the safety demo and inflated their lifejackets inside the aircraft. so as it filled with water they floated to the roof and were esentially trapped there.
>>the crew detach the rafts/slides it also tells you on the slide how to do it!
>>when survivers of aircraft disasters are interviewed, most say they tried to unfasten their seatbelt like they would in a car reaching down their side to press the red button that isn't there, before they realised how it unfastens.

always always always watch the demo, just to put it fresh into your head then relax![y]

Originally posted by johnvscrew
alot of passengers drowned because they didn't listen to the safety demo and inflated their lifejackets inside the aircraft. so as it filled with water they floated to the roof and were esentially trapped there.

Hm, didn't know that was why they told you not to inflate it inside the aircraft, and it makes a lot of sense. I always assumed it was so you'd have more mobility and be able to fit through the doors. [:p]

Also, I've worn my noise cancelling headphones on take off, which are pretty obnoxious-looking, and I've never been told to remove them. I guess I won't anymore. [:I]

so not just me who pays attention then

I'm still not convinved, no matter how many times you have flown before, anyone should be reading etc during the demo. Even if you are crew and know the demo inside out it conveys a message of 'I'm not interested' and should anything happen there are then books and papers potentially on the floor. (I am assuming a normal but emergency landing here not a crash landing.)

I would wager that unless you are crew or have been involved in an emergency most folks would struggle finding and putting on the life vest. The first time is never the easiest. [:I]

My comment about sacrificial passengers was tongue in cheek. But in a real emergency, ie fire, where getting out quickly is paramount who in their right mind is going to stay back and help, appointed by the crew or otherwise? I don't expect the crew to do that - they maybe being paid to be there but that is above and beyond.

I thought it was an FAA regulation that only persons over a certain age who could physically open the doors were allowed to be seated in an emergency exit row - whether they have paid or otherwise.

[mitchja]

Originally posted by johnvscrew

>>when survivers of aircraft disasters are interviewed, most say they tried to unfasten their seatbelt like they would in a car reaching down their side to press the red button that isn't there, before they realised how it unfastens.

I guess that's why VS are replacing the seat belts in Upper then to the push button type. Is this happening throughout all 3 cabins though?

Regards

[Decker]

Probably not - they're probably just trying to even the odds - in the event of a CRASH landing those at the front have lower odds, in a ditch perhaps this evens it up? [:p]

I do watch, though how much attention I'm actually paying is open to question.

Why is it tht if landing on water and using the over wing exits you're supposed to get off the wing at the front and when on land at the rear (I may have that the wrong way round, but I noticed there is a difference).

How many of us, when in a hotel, work out where the fire exits are?

Paul

I always have a good look at any safety information but i don't know how much of the information i'd remember if an incident did occur.

[mitchja]

Originally posted by pjh


Why is it tht if landing on water and using the over wing exits you're supposed to get off the wing at the front and when on land at the rear (I may have that the wrong way round, but I noticed there is a difference).

How many of us, when in a hotel, work out where the fire exits are?

Paul

Paul

Only using certain exits over water/land is something to do with the level at which an A/C sits in the water and where the water level will be in relation to certain exits I think.

That's actually a very good point you make about hotel emergancy exits, a lot less attention is paid to that. I think most hotels have to show a floor plan on the back of every hotel room door although I guess it's down to regional fire regulations.

Regards