The standard allowable time for evacuating an aircraft under FAA and European rules is 90 seconds. Airlines have to simulate these evacuations to show that the way they configure planes make this possible. In an emergency, people need off an aircraft quickly.
But these simulations don’t assume people stopping to grab their luggage. That’s what passengers do! Some experts argue that overhead bins should lock to prevent passengers from grabbing bags, but that would only slow things down further as everyone tries to fight to get the bins open, not understanding that they’re locked.
And the simulations don’t assume people stopping to take selfies, film the situation for social media, or record their heading down the emergency slide. But who ever figures that passengers would simply lollygag their way out of the plane during an evacuation – or stop to argue with flight crew over whether they need to get up at all?
On Friday an American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Miami had to evacuate while still at the gate when a passenger’s laptop caught fire. Passengers exited via both emergency slides and the still-attached jet bridge. But they didn’t do so in a very orderly manner.
Video from inside the cabin shows a flight attendant yelling at passengers not to take their carry-on bags, and even arguing with a passenger over whether or not he needed to go at all. Passengers can be seen remaining seated. Overhead bins are open. And you can even see people still reaching in to grab their bags, even as they’re being told not to – and to get off the plane! This is literally insane.
Latest video footage shows the tensed moments after a laptop battery caught fire inside the American Airlines flight at SFO.
Flight attendants and the pilot can be heard asking passengers to leave their bags and get off the plane.
At least three people were injured during the… https://t.co/KHXT3dxqFm pic.twitter.com/QW5eeY9tKs
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 13, 2024
This 90-second rule is based on the assumption that an aircraft needs to be evacuated quickly in case of an emergency to maximize the chances of survival and minimize injuries. But it doesn’t assume the real world of how passengers actually behave.
The truth is that the rule still works. Usually there’s more than 90 seconds available, and when you add in the time for how people actually behave the theoretical standard and real world available time mostly sync up.
In the American Airlines evacuation, there were only a few minor injuries. It isn’t clear though whether there was Venn diagram overlap between injured passengers and idiot passengers.
You do not know how long you have to evacuate an aircraft, and as passengers or even crew you probably don’t have full information about the risks in front of you. The goal is to get out and away from the aircraft as quickly as possible. That means not slowing down to get bags or crowding the aisle with bags. It means no selfies. Maybe you’ll get out in time anyway – but will everyone behind you?
True you can’t control humans , but you can certainly educate them when they act stupid. Getting that meal on an airplane is much less important than to get out alive. Having a meal or drink is only an added bonus. Those meals are so incredibly unhealthy in the first place. Note to self that no crew member will serve you a drink or meal and put their own life at risk during turbulence or in an unsafe situation just because you think you’re entitled to one.
No, flightsaavy, you are wrong. if people are stupid, they are unteachable. It takes many years to become stupid, what makes you think that just by telling a stupid person something they are apt to listen. Now, ignorant people can be educated, but not stupid, my wife is living proof.
First of all, it was a passenger who opened the door disarmed. The flight attendant was absolutely correct to direct people to “go forward”. She was keeping them from an open door without a slide. People thinking it was a useable exit would have fallen onto the tarmac.
The captain can be heard saying evacuate. This was not initiated by cabin crew. When the captain announces to evacuate, all exits free from any outside obstructions are used.
It is most likely that a FA first alerted the cockpit of the smoke in the cabin and thus he declared a fire emergency and ordered the crew to evacuate the plane.
Just as it is illegal to interfere with operations of an aircraft, it should be illegal to interfere with an evacuation by grabbing your stuff.
I’m for a ban on those passengers who held up progress because of their selfishness. I wouldn’t want to be flying with someone who thought their carry on was more important than someone’s life. Do they not get that they were onboard a fully fueled aircraft that was ON FIRE?
Really ! All the air stewardesses had to evacuate the entire aircraft due to a small fire that came from a travellers laptop Hmmmm, makes me wonder why the aircraft doesn’t have travel-sized fire extinguisers stored aboard the plane that they could of used. Clearly airline companies don’t seem to think about possible future scenarios at all and maybe they should because they pretty much failed in this scenario
The real story should be – FAs Don’t Get Paid to do an evacuation at the gate. I’d be darned if I’d stand around arguing with these idiots. Jump in the slide and leave – you aren’t being paid. Can’t be fired from something you aren’t paid for…………….Know your worth. Full FLIGHT pay at sign in and I’d stay and evacuate, anything less, not acceptable.
First these Germans started a fire. Then he thinks everything is ok and they can now fly with a fire.
Fyi…there are fire extinguishers on-board and all flight attendants are trained to use them….and practice every year to do so.
Secondly. .if the captain says evacuate….you evacuate.
The only reason everyone survived ..I think it was a fairly recent JAL incident…is because all passengers followed instructions and left behind their stuff ! Stuff is replacable!!
I remember in our AER one year, they did mention that people went to get their bags. Also, it is my understanding that in some cases, their bags were not returned to them after the evac.