It’s Insulting That Airline Safety Briefings Tell You How To Use A Seatbelt [Roundup]

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Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. They should demonstrate how to put on a mask, then hold up a picture of Lord Fauci and Potato Biden and order everyone on the airplane to bow (while staying seated of course) and give thanks. This is to be followed by handing out 2024 Presidential Election ballots with President Harris/VP Newsom as the only choice followed by prompt collection and submission to AFA for safe keeping.

  2. The only thing more pathetic than the seat belt article was the rant by @CHRIS. Dude, you need to see someone for that anger before you explode. People wonder why fights are breaking out at airports or on planes? It isn’t cramped cabins, alcohol, rude FAs, it is passengers boarding with pent up anger like @CHRIS.

  3. Federal regulations require the seat belt instruction. Actually, assuming nothing about peoples’ sense is probably a reasonable path to take. Even in my glider flying club we are expected to carefully explain the shoulder harness and exit procedures to all passengers, though they are pretty simple and self-evident it never hurts to focus a person’s attention on what to do in an aviation environment.

  4. You’d think that people would have figured how to wear a mask as well but apparently not, so the seatbelt instruction seems a little less out there than it might have a couple of years ago.

  5. Seinfeld already covered the whole seatbelts on planes think years ago. I can’t believe the LA Times guy didn’t pick up on that. It’s almost as famous as his bit on having a trial and jury at airports.

  6. Even more insulting is the dictator-like commands on wearing these stupid masks. Can’t wait until this nonsense ends in September.

  7. People get annoyed at everything now. The safety briefing on seatbelts takes 30s. Chill it’s a small part of the briefing. Also, not everyone on the planet knows how to use the seatbelts on planes. Coming back from safari in Kenya, the FAs had to actively help several passengers who obviously had never been on a plane before buckle their seatbelts.

  8. The seat belt instruction is there precisely because it is a different operation than a car seatbelt – there have been numerous crashes where people have failed to get out their seat and subsequently died and there is evidence that some of these people, in a state of shock, reverted to trying to remove a seatbelt at their side like they would in a car as that’s what their muscle memory told them to do and as a result never made it off the airplane.

    I know at least one airline, when preparing for an emergency landing, makes every passenger open and then refasten their seatbelt under supervision just before landing to try and reenforce that muscle memory.

    We all think we know everything in the safety demo – but it’s still worth paying attention as the stuff is in the demo for a reason – and not because the airline is trying to teach you how to suck eggs.

  9. if not for step-by-step instructions someone would sue?
    Crayons and coloring books should be passed out to keep the people entertained in kettle class, two packs for those still wearing their pajamas.

    In other news, my thoughts are with the folks in Austin this afternoon.

  10. Telling people how to use seatbelts and O2 masks is mandatory per the FAA. Tell them.

  11. Um no… been an FA for 37 years the reason is people during an emergency tend to want to push like in a car instead of lift.

  12. More absurd is most mention face masks 10 times, but only mention life vest or emergency exits once. So much for priorities….

  13. It’s not insulting. I’m a flight attendant and you’ll be surprised how many people don’t know how to fasten their seatbelts and we have to help them.

  14. Consider how dense the average American is.

    Explain it to them like they are children, because that’s what they are.

  15. It’s in the FARs, Gary. 91.107 (a) (1)

    If that wasn’t said, the pilots would receive violation notices from the FAA.

  16. Got to love it “While they’re at it, why don’t the airlines tell us how to sit down in our seats by bending our legs at the knees and simply lowering our buttocks onto the cushions behind us?”

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