This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a safety alert to airlines on the risks involved with passengers grabbing baggage during emergency evacuations from an aircraft.
Given the recent events of passengers evacuating with backpacks and carry-ons, the FAA gave recommendations for stronger messaging and clear briefings during safety demonstrations before a flight.
“A coordinated approach rooted in regulatory compliance, operational best
practice, and clear public communication may contribute significantly to reducing evacuation times and preserving life in time-critical emergencies,” the FAA said.
To spread passenger awareness, the FAA recommends using communication methods that highlight the consequences of baggage retrival during evacuations, and utilize messaging that appeals to collective responsibility.
Additionally, the FAA also recommends a review of preflight safety briefings. Airlines should ensure that the instruction to leave baggage behind is clear and cohesive, and exit row briefings should also include this messaging.
Safety Messaging
Take a look at these tidbits from a Japan Airlines safety video:
Japan Airlines occupies 20 seconds of its safety video with multiple visual scenes that communicate the dangers of retrieving baggage during an evacuation and onto an evacuation slide.
An airline staff member in the video uses a stern voice, telling viewers to “Leave your baggage when you evacuate!”
I think this is an area where many airlines in the US could follow suit, as most of them only use a single sentence to tell passengers to leave bags behind without any visual cues.
Although safety videos aren’t the sole determinant of a successful evacuation, they certainly do play a role, especially for passengers who aren’t frequent flyers. This was evident with Japan Airlines’ successful evacuation of flight JL516 in January 2024, with little to no bags retrieved.
Featured image via CNN.
