What Would You Do If Your Aircraft Crashed?

[Guest fountainhall]

Some of us may have been in unusual situations when flying – aborted take-offs and landings, for example. But I expect few if any of us have been in an actual crash. So I have three questions.

Question 1

If you had been in a crash and survived impact, your life might well depend on the speed with which you and your fellow passengers evacuate the burning aircraft. Would you actually go against all advice and take something with you as you evacuated the plane?

This has become quite a heated issue in the light of the recent Asiana 777 crash at SFO, particularly in the Chinese social media. Many passengers on that flight were from China. One photograph clearly shows a Chinese woman running away from the burning wreck with a cabin-sized on board trolley bag in one hand and a large handbag in the other.

 

 

Trolley bags generally have to be placed in the overhead lockers. That requires time to open and get them out. On a 777, the chances are that this action would have impeded some others attempting to evacuate, either those in the same row or those in the aisle behind as they tried to reach the exits.

One passenger in particular has come in for special criticism: Xu Da, the President of Product Development for Taobao, the largest e-commerce platform in China. This gentleman was travelling with his wife and son seated in the same row. He got up and took all his on board luggage with him before escaping out of a hole on the side of the wreck.

Xu’s explanation that he needed his passport and his money (“it would be difficult if I didn't take it with me”) and that his actions inconvenienced no-one have not gone down well with some responders. “Are you an idiot?” asked one. “. . . ignorant and selfish . . your possessions may be important to you, but even more so are the lives of others.”

Another responder adds that foreigners do not understand that “in China, human lives are cheaper than money.” Believe that or not, there is clearly a cultural divide that may play a more deadly role in any future crash.

Question 2

If you decided to take something from the plane, what would it be – and where would you normally have stowed it? I’d be tempted to get my passport and other travel documents, but these are usually in an overhead bin. I’m now thinking of having these in a folder which I can keep in the seat pocket in front.

Question 3

Given that you might be flying to or from Asia and your plane crashes, do you always read the safety instruction leaflet and listen to the safety briefing? If not, why not?

I have one reason but it applies more to flights within the US when cabin attendants give the briefing. On almost every flight, the instruction is spoken rather as the Thai language is written – with no punctuation and seemingly no break between words. US cabin attendants invariably speed through the briefing as though it is a race to the finish, with zero concern for anyone trying to listen! Even if I could make out what they are saying, the utter boredom of the deadpan delivery gives the impression of nothing being of any importance whatsoever!

At least vdo instructions are more easily understood, especially when given in several languages. (And Emirates have another reason to watch. They have the cutest guy in the vdo simulation - in the part dealing with switching off mobile phones  )!

Quotes and photo from
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/09/travel/asiana-passenger-safety/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

[Rogie]

Q1. No

Q2. I always carry documents (including money and credit cards) in a small bag that I stow away in the footwell or in a wallet -shaped documents case I stick in the pouch  where the in-flight magazines are stored. So I would certainly be tempted to grab that, and as it is small and ready to hand I might well do that, probably instinctively.

Q3. I would say more often than not, but if I don't I can't say why. Probably apathy. Following this crash, I think I might start weighing up my fellow passengers a bit more in future, especially if I am on a route I haven't flown before.

[kokopelli]

Q.1 - Yes

 

Q.2 - My passport and wallet, etc are always in my shoulder bag (man-purse) and it is always within easy reach esp on takeoff and landing, usually on my shoulder.

 

Q.3 - Always read safety instructions.

 

The rest of my carry on luggage would be of little interest in an emergency situation.

[Bob]

Q1 - No (unless the circumstances clearly reflected it wasn't a real emergency and then I might think about grabbing my relatively small carry-on which is always on the floor in front of me).

Q2 - Important documents including passport are on my person when I travel so they go down the chute with me.

Q3 - No but I always note where the nearest emergency exit might be (and try on occasion to count the aisles to get there so I might have a clue in the dark!).

 

I don't worry about a crash - if it happens, I just assume the position (head between my knees so I can kiss my sweet ass goodbye!).

[Guest Enchanter]

Unbelievable that anyone would actually grab cabin luggage or even a trolley bag. What fucking demented morons.

 

My wallet, phone, passport etc. are always on me or in one of the little storage pockets beside me so they would just be in my pocket.

 

Other than that, the only thing I would consider grabbing if things weren't too bad is my little laptop which is usually beside me or in the pouch in front. If there's smoke or a mad rush for the exits I would leave it. Wouldn't really care what happens to anything in my suitcase, considering lives are at risk. Most things replaceable with one trip around a mall anyway.

[Guest Enchanter]

Also... one thing I've noticed flying around China is passengers don't really follow safety regulations or basic rules at all... baggage and shit stowed all over the place and people getting up after landing whenever they felt like it and even blatantly cutting lines at the airport.

 

Also people bringing on ridiculous amounts of cabin luggage, rushing to be first on and filling the lockers up. I got so sick of it eventually I would get on and if someone's bag was in the spot allocated to my seat, I would take it out and leave it in the aisle so my single, regulation sized bag could go in. If they took issue I would politely explain this was my spot in Chinese and if they still didn't understand this simple concept of sticking to your own allocated space within the locker (as was usually the case) I would tell them to fuck off in English. Never once had an issue after that.

[Guest]

Q1: If I thought there was a fire risk, I'd be out of the door as fast as possible.  If the crash was fairly minor & I did not perceive a fire risk, my small cabin bag would go with me.   Perhaps the lady concerned wrongly reached the latter conclusion.

About 90% of the time I take a 777, I'm right by the emergency exit, so going to the locker for my bag would be frowned upon.

 

Q2: My passport stays in my pocket for the duration of the flight.

 

Q3: I read the evacuation instructions if I'm sat by the door.

[Rogie]

Also... one thing I've noticed flying around China is passengers don't really follow safety regulations or basic rules at all... baggage and shit stowed all over the place and people getting up after landing whenever they felt like it and even blatantly cutting lines at the airport.

 

 

 

Chinese tourists are bound to increase in numbers markedly as time goes by. I would hope airlines worldwide are keeping tabs on Chinese national's flying etiquette, and if it is true they are more inconsiderate or prone to rudeness train their cabin staff to politely intervene and make it clear their behaviour is unacceptable. That to my mind is preferable to any passenger taking on a vigilante role a la khun Enchanter with his choice turns of phrase.

[Guest fountainhall]

Enchanter has obviously travelled far more regularly around China than I. My internal flights have basically been between Beijing and Shanghai, with a couple between Beijing and Harbin. I have not noticed the 'free-for-all' that he mentions, but I can well believe it is much more common on many other routes.

 

But whilst it was Chinese tourists who came in for criticism in the aftermath of the Asiana crash, I have never seen scenes at any airport to match those in Amman's old airport (it closed earlier this year). I have often been in queues when Chinese have queue-jumped. But that was nothing in comparison to those from several countries involved in a frightening scrum to get to the gate for a Royal Jordanian flight to BKK at 1:00 in the morning!

 

As for too much on-board luggage, I totally agree with Enchanter. But again, it is certainly not limited to Chinese. In fact, I have had frequent issues with Cathay Pacific about passengers from India and the Middle East who seem to bring the kitchen sink into the cabin (well, we know from another thread that they used to bring gas stoves on board)!

 

And when travelling at the front of the aircraft on US based airlines, I have lost count of the number of times I have boarded before the other first/business class passengers only to find the luggage racks filled with trolley bags deposited there by economy passengers. Bring it to the attention of the cabin staff and they do absolutely nothing about it!

 

All airlines have rules, and Cathay and other full service carriers should be ensuring that the rules are enforced - strictly.

[Rogie]

I'm not a frequent flyer, and the last few years I've been mostly to Thailand and Australia and cannot recall any serious problems at all. The only time a fellow passenger got drunk & disorderly was on the flight back from Peking and he was an Englishman in my tour party! Chinese are very numerous everywhere you go in China but I don't recall any rudeness or bad behaviour. I think as FH mentions other nationalities are equally inconsiderate, or more so. The majority of law-abiding air travellers are sheeplike under any sensible authority and ought to be easy to control. If the 'shepherd' is lax, however, they will go astray.

[Bob]

Chinese are very numerous everywhere you go in China....

That line somewhat caught me by surprise, Rogie.  But funny!

[Rogie]

My rather clumsy way of saying you can't get away from 'em wherever you go. Admittedly I haven't been to many of the remoter regions so I am sure there are places where you can go out walking and not see a soul all day, but I bet such (inhabited) places in China are rare! (Obviously I don't include places such as the Gobi Desert in that category).

[ChristianPFC]

Q1: I would probably not take my luggage out of the overhead locker. Only if other passengers take their luggage, I would do so as well.

 

Q2: I have all important stuff on my body. In addition, I have a bag with less important stuff that I keep between my bags or under the seat, I would take this bag with me.

 

Q3: I rarely read the safety instructions or listen to the safety briefing.

 

Queue jumping at an airport? If you think about it: queue jumping at boarding does not get you to your destination faster than all others. If you queue jumping at arrival (e.g. at passport check), you still have to wait for your luggage. Many people don't understand such simple connections.

 

Regarding hand luggage: I have been guilty of slightly oversized or overweight hand luggage a few times when traveling in Europe (the limits were low, like 10 kg and 25 x 45 x 55 cm). I witnessed cases of "hand luggage tourism", where the last passengers had to walk to through the entire plane to find a space for their hand luggage.

[Guest fountainhall]

(Obviously I don't include places such as the Gobi Desert in that category).

 

I found someone in the Gobi Desert!     Soon to be Air Asia's new frequent flyer, I expect (and I don't mean the camels!)