Have you ever seen the social media posts of passengers grabbing their carry-on luggage before hopping on the slide to evacuate the plane during an emergency?
It’s terrible. And it’s dangerous.
In fact, other passengers wasted precious seconds before getting off the plane by stopping to film the crazy scenes of the evacuation.
At the end of this week’s Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching a global passenger safety campaign to draw attention to this life-threatening behavior.
The title is, Save lives, not bags“ The campaign urges travelers not to take carry-on luggage during aircraft evacuations.
In the video, wild animals play the role of misbehaving passengers.
“We are seeing an increase in passengers not following crew instructions during emergencies. Compliance is critical in situations like this. Passengers must act quickly, follow instructions without hesitation, and leave all belongings behind. Safety is a shared responsibility, and informed, attentive passengers help ensure faster and safer evacuation of everyone on board,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
“Every second counts. Taking even one piece of luggage affects the safe evacuation of everyone on board,” said Willie Walsh, outgoing director general of the International Air Transport Association. “The instructions from the crew were clear and simple: drop everything and move quickly.”
Here’s one of the videos from the event you might see on your next flight or on social media.
Research shows there is a problem
The International Air Transport Association surveyed air passengers in four markets (the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore) and found that many passengers do not know how important it is to leave luggage and other items behind in an emergency.
Here are some shocking statistics from the survey:
- While 80% of respondents claimed to know what to do in an emergency evacuation, only 61% correctly answered that they should leave all personal belongings and exit the aircraft.
- 33% said they had seen reports of people taking luggage during evacuations. Of those, 22% said they were likely to do the same.
- One in 10 passengers admitted they might still be carrying luggage during an evacuation, or following others with luggage, even if instructed not to do so.
What’s the big deal about stopping to get your luggage?
IATA noted that carrying luggage during an evacuation could slow down movement within the cabin, block aisles and exits, impede the use of passengers’ hands and injure others.
This is a flyer from the IATA “Protect Lives, Not Baggage” campaign, which details what to do in an emergency.
Please take a few seconds now to review the flyer and watch the video.