yes they do go missing with remarkable regularity, i often have to put an entry into the cabin technical log to say one has been used from the spares to replace a missing at-seat one. i guess that may be a reflection on the travelling public's attitude to airlines and safety.

on the point of the original post about the crew member not being immediately aware of where the lifejacket is stowed, well, it got me thinking......

LGW crew are licensed to fly on 777, Airbus 318 (some), 319, 320, 321 (yet to see one of those) and the good old 737. That means they have to be familiar with every single brand that BA has to offer - First, CW, CWLCY (some), WT+, WT, CE, ET and domestics! and therefore every single seat (admittedly some seats are the same across brands). Now keeping every single crew member totally up to speed with every brand and feature is a never ending cycle, in my own case I've been on the 777 once in the last 6 months; I haven't worked in First for over 2 years and CW for about a year.

So I got to thinking, where are the lifejackets in the new Club seat and I was a little concerned not to know. I know where they are in First, WT+, WT, CWLCY, CE, ET and domestic. An hour or so of digging around and i'm not much the wiser. I've looked on the seat guide pdf thingy, no mention; i've also had a mooch through Flying Crew Orders and the 777 specific manual, nope - happy to be corrected with a page number reference if anyone knows.

What I would expect the crew member to know is where the spare lifejackets are located, and I'm OK on that front. I'd also expect them to show a little initiative and find out where it is meant to be and come back to you with an answer!

At the end of the day in preparation for a ditching the first thing you do is fit your lifejacket, if it's not there then getting a replacement pronto is going to be a priority.

Next time I'm on a 777 (either as a passenger or crew) I'll make a point of looking for it.

JJ

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comments in this post are those of my own and do not reflect the position of my employer British Airways plc