Originally Posted by
chipster
If you leave signs on all the time they lose their value. I’m no lawyer but in the UK two cases stand out. A train enthusiast and who presumably knew the dangers put his head out of the train door window to appreciate the view and the result was predictable. Lots of signage saying don’t do it but family sued and won because there were numerous signs about other risks etc so the particular “don’t put your head of our the window” one was less prominent and family won. Second is when you leave a yellow plastic floor sign saying “wet floor be careful” all the time people just get used to it anyway and if they slip they’d have a case. So US airlines might still be liable for injury even if they leave the light on if it becomes custom and practice to leave the seatbelt sign on all the time and the staff don’t enforce what it says. I don’t agree with it but I can see how it might turn out
This is exactly what I would expect to be in a lawsuit: Pilot keeps the seat belt sign on the entire flight every time. On one flight, at 8 hours into a 10-12 hour flight, moderate turbulence is hit and caused an injury to someone using the bathroom. Aircraft ahead of the plane warned the pilot who did nothing as the seat belt sign was already on and didn't want to wake pax with an announcement.
IANAL, but I could see the passenger winning in this case with AA neglecting to provide proper risk guidance, especially as bathroom breaks are needed on a long flight. Yes, the passenger is always taking a risk getting up to you the bathroom, even if the seat belt sign is off, but this essentially removes the main way AA can communicate "we believe it is safe to get up" vs "we believe it isn't safe"