Originally Posted by
LarryJ
Auto mode, at least on Boeings, has the seatbelt sign off when both flaps and landing gear are retracted. If either is extended, the sign comes on. We use Auto in flight, when we turn off the sign, so that it will come back on when flaps are extended on the approach if we forget to turn it on.
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Airlines don't release their data on turbulence injuries but they use that data in developing procedures and that is what has driven the change in when the cabin is prepared for landing at United, and now Southwest.
Interesting... The specific flights I was thinking of re: Auto were 99% A3xx
While United doesn't directly release turbulence data, as I alluded to up thread, they are required to report it to the NTSB and the NTSB usually makes that public via their docket (the UA eFAOM I've quoted in this thread was posted as part of a NTSB docket where a UA FA was hospitalized after an unexpected turbulence encounter...and if I recall correctly was still unable to return to work several months later) and there are hundreds more across every airline providing commercial service in the US (the ERJ17x series seems to particularly eat up FAs, at least based on my impression trolling through the dockets)
Data is a powerful tool, and until I started going through NTSB data I had no idea how common FA injuries due to turbulence actually are.