Ok, I just explained about the hirearchy of Coast Guard/ Navy. The big this is, no matter what ocean you are over, you are at the mercy of usually the Navy of a foreign country. The satellite transmitter works worldwide and if it's a big enough plane there will be some sort of response within that 24 hour mark, even if you are in the area of the int'l date line or on your way to Syndey.

The more surviors/bigger plane it is the better response time you are going to have. Lifejackets are worthless. Just get out of the plane and into one of the rafts.