FlyIgglesFly

I generally travel with cargo pants/shorts when feasible and carry all the essentials on my person for just this reason. Wallet, passport, keys, phone, basically the things I'd need to conduct my life in the immediate aftermath. This way there's nothing compelling me to grab anything else. But I do wonder how I'll react to someone slowing me down to collect their baggage. I do not expect it will be very kind.

DaveBlaine

Agreed. Beatings can convince most (if not all) people to do things they don't want to do.

bchandler02

It all goes back to the amount of carry on luggage people bring. For me, with just a backpack, there's almost no impact to the time it would take me to grab it on my way and go. For others that bring the kitchen sink with them, they are the ones that will slow it down.

Unless I see immediate danger to myself, I'll be taking my backpack in any evac. It contains many of the above mentioned critical items that would help me get through the next 24 hours after an event.

:D!

Don't know if anyone can answer this, but in F and J there is more space or fewer pax per row - thus making it easier to get off the plane in an emergency, but also easier to retrieve your belongings - are F / J pax more or less likely to leave their things behind?

Even if I'm bringing the kitchen sink, I would leave that behind in the overhead locker; my backpack is usually under the seat in front of me and during a normal landing, it is on my shoulders within 1-2 seconds of the seat belt sign being turned off (provided that I can stand up - so excepting the rare times I'm in a middle seat with 2 strangers either side)

fishy21

If I am trying to evacuate a plane and the only thing standing in my way was an idiot retrieving their luggage from an overhead bin, s/he will be forcibly removed.

DaveBlaine

By who? You?

WillCAD

I don't think it's possible. Oh, the idea of locking overheads might help the problem somewhat - at great monetary cost - but even if you lock the overheads, there is still plenty of carry-on crap under the seats, in seatback pockets, etc. that people will grab and go.

I hate to admit it, but the truth is that in an emergency, I'd probably panic and grab some of my stuff as I moved for the exit. Not the overhead, but stuff I have with me in my seat, like my seatback organizer and water bottle. Afterward, I'd realize what a stupid move it was, but in the heat of the moment, I'd go on instinct, which is to keep my most important stuff with me at all times.

This thread has made me re-evaluate some things about how I travel, though, and I think I'll be changing the arrangement of my stuff when I next fly, to keep some of those things on my person instead of in a bag.

Rally points and roll calls get harder and harder as your building gets bigger and your roster expands. I used to be the fire warden for a building that was probably equal to one segment of one ring of the Pentagon. My company had about 300 people in the building. I broke us up into smaller groups with multiple rally points, but the biggest problem was when someone was working in a part of the building far away from their normal work area and exited on the other side - they'd have to travel a fair distance to get to their rally point, all the while maintaining distance from the building (in case it was burning or collapsing) and staying safely out of roads, and out of the path of emergency personnel.

And even when everyone got to their rally points, communication was tough, because we had no radios, and I didn't want to rely on phones, which might be left at the desk or have dead batteries, so I had to set up visual signals that daisy-chained around the building from rally point to rally point until they got to me and I could report everyone accounted for or that we had missing.

In a building the size of the Pentagon, even with the greater resources, military discipline, training, and frequent drills, I can't see such things ever being practically implemented.

cdn1

always keep my wallet/passport in my pant pockets for this reason, so that i have it on me at all times. Only during security screening i have to 'put in the bin' so they can scan it and put on the security theatre show

chollie

It's a very real problem. On longhaul flights, I lock my passport/papers/$ in my carry-on in the overhead so I don't have to worry about someone rifling my belongings while I'm asleep or off to the toilet.

That said, if there's a crash and I emerge with my papers/passport/$, I will be able to call for help, secure lodging, eat, get refills of necessary meds, etc - regardless of where I am in the world.

If I don't have those things, at the very least, I am likely to spend hours, if not days, of being hungry, thirsty, unable to call anyone, secure lodgings, replace meds, etc.

I don't like the available options, but if I'm in a crash like the one in SFO, I'm going to grab my personal item if possible. I suspect many frequent fliers would do the same.

gglave

When I fly my passport + a backup credit card are in my shirt breast pocket. My wallet & phone are in my trouser pockets (unless I'm watching video on the phone). If I need to evacuate I have everything I need on my person.

I realize the 'meds' issue doesn't apply as I don't travel with prescription meds, and women are in a different situation.

daniellam

The only way to persuade pax not to take their luggage in an emergency evacuation is for the airline to have a policy where each pax is given USD 5,000 compensation (should be enough for most people unless you have lots of cash or gold bars in their luggage) should their carry-on bags get destroyed. Those who manage to take their bags with them will forgo the compensation. Not only this, the prompt payment of the compensation is required.

The safety video/announcement should also be modified to say the following on departure "during taxi and take-off, please keep your cell phone, passport, wallet/cash and essential medication with you until the aircraft has come to to a cruising altitude and the seat belt sign has been switched off".

For the evacuation instructions "please do not take your carry-on baggage with you when leaving the aircraft. Our airline has a policy where you will be promptly compensated for the loss of your belongings".

Before arrival, the safety video/announcement would say "we will be landing soon, please keep your cell phone, passport, wallet/cash and essential medication with you at all times".

Loren Pechtel

$5k won't cover what some people are carrying. It should be replacement value of what you were carrying, you need to show ownership of big ticket items you are claiming.

daniellam

By having the need to show ownership of big ticket items, this would just encourage the pax to take them a long when evacuating.

If there is a "no questions asked" policy where everyone gets a big payout regardless of that they have, then most pax would be willing to forgo taking their carryon and just jump on the slide.

:D!

If you are routinely carrying US$5000 worth of items on board, you should insure that separately.

If airlines had to compensate every item that was carried, then it would be reasonable for them to thoroughly inspect all carry-on luggage at boarding and on arrival. It might also encourage strange people to carry large amounts of cash, jewelry or gold etc. and hope that they need to evacuate.

I think US$1500 would be sufficient for all passengers to replace their passport (unless something fishy was going on with their documents), buy a basic phone and/or make international calls, eat, and a place to sleep for a few nights.

Loren Pechtel

I don't fly all that often. But between DSLR, laptop and iPad I'm a little over the $5k.

I wouldn't expect them to cover things that should be on your body and thus come out with you anyway. There's a good reason insurance excludes cash.

Which does nothing about the problem. Leaving ones stuff in an evacuation is simply asking for losing it and the airline will deny responsibility. When there's a real threat you leave it anyway but when it's precautionary that's a huge incentive to bring it. Simply change the rules so the airlines can't disavow responsibility when it's left in an evacuation.