How did I miss that? Makes a lot more sense :)

My safety drill on any flight (some of it will be repetition of things already said)

• Wear shoes during Taxi, Take-off, Climb, Descent, Landing.
• Have passport and boarding pass in pocket.
• Count the number of rows between me and the exits.
• Check that if it's supposed to be there, there's actually a life-jacket under the seat.
• Check the safety card for which exits to use in a ditching in water.
• During the safety demo, when the seatbelt instructions are given, practice opening the seatbelt for muscle memory.
• Put feet flat on floor during takeoff and landing.
• and if seated in an exit row, visualize how to open the exit, those red arrows may not be visible when push comes to shove.

Also, regardless of what it says on the card or in the demo, if at an overwing exit, I'm tossing the door out and not putting it on the seats in the cabin.

Never fly in a Tupolev.

The shoes thing - if you are exiting on to tarmac, yes, you want shoes that are not going to fly off. But if you are exiting into water, you need to ditch the shoes, especially guys who wear the big heavy lace-up DM boots or similar. I have swum in shoes, and it is very difficult (and these were running shoes, not big heavy boots), they drag you down. If you are exiting the aircraft into water, the last thing you want is big boots on. I guess the idea compromise would be shoes that cover your feet, but that can be kicked off very easily (you know, like your mother told you never to do with your school shoes!) if needed.

If you wanted to be prepared, your phone, wallet, keys and passport should be in some sort of waterproof bag (ziplock idea) otherwise some of them will be useless if there is a water landing.

I always fly with my own pashmina, but if you don't, you may want to keep that in flight blanket handy in case of an emergency - it can cover your head from debris, can shield your hands if you have to move something sharp or hot, and can be used to aid someone else in a water rescue, as well as give warmth once out if it remains dry (no matter how warm ambient temperature is, shock is bound to set in).

I also always have a water bottle in the seat back pocket that I would grab and bring with in an emergency - being able to get ash / soot / dirt off your face so that you can see, as well as being able to quell burning of the throat from acrid smoke is pretty important too.

Personally I would keep my shoes on and rely on the lifevest.

Same do I, except the life-jacket check. Thanks for the idea.

You'd be surprised how many are stolen from aircraft.

Absolutely silly question, but do you guys actually open up the bit and check to see if the jacket is there?

Wow. This is a new level of vandalism and idiocy.
Curious how these morons hide the swag.
Not sure if the flight may take place when certain amount of seats are not provided of jackets.

This entire thread was inspired as I waited for a bus, chatting with Rita, a UA flight attendant for 45 years and going! Apparently, UA female flight attendants are supposed to have heels on for public image, when they're not in the aircraft but in uniform. Rita puts on more practical shoes when she's on duty.

She tells me that different aircraft have different combinations of exit doors that are not supposed to be used in water landings. My response is that I'm glad the flight attendants are next to those doors. The overwing exits, though, are dependent on the exit row passengers who don't get to practice.

The new 737-900's overwing exits are handy. They're hinged at the top and designed to swing outwards and upwards out of the way.

As for pockets, I travel with a fleece jacket with zippered pockets so things don't fall out everywhere. I've got headlamp, earplugs, surgical masks (gurantees that the guy next to me isn't sneezing, wheezing, coughing and flinging phlegm everywhere), chapstick, etc in the pockets. Holy utility belt Batman! Anybody seen any stray water bottles left behind in the seat pockets? I've forgotten so many, that I think I need to tether those to myself somehow.

As someone who spent a fair amount of time on and in the water (wearing shoes some of the time) with lifejackets and bouyancy aids I wouldn't count on the lifevest to actually inflate automatically (most of those things are stored for so long, I wouldn't count on the CO2 cylinders actually working). By the time you discover this, you are already in the water (the whole 'inflate your jacket as you leave the aircraft thing aids mobility exiting the aircraft, but is a dumb move from a life preservation stance, as you may well hit the water with an uninflated jacket which will then do you no good if you are knocked unconscious as you exit). If you hit open water (waves, wind, etc) you have enough to deal with getting your jacket inflated by blowing into the valves (they take a LOT of air, which is going to be tough when you are also likely to be paniced and breathing shallowly as well, not to mention the cold water will sap your energy in an instance) without being dragged down by your shoes.

IMO, barring the odd exception (like the Hudson landing), for the most part the lifejackets are for your peace of mind, rather than actually well-designed, life preserving devices, especially when combined with user error (I wonder if anyone has looked at how the average person fastens one, for example, I am guessing most will not tie it nearly tight enough and it will pop off the second you hit the water with any force).

Generally no, but I try to look if it's a clear lid.

So another question, has anyone ever taken survival swimming training - how to stay afloat without a life jacket, preserve body heat etc?

And has anyone ever foudn the lifejacket missing and demanded a replacement? Presumably there is a rule as to having to have them for every passenger if they are flying over water for an extended time? I know they have baby life cots - what do small children do if they need a life jacket?

BA's safety announcement says they have smaller lifejackets for children.

Wonder what would *really* happen in an emergency - say, on a flight to Orlando from Heathrow. How many "smaller" lifejackets do you suppose they have, taking into account the gaggles of children on such a route and, during a water landing, is someone really oepning the overheads looking for them and ensuring they get to the kids? Maybe they have them by the fore-doors, and can ahdn them out on exiting, but that would ***** the people using the overwing exits (I think I am right that rear doors are not opened in a water-landing situation) I'm guessing age 10 or so up could make the adult one fit, smaller than that, I don't think it would.