I was horrified when I heard the air france flight had caught fire, becaue I understand most people who die in plane crashes do so from the resulting fire rather than the impact.

what are some things to do to survive a fire?

I try to sit in an exit row, and I usuall make note of where the closest exit is located.

anything else one should do?

maybe it would make sense to pack a 50 cent respirator type mask. are those effective against smoke?

Take a portable airbag into the taxi to the airport. Far more risk-mitigating.

Watch the safety demo that you have seen a million times...it simply reinforces what you already know, and in a high adrenalin situation, people do what they know, what is familiar to them.

For example: the seatbelt demo.....an airplane seatbelt opens differently than the way you open your seatbelt on your car, which you probably do hundreds more times than unfastening on a plane. In your car...you PUSH THE BUTTON...in a plane, you LIFT UP on the top plate. People are delayed because they do what they know in a high adrenalin scenario...they try to push the button.

Count rows to the exits...mentally say I am in row 3, row 12 is the exit row, should the forward exits be blocked.

Put your belongings all the way under the seat...they can slow you down as you are trying to evacuate an airplane. That big ol' bag that is sticking out and someone is trying to hide with a blanket or their legs so the FA doesn't make 'em move it...it can be your worst enemy in a crash. Besides the twisted metal you'll have to cross, you'll be tripping over your suitcase, too. Don't take anything with you. Really....leave the laptop.

Have your window shades open for taxi, take-off, and landing...gives you a visual of what's going on outside during critical phases of flight. (helps you see if there is fire, water, debris, etc on your side of the aircraft.)

Don't wear your noice canceling headseats, or earbuds during critical phases of flight (taxi, take-off, landing) They reduce your capacity to hear evacuation commands. Also, the wires will get in your way or will trip someone else up as they struggle to follow you and you have dumped them on the floor and they get tangled up in them.

If you are in the exit row...take a look at the safety card..and really know how the door operates. Each aircraft model is different.

Good advice. I can only add, keep your shoes on during takeoff/landing. If a crisis happens, you don't want to be walking on wreckage/bad ground/fire in your stocking feet.

DCA Blondie Thanks for good advice and a very thoughtful reply. As a woman, I remember reading some time ago, not to wear high-heeled shoes and to wear clothes which are natural fibers. This, in addition, to your other points. Also, the pax should not consider for a nano-second grabbing a carry-on while evacuating the aircraft. I was, frankly, stunned at the photos in the papers this AM showing the AF pax standing next to their rollaboards

I avoid sitting in exit rows, so maybe I'm confused about this, but if you sit in an exit row, don't you have to agree to stay at the exit and help everyone else out? Wouldn't that make sitting in an exit row the worst thing to do with regard to surviving a fire? Assuming you honor your agreement, that is.

I think it's actually against FAA or most airlines' rules to have your noise cancelling headphones turned on during takeoff and landing. You can have them on your head, but the noise-cancelling must be turned off, unless I've misunderstood what I've read.

I never wear open-toed shoes on a flight - I was on a trip with some girls from university who wore flip flops and sort of laughed at me for that (one wore flip flops with 2" or 3" heels)... I'm tempted to call them up and say "see? I'm not crazy."

Natural fibres are the best to wear, and count the seats from your exit rows. I always know how far I have to go ahead, and how far I have to go back in case one way is blocked... don't just know the closest, but know the one in the opposite direction as well.

I think a respiratory mask would be a bit extreme... but if you want to haul one around, it may help.

I have always counted how far to the closest exit, but never thought about it being blocked. From now on I will also count in the opposite direction. Thanks for the suggestion.

An old-time FA from AA once told me that the best evac advice was climbing over the seats ..Evidently, most pax move towards the aisles. This FA said that crawling over the top of the seats towards the exit was the way to go. Thanks, Martha...One of AA's best.

What exactly is the agreement?

Cotton does burn, but doesn't melt. At least if you get burned, they won't have to scrape anything off.

AFAIK, your job in the exit row is to open the exit if ordered to by a FA, or to open it on your own should the FAs be incapacitated. You could stand out on the wing and help people through the hatch, but I don't think you're obligated to.

I think that is the obligation for sitting in the exit row. Not to remain after you fulfill the initial door function.

You could bring along one of those respiratory masks made specifically for air travel if it makes you feel more comfortable. I don't and wouldn't.

A few years ago I was visiting a customer at a company that does aircraft interiors. He showed me a couple of videos of interior fire tests. One showed the fire retardant they treat the material with. He was holding a piece of cotton cloth, sprayed it with the cloth treatment then took piled on a bunch of magnesium shavings. This was lit with a torch. He shook the rag and there was no holes burned in it. Magnesium burns at about 4000F and he was holding it in his hand.

The second test showed the fire suppresion system. It was amazingly quick at putting the test fire out, but the smoke was intense. Of course this only works on the fires on the inside it couldn't handle a fuel fire.

Like many of the others I make sure to keep my footwear on during takeoff and landing. I try to stick to leather shoes. I also do a quick row count.

I definately would not grab a rollerbag out of the overhead compartment. That is far too dangerous to everyone. I would most likely grab my day bag from under the seat though. On rough landings I have thought about the camera that I normally travel with and the shots I could get after clearing the slide.