Flight attendants on airlines are extensively trained to ensure the safety of all passengers on board. The majority of their training is focused on safety. Every last detail is never overlooked. There is also no room for error. The cabin crew is trained to follow specific instructions and protocols that passengers must adhere to. These instructions and protocols are in place to ensure the safety of flights. As a result, disobeying flight attendants can be fatal during emergencies, and such incidents have occurred.
In fact, disobeying flight attendants is punishable by law in some countries. Singapore is an example where safety is taken very seriously.
Safety is paramount, and disregarding flight attendants during emergencies may cost lives
They say that flying is one of the safest yet most dangerous modes of transportation. Because of previous lessons, aircraft manufacturers and airlines have taken safety very seriously, down to the smallest detail. Almost every type of emergency and crash has been simulated. And aircraft are put to the ultimate test. Nonetheless, air accidents continue to occur, and some people are killed. Aside from the aircraft and the pilots who fly them, the cabin crew is in charge of ensuring the passengers’ safety and comfort.
Disobeying your flight attendants can cause lives. An example, getting your items from the overhead compartments during an immediate emergency evacuation. This can delay the evacuation process where other passengers behind you may face great danger.
Flight attendants are experts when it comes to inflight cabin safety, so don’t ever think that you know more
Cabin crew members from all airlines around the world receive rigorous safety training. In exams, only one or no mistakes are permitted because safety is paramount. They spend days, weeks, and months memorizing cabin crew manuals that are twice as thick as an encyclopedia’s A-volume, including aircraft details, safety procedures, and case studies.
Cabin crew members also practice different scenarios, such as what to do in an emergency and how things would be carried out. They jump into a 10-foot pool, climb on life rafts, use emergency slides to exit an aircraft, and so much more. Some are even forced to watch “Air Crash Investigation” as part of their case studies. During training, no details are overlooked. As a result, unless the passenger is or was a cabin crew or one of those involved in the aircraft manufacturing, climb, or maintenance, any single cabin crew would know the full safety features of an aircraft over any other passenger.
It is absolutely essential to obey your cabin crew and not disregard them, especially when implementing standard safety procedures. Some include, but are not limited to, asking you to close your window shades and wear your seatbelt. It is also vital to pay close attention to the safety demonstration or video at all times when flying. A single detail can mean the difference between life and death.
That’s why disobeying your flight attendants can be fatal.
Riding an airplane can never be compared to riding any land vehicle
As you can see, an aircraft is not the same as a public bus or train. Totally! When a bus or train breaks down, all it needs to do is stop and let passengers off. If there is a fire, it must immediately stop and evacuate all passengers. A bus or a train never leave the ground. An aircraft is unique. It is a massive metal pressurized tube that travels at 900kph in thin air at 40,000 feet! During an emergency, an aircraft cannot simply stop and ask passengers to exit. It must descend from 40,000 feet, locate the nearest airport, and land.
An aircraft is no different from a spaceship. They are both life support systems. An emergency inside that huge metal tube flying at 40,000ft can end up very catastrophic. Hence, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and regulators all work together to the last detail to equip aircraft with all safety features. More so, they ensure that the cabin crew are very well trained to follow and apply strict standard safety procedures. They were also taught meticulously what to do given different emergencies.
So what happens when you disobey your flight attendants?
On April 15, 2018, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 suffered an explosive decompression caused by an engine explosion that sent debris breaking a passenger window. A passenger was halfway sucked outside the aircraft at 32,000ft as other passengers helped keep the victim from flying off. This caused all oxygen masks to deploy. A passenger managed to take a video of the incident. Unfortunately, one life was lost, but aside from that, the pilots were able to land the damaged aircraft safely.
The passenger who took the video drew flack as he, together with other passengers, was wearing the oxygen mask below their noses! Some even kept their earplugs on, limiting them from hearing other necessary safety instructions. According to others, this passenger even paid $8 for wifi access so he could live stream the incident.
This is a clear show of the lack of knowledge on airline safety procedures because fliers nowadays do not pay attention to their cabin crew or the safety video. Safety cards are also disregarded, just in the pockets under the table. It is a disturbing indication that flying passengers often think flying in an aircraft is like riding a public utility bus. Sit down, do whatever you want, ask for whatever you want, and enjoy the ride.
The oxygen masks are supposed to be worn above the nose and mouth, as shown in our first two pictures. This is to allow passengers to breathe generally at a very high altitude in the event of an explosive decompression until the pilot is able to bring down the aircraft to a level where people can breathe normally again without the aid of oxygen masks.
The consequences of disobeying flight attendants
I will now show actual events where passenger air injuries and deaths were caused by simply disobeying flight attendants. This is not to scare you. I want to make you aware that you should always pay attention and listen to your cabin crew every time you fly. There is no “I know, I am a million miler.” Have you ever undergone real flight attendant training?
You have to obey your cabin crew. Even the minute detail can mean a life or death situation when something goes wrong. If not, it may be the passenger next to you who may suffer the consequences if you resist following flight attendants’ instructions.
Ethiopian Air 961
On November 23, 1996, a hijacked Ethiopian Air B767-200ER crashlanded in the Indian Ocean due to fuel exhaustion. Its original flight path was from Addis Ababa to Nairobi but was hijacked by three Ethiopians seeking asylum in Australia. The hijackers wanted the captain to fly to Australia, but the aircraft did not have enough fuel for that route.
Due to fuel emptying, the pilot had to crash land the aircraft in the ocean, which eventually caused it to break apart due to the current and impact of the water on the engine and wings. Though quite a several passengers died on impact, most who died survived the initial crash. What killed them? They did not follow the crew’s instructions not to inflate lifevests inside the aircraft! This caused them to be pushed towards the ceiling when water started coming in because of the inflated life jackets. That made them unable to escape the exit doors and the openings of the aircraft, wherein they eventually drowned. Of the 175 passengers and crew, 125 were killed.
Every tiny detail of the cabin crew’s instructions must be followed during any emergency. Just like what happened in the Ethiopia Air flight 961 crash, passengers who disregarded the crew’s instructions NOT to inflate their life jackets inside the aircraft were killed. An incident which would have been different if only passengers had listened and followed their crew.
United Airlines 826
On December 28, 1997, a Boeing 747-100 United Airlines was operating a regular commercial flight from Narita Airport (formerly New Tokyo Airport) to Honolulu with 374 passengers and 19 crew members. Two hours into the flight, the pilot received a warning of clear air turbulence in the area, and the seatbelt sign was turned on. Moments later, the aircraft suddenly dropped 100ft and shot back up. The velocity was so fast that a purser was hanging upside down while holding the countertop; feet were in the air. That was not the end. The aircraft pitched up, dropped heavily again, and went back to normal after a moderate climb.
A passenger not strapped into her seat at that time was found lying unconscious and bleeding heavily in the aisle. The injured flight attendants and a doctor on board did resuscitation procedures on the passenger, but he was later pronounced dead. A total of 102 passengers and crew members suffered injuries.
Clear air turbulence is usually undetected by radar. They happen when masses of air of different speeds meet, causing turbulent movement in air masses. They are very discomforting but not strong enough to break an aircraft. Passenger aircraft nowadays are designed to withstand all kinds of air turbulence, but a person’s body is not. Notice that after take-off and when the pilot switches off the fasten seatbelt sign. The cabin crew still reminds us to always keep our seatbelts on for safety reasons. This is because we can get thrown off when an aircraft flies into CAT or clear air turbulence.
We must follow our cabin crew during landing, especially when they stop you am going to the lavatories because the fasten seatbelt sign is on unless you cannot hold it already.
Listen to your flight attendants when they tell you not to get you personal items during an emergency evacuation
Our personal belongings are essential to us, but we must bear in mind that the lives of others are more critical. Our material things are replaceable, but lives are not. When your cabin crew declares an emergency evacuation due to, let’s say, the danger of an engine fire or explosion, everyone has to be out of the aircraft the soonest time possible. A split-second difference may mean life or lives, for that matter.
Aeroflot flight 1492
On May 5, 2019, an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 carrying 78 people made an emergency landing at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in the Russian Capital of Moscow. The aircraft bounced and, on the second time, burst into flames. The rear portion of the aircraft was covered with flames. Hence, the flight attendants only deployed the forward slides.
More lives would have been lost without the flight attendants’ swift action. Passengers were reported to be getting their luggage from the overhead compartments during the emergency evacuation process, which slowed everything down.
One of the flight attendants, Tatyana Kasaktina, started grabbing passengers by their collars and pushing them out of the burning aircraft to speed up the evacuation. Unfortunately, a flight steward at the rear section named Maxim Moiseev died trying to save the passengers from the aircraft’s tail. He remained on board, helping people escape the inferno but to no avail.
Things would have been different if passengers had listened to their flight attendants but not taken their luggage during an emergency. More lives could have been saved, or maybe, no lives would have been lost.
Never disobey your flight attendants. Always follow instructions
Seatbelts permanently fastened, tray tables up, window shades up, seats in an upright position, and always read the safety card in front seat pockets. These are mostly taken for granted by passengers, which are the most important things to remember when flying. During take-off, your seatbelt should be fastened, so you don’t get thrown off. Your window shades should be up to assess the situation outside during an emergency. Lights are dimmed so your eyes can adjust to the natural light inside the cabin in case of an emergency that causes the electricity inside an aircraft to go out.
Your tray tables must be stowed so you and the passenger next to you can get off your seats straight to the aisle in case of an emergency evacuation. Seats must be upright so the passenger behind you can get out swiftly, again, during an emergency.
All instructions and procedures issued and performed by the cabin crew are not to be ignored. They were created together by the aircraft manufacturer and the International Civil Aviation Organization to guarantee a safe flight. The primary responsibility of the cabin crew is to assure your safety. The provision of amenities such as coffee or tea is secondary. Cabin crew members have worked hard to ensure that every aspect is covered in terms of safety, so it is critical that these safety protocols and guidelines are followed.
More than the comfort, an airline’s priority is the safety of all its passengers, to get to their destinations safely. Air travel may be safe, but it is still nothing against the forces of nature. Even with all the safety features on board, an aircraft, at the end of the day, is a piece of substantial flying life support metal tube with tons of fuel just below your seats. Anything can happen, and the flight crew’s training and skills will ensure your safety, not without your cooperation.
It is a combination of the aircraft manufacturers, the pilots, the cabin crew, the ground crew, the maintenance crew, and the cooperation of all passengers on board that makes air travel safe.
Disobeying your flight attendants can be fatal especially during emergencies so please always pay attention to all safety instructions.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
