Since many airlines do their safety briefings with a video, others such as Southwest and Alaska still do it the old-fashioned way – live, in person. In the live presentation category, the Oscar goes to Robert at Southwest for getting the entire aircraft to pay attention.
But Seriously Folks . . .
Some airlines are really serious about the preflight safety briefing being read ver Batum from the script. Some airlines like Southwest allow flight attendants to freeform the safety briefing. As far as I’m concerned, whatever it takes to get the passengers to pay attention should be acceptable. As you can see in the video, Robert definitely had everybody’s attention.
The safety briefing is important whether you are flying on a Cessna 172 or an Airbus A380. Safety procedures vary from aircraft to aircraft. Your life may depend on you knowing what to do ahead of time.
Have you wondered why the flight attendants dim the lights on takeoff and landing? This is done to acclimate your eyes to the ambient lighting conditions in case of an emergency evacuation. One topic that is not covered in the United States is the position of the window shade. When I fly in Europe, the flight attendants want the window shades open for takeoff and landing. There is a very good reason for this. In addition to the ambient lighting condition, you need to know what is outside your window. Your closest exit may have a raging fuel fire next to it which will backdraft into the aircraft. As a note, aircraft designs are certified to evacuate the aircraft within 90 seconds.
Have You Been Paying Attention?
You have listened to the safety briefing and you have read the safety information card. Great! You are ready for a short quiz. The answers will be in the Final Thoughts section.
Final Thoughts
You have enjoyed Robert’s safety briefing and you are totally informed of all of the safety features aboard his Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. You know where your two closest exits are. If you are in an overwing exit seat, you know how to open the hatch. If the oxygen masks drop from the passenger service unit, you will put your’s on correctly before assisting others with their masks. You aced the quiz and here are the correct answers:
- Boeing 737 door
- Airbus A320 door
- The orange strap indicates to anyone outside the door that the emergency slide is armed and will deploy as soon as the door is opened.
- No. You need to cover both your nose and mouth with the oxygen mask.
The photo of the oxygen masks was taken aboard Southwest flight 1380 when it suffered an uncontained engine event on April 17, 2018. The fuselage was pierced and suffered a full cabin decompression which deployed the oxygen masks.
So pay attention to the safety briefing even if you are a million-mile flyer. Remember the flight attendants’ primary function is your safety so please follow their instructions. Now, sit back, relax and enjoy your flight.
