I find it slightly sad that as I write, this thread has had 1014 views, and a 6 day old thread linking to a very GAO detailed report on all cabin safety issues (identifying what has been done and what has not) has recieved just 20.
While it is true that the majority of deaths in (say) the Manchester accident were due to inhalation of toxic smoke, perhaps the (expensive) action taken on flamability standards to cut the production of smoke better addresses the hazard and action on cabin exits and aisle widths better aids escape (in all cirumstances) were a better use of resources.
Similarly the number of fires where smoke hoods would have made a big difference have been very small since Manchester. The real big killers have been things like CFIT (were a lot of effort has been put in) and one of the potential big killers in future as our skies get more crowded is mid-airs (leading to big investment in TCAS).
Legal Flyer said: "It is a sad fact that safety improvements only seeem to come around when there is a major loss of life." However its is far sadder when all the resources or debate are diverted to 'solve' the last accident not prevent the next.