Originally Posted by
runway16
The Russian Moscow air accident was most unfortunate given the loss of life that resulted.
There are several mentions of people who chose to get their carry-on bags instead of exiting the forward exit doors and slides at a faster rate. No doubt the Russian investigators will note this in their accident report which one would assume will be released for all interested parties to read and learn from.
Here in Australia we could learn something from the material gleaned from the media so far.
Emergency exits and carry on baggage.
Carry-on baggage.
In my passenger flights around the country I am shocked at the amount of carry on baggage passengers insist on carrying on. If I read the C/O bag limitations in terms of size, weight and numbers I say that a lot of people deliberately and knowingly breach the rules. To heck with the person who is seated below the baggage locker, the passenger with the excess bags is happy to take anyone else's bag space. I saw one case where a big fellow took the other persons baggage from above his seat and dumped it in the isle so that he could put his bags above his seat. Good one I thought! I mentally cheered.
Emergency exit rows.
In days gone by the emergency exit row was allocated to what I call fit and able persons who could assist in the case of an emergency. Moving forward we see the airlines selling seats in the emergency row regardless of whether the persons in that row could actually do the job of getting the emergency hatch open and be a commander to get slow pax out that exit.
I see little old ladies and gents allocated those emergency row seats. I see teenage girls just out from the how-little-can-we-wear contest (before someone speaks to us), allocated to those seats. No doubt they will sue the airline in the event of a crash fire. All that charred flesh.
Yes, I think that CASA and the airlines need to take stock of the Moscow accident and have a rethink re carry-on baggage and emergency row seat allocation before we have a like accident here.
Simple. Anyone who survives an accident or incident and emerges from the stricken aeroplane with their cabin baggage should be charged with attempted murder or some degree of manslaughter. People lose lives because of this idiotic behaviour and it needs to be treated as a serious (Federal) crime.