Originally Posted by
Rwy in Sight
On my last two flights as I was paying attention to the safety briefing and the instructions were, if using the overwing exit to inflate the life jacket after leaving the aircraft. Previously and at another carrier the instruction was to inflate the jacket as one was leaving the aircraft. I understand the reasons not to inflate the life jacket jacket inside the aircraft and I am confused why it is ok to inflate the life jacket to inflate the jacket why still inside the aircraft while heading to a normal exit.
I am concerned about heading to a normal exit, having inflate the life jacket then find the exit blocked and having to go an overwing exit and block it. What happens in that case?
Which is the policy in your airline about inflating the life jacket?
I hope my thinking makes sense!
Rwy in Sight
That’s a good point and it would be helpful to clarify the policy. The general procedure is to inflate the lifejacket after descending from the aircraft to avoid the risk of being trapped or obstructing the movement in case the exit is blocked. If someone rushes and inflates it too early and it belongs to an overwing exit, then it will be more difficult to evacuate. Even though the instructions might be worded slightly differently by different airlines, the right way is not to do it immediately when you are still inside but to drive outside of your place. I would like to hear from the airline staff about their individual policies to avoid confusion in the case of an emergency.