Taking BOAC’s points to a higher level towards the extreme edges of probability, but for the purposes of this discussion it could be concluded that we would not expect any aircraft to ditch, either due to lack of time or lack of crew decision.
Thus, we must rely even more so on the certification requirements, sound installations, and good maintenance for our survival. In addition, we have to be fully prepared to fight an in-flight cabin fire; this is where the cabin crew play a vital role.
Some people may conclude that the industry will suffer another accident like Swissair 111, I hope not, but in-service incident reports indicate that there have been some narrow escapes. I hear rumour that an in-flight fire in a passenger O/H bin in a wide body aircraft was contained, but used up to 90% of the on board extinguishers