Wrong safety card

[mpdolph]

I had a strange conversation with the CC on a recent (holiday charter airline) flight. Still trying to figure it out.

I'd noticed that the safety card in my seat pocket was for the wrong aircraft - but all the others in the row were OK. I mentioned it to one of the CC members as I was leaving:

Me: Hi. Just thought you should know, the safety card in 16A is for the wrong aircraft.
CC: Oh.
Me: It's for an A320, not an A330.
CC: Oh right.
(CC looks a bit stunned. Awkward silence follows.)
Me: Just thought you should know.
CC: (smiles) Thanks very much for telling me.

I'm not sure about the stunned reaction - anyone know? My theories:

a) CC thinks I'm being awkward
b) CC worried that turnaround will be delayed (don't know the regs on this)
c) CC totally stunned that a pax has actually read the safety card

[TightSlot]

I'd say a bit of a and a bit more of c, overlaid with a suggestion of embarrassment. given that it is a CC function to check that the cards are correct pre-departure.

Of course, if He/She was a more typical member of some of the Aldi rejects that we seem to be getting through these days, the look may have been one of glazed semi-comprehension.

[Hokulea]

Apologies for my ignorance, but what's "Aldi"?

(The term "chav" didn't exist when I lived in the UK and have only recently figured out what it means - just a bit of perspective!)

[Tolsti]

I think you might refer to them as ''Walmart rejects' over your way.

[Avman]

Which brings to mind that I recently flew in a B737-300 series and happened to notice that the safety card was for the 400 series. I assumed that from the pax safety perspective there is no significant difference between the two series. But, just to satisfy my curiousity, can one of our resident PPRuNe B737qualified F/As confirm this please?

[Rwy in Sight]

I had just the same thing. I was on (night) flight ATR 72 flight and the card on my seat was of 733. I let most of the flight to go by since I read the card on the next seat, but before landing I pointed out the difference to a member of the CC. She asked me what I mean and she brought me an ATR one. When I asked how the mixed up may have happened she said we fly in a number or types and she would file a report. Still does not answer my question.


Rwy in Sight

[TightSlot]

Avman - the safety card has to be the correct one for the aircraft type, regardless of similarity. There can be subtle differences between them: This is why the aircraft type should be written in largish font at the top of the card.

There really is no good excuse for the wrong card to be there - it is a primary safety duty of the CC - and there really is no excuse for a failure by CC properly to acknowledge the error to a customer when they draw it to our attention. If this happened on my flight (and for the CC's sake, it had better not) I would expect it to be drawn to my attention by the CC member concerned, and I would then apologise to the customer.

[PAXboy]

I recall reporting to a CC that seat nnB did not have a safety jacket underneath it. Glazed looks with no action taken was the CC answer. So I don't use that carrier any more.

[Avman]

Thank you TightSlot. Perhaps, the (non-Brit) company in question (who operate both types) have no such policy. I'll check it out with them.

Now, playing Devil's advocate, what price a speedy turnaround if CC have to visually inspect 140-180 safety cards (ensuring a/c type/series is correct) and that the life vests are all there? It needs to be done with each and every turnaround (because pax are known to take souvenirs). Don't misunderstand me, I agree it should be done. However, I can somehow imagine the reaction of management when multiple delays are reported because the CC are doing their SAFETY job CORRECTLY!

[VS-LHRCSA]

The 737-300 has two over-wing exits (one on each side), the 737-400 has four over-wing exits (two on each side). Quite a difference in an evacuation scenario, so should definately have their own safety cards. Funnily enough, you can double up with the -300 and the -500 as they both have two over-wing exits. The only difference is a slightly shorter fuselage.

As for the CC on the original flight in this post. Perhaps after standing at the door farewelling 100 or so passengers, said CC may well have been blindsided by one of them actually saying something back other than "goodbye" or "thank-you". From what I've read, the CC did eventually register what was said and acknowledged. Hopefully, the Safety Card would have been swapped and the topic brought up in the debrief.

[Avitor]

Simple solution:- The minute one finds a spoof guide, revert to next door's copy.
By the way.....It has brought the issue of safety to the fore, has it not! :cool:

[heidelberg]

Is there any other airline worldwide that uses the Ryanair method i.e. self adhesive safety instructions on back of seat? I presume it is difficult to peel off for the souvenir hunters and will not get mislaid. A lot to be said for Ryanair way (for a change) in this case?

[VS-LHRCSA]

I flew on an Aeroflot IL86 back in 1990 and there were no safety cards in the seat pockets but they were placarded on the bulkheads here and there.

[No longer ATC]

I had the wrong safety card on Easy ex LGW a couple of years ago...737 card on airbus-or vice versa, can't remember..

[bealine]

I have always been brought up (in a funny BA sort of way) to believe that the Safety Cards, Life Jackets, Rechargeable Torches etc that form the aircraft standard "on-board" kit are almost sacred as they may be required to give people a chance of survival if the unthinkable happened!

I was trained to treat very sternly any of our passengers who removed any of the "safety kit" from an aircraft. (For some strange reason, children often want to keep the safety card as a souvenir!) Life Jacket or Rechargeable Torch removal usually results in the perpetrator being banned from travel on British Airways - the safety card might result in a caution, unless it was removed by accident and handed in.

Now, humans being humans, it is perfectly feasable that someone has replaced the card of an A320 with an A330. The difference is that if you had alerted me, (and I believe anyone at BA whether air or ground would act the same way), I would have ensured it was acted upon immediately!

At the very least, I would have taken the wrong card away and handed it back to the Aircraft Library where it would get back into circulation and the fact that a card was missing from seat 16A weould have ensured a replacement was issued bafore the aircraft's next operational flight.

Could it be, perhaps the person you informed made a mental note and dealt with it afterwards? Iwould like to think so!

[flyblue]

In my company it's the cleaner's duty to replace missing Safety Cards and make sure they match the type. CC randomly check the cabin before boarding. Same for the lifevests: we are supposed to only check 10% of it (there are a number of spares in case one was missing), the full check is carried out by maintenance.

In some cases, like the 320 and 319, the safety cards are the same but it must be specified on it. Ex: Airbus 318/319

In my career it happened only two or three times to find a wrong safety card for the type, but it happened and luckily we noticed before boarding.
Of course when it happens the CC should apologise and provide the right safety card for the type. But then of course, until some airlines will try to cut costs by paying CC peanuts and train them only a minimum, all that they will get is monkeys and passengers will keep receiving blank stares as a reply to a safety concern.

[WexCan]

Now, playing Devil's advocate, what price a speedy turnaround if CC have to visually inspect 140-180 safety cards (ensuring a/c type/series is correct) and that the life vests are all there? It needs to be done with each and every turnaround (because pax are known to take souvenirs). Don't misunderstand me, I agree it should be done. However, I can somehow imagine the reaction of management when multiple delays are reported because the CC are doing their SAFETY job CORRECTLY!

At my company, the cabin crew check all 156 seat pockets (incl safety cards) and lifejackets on every turnaround. Many other airlines, as noted by flyblue, just do "10% checks".

We do checks at the same time as cabin tidy, and with 4 crew each doing 6-7 rows, the entire safety/security check and cabin tidy can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

[flymeboy]

At my last company, we flown different variants of the same aircraft and there were, as posted before, slight differences between the them!

The airline coloured coded the Safety Cards, ie Blue for the B737-400 and Green for the B747-800! Was good as you could have a visual check to see if the right safety card was onboard! I think that was really bad of the CC to just shug it off - god forbid if you need to use the Safety Card in the event of an emergency!

FMB :)