infants life vest

[xpc]

when are the flight attendants supposed to give them out?
what are your company standards when it comes to giving these to pax with infants?:confused:

[Glonass]

I'm not sure this would apply to all airlines but here's how it's done down here...

Over the total passenger capacity, there is an additional 10% of infants life vests, located in various position of the aircraft (i.e. racks or closets). An adult life vest may be used by an infant with the provision that only one side of the vest is inflated. Furthermore, the life vest of an infant may be (and should be) inflated inside the aircraft prior to evacuation. Now as to when they should be handed to passengers traveling with an infant it is supposedly at the moment of the ditching preparation.

I hope it answers your question somehow.

Maybe you should contact your aviation authority and ask them.

[xpc]

thank you for your reply, a few years ago flight attendants used to give them to parents with infants after they had boarded then retrieve them after the flight. recently they changed this standard and now it is only given out during and emergency, due to the loss of alot of these infant lifevests.
if it is a planned emergency then thats ok but what if it is an unplanned emergency at night wouldnt the giving of the infants life vest be overlooked amidst the chaos of opening the doors making sure the rafts are inflated etc. safety wise giving the life vests should be done in my opinion before takeoff since donning it is not at all that easy specially during a real emergency. however, economics dictates that giving it only when needed would lessen the overhead.

[Avion]

I guess this reply is a little old but just to correct the misconception regarding infant lifejackets.

the Australian requirements are all aircraft
shall be equipped with a life jacket or flotation device for each occupant on all flights where the take-off or approach path is so disposed over water that in the event of a mishap occurring during the departure or the arrival it is reasonably possible that the aircraft would be forced to land onto water.

Adult lifejackets cannot be used on an infant as the minimum weight of the person using the jacket iaw the TSO is 16kg, few infants weigh 16kg. So you would have to carry an infant lifejacket for every infant on board.


;)

[xpc]

thank you for your reply but i would like to know when do you give the lifevests? we used to give it before departure so you could explain the use to parent now only during an emergency. what is your airlines standard procedure?

[starship]

The outfits I have worked for have varied their procedure regarding infant lifejackets. In one they were given out before the safety demonstration began, in another they were given during the passenger preparation stage of a premeditated ditching.

I can see the point of NOT giving them before flight due to the economics and in reality the only reason they would need them BEFORE departure is should an unpremeditated ditching occur.

However, If an unpremeditated ditching did occur - the opening, fitting and inflating of an infant lifejacket would not be carried out efficiently anyway during the impact, subsequent stop and evacuation. Not least because the parent would be very shocked and eager to find safety - outside the aircraft.

On a positive note - if an unpremeditated ditching was to occur then by virtue of the fact that it was unpremeditated would point towards it being on landing or takeoff, hence land and help may possibly be close by.

In a prepared ditching - pax can be given the jackets and be assisted to fit it to the baby, very young babies will be using a life cot.

Some airlines allow the use of an adult lifejacket on a very small child or very big baby on provision that the jacket is inflated inside the aircraft, the cords are tied around the middle of the jacket so it is only partially inflated and the cords are tied away from the hands of the child.


Cheers,

starship :cool: