poke53281

Hi pax here.
Why is it announced the number of pax and crew on board before t/o
What purpose does it serve ?
Heard it a number of times especially VS flights.

Thanks

Cyber Bob

In the event of a serious incident whereby the emergency services attend, to account for all souls on board, they need to know the TOB (Total on Board). By informing all the passengers, more people will know that figure and therefore 'Someone' will be able to cascade that info to the services/rescuers.

Rational behind it is that, if it's a serious incident, there may not be many survivors and there may not be any Pilots/Cabin Crew to relay that vital piece of info

all the best
CB

Agaricus bisporus

Announced to whom? Only ever to the handling agent, surely, and even that only sometimes? Never to ATC unless requested in an emergency and never, never ever to the passengers - or does the OP seem to suggest this? You'd no more tell that to pax than tell them the fuel burn or take off distances. There are wires crossed here, this is just not something that happens.

No one , but no one tells anything to pax on that basis. Utter dreamland!

Cyber Bob

Yes AB, TOB is read out to all pax on each VS flight pre departure. VS taking on feedback from past simulation exercises with local authorities and emergency services.

It's true, I'm tellin' yer

Cheers
CB

Agaricus bisporus

Checking date, but its far from April.

This doesn't make sense. I'm missing something here. Is it national practical joke day or sumpn?

poke53281

Thanks for the explanation Bob. In the event of a serious incident i doubt i will even remember my name let alone TOB

And no Agaricus bisporus, i would not waste my time posting on here something I perhaps dreamed of.

Limeygal

Having flown extensively as cabin crew and pax I have never heard pax total announced on any airline I have flown with. It must be unique to Virgin. The explanation given as to why this might be so seems a little iffy. Doing a headcount under normal conditions is difficult enough let alone in an emergency situation. People are not going to stay still while some punter does a quick count!

dash_ca3

I would suggest that it is a quick way of informing all of the cabin crew of the TOB rather than only a couple of crew knowing the final count or taking the time for it to spread round 15/16 crew

Dash ca3

Agaricus bisporus

Well, if they really do it I take it all back...amazed, but as dash said there must surely be another reason, we all know few pax listen to a word they're told on the PA and expecting any of them to retain a POB figure is pie in the sky, as is expecting any emergency services to either ask a distressed pax for it, or believe it if they got one. Frankly its pie in the sky expecting cabin crew (or pilots) to remember it either. There are already perfectly well established ways to get that info to the emergency services in definitive form so a system that does it by hearsay is scarcely one to be expected.
Poke, forgive my scepticism, you can see that I am not alone in being surprised by this extraordinary thing.
Perhaps someone travelling Virgin soon can report the exact form of words used, or we'll get a Virgin crew on here to tell us?

GreekIslandLover

I'm off on VS43 a week Friday and I'll listen out and report back

Cyber Bob

Can A -firm this. TOB is given by the dispatcher, Load Sheet checked and info cascaded to the Cabin Crew. Prior to doors closing, the Cabin Crew make a PA informing all passengers. No physical head count involved.

Whether or not anyone recalls this figure is an individual thing and as mentioned earlier, the general idea is that 'Someone' might recall this info and relay to the rescue services in the event of a major incident.

All the best
CB

lonkmu

Flew VS 601 LHR to JNB last week and they announced the numbers of pax in Economy, Premium and Upper.

I was on an emergency exit next to another big guy like me so no shoulder room - remember thinking if there are only 85 or something in economy then after take off I could move and get 4 seats together to lie down - which I did - very empty flight

Rwy in Sight

I routinely ask the gate crew how many pax we are on board. Generally speaking the number is given quite easily. Only once a blonde gate agent refused to tell me we were 85 pax on a Dash8-400, the cabin crew gave me the number. So I don't think is a big secret.

Rwy in Sight

NorthernChappie

Yes can also confirm that VS report numbers and I have also heard the class split too. Its only been for the last two / three years or so though.