Poor pax timing
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Poor pax timing
Having flown numerous times I've noticed pax becoming more willing to disregard the flight crew by getting up prior to take off or landing. Even with the seatbelt signs and crew warnings, these pax seem to think its a good time to use the lavs. Any pilot or FA been on a flight where flight plans had to change because of a person using the lav at the wrong time?
Nigerian In Law
gimpie,
Oh, I know exactly what you mean. The ones that really annoy the hell out of me, even after 30 years of flying, are those who get up and open the overhead lockers while you're taxying in from landing
Why do they do it ? They aren't going to get off any quicker and most of them probably have checked bags anyway !! 
NEO
Oh, I know exactly what you mean. The ones that really annoy the hell out of me, even after 30 years of flying, are those who get up and open the overhead lockers while you're taxying in from landing
Why do they do it ? They aren't going to get off any quicker and most of them probably have checked bags anyway !! NEO
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For the record, yes, a couple of times we have gone-around as a result of people going walkabout in the cabin, both drunks. Both were refused onward/return travel with us and had to buy new tickets elsewhere.
gimpie - I notice you're from the USA where (in my personal experience) there is a very different philosophy on the use of the seatbelt signs. American carriers sem to put the signs on all the way from take-off to top of climb, and all the way down again from top of drop. the slightest wiff of turbulence seems to generate a prolonged period of being strapped in. I have always assumed that this was driven by the threat of litigation, but stand to be corrected. The extended time that the signs are on has (in my view) tended to promote a disrespect for it. European airlines tend (a generalisation I know) to put the signs on for shorter periods, less often, but then to mean and enforce it. No doubt there will be other opinions on this.
gimpie - I notice you're from the USA where (in my personal experience) there is a very different philosophy on the use of the seatbelt signs. American carriers sem to put the signs on all the way from take-off to top of climb, and all the way down again from top of drop. the slightest wiff of turbulence seems to generate a prolonged period of being strapped in. I have always assumed that this was driven by the threat of litigation, but stand to be corrected. The extended time that the signs are on has (in my view) tended to promote a disrespect for it. European airlines tend (a generalisation I know) to put the signs on for shorter periods, less often, but then to mean and enforce it. No doubt there will be other opinions on this.
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Interestingly, I was on a flight into AMS last night, the captain came on the PA to ask everyone to remain seated while the GPU was connected up, and lo and behold not a single person moved! I think this is as much to do with people's general respect for CC as anything else - most pax just assume they are just trolly dollies without any authority or safety role...
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While working for 2 previous airlines (one italian, the other british) we had a similar procedure: Seatbelts would be on until reaching about 20,000ft and would be on again when reaching 20,000ft during the descent.
Well in BA we let them out of their seats (in normal situations, when turbulence is not expected) at about 10,000ft and the seatbelt sign goes on again at -10minutes to landing, which also is at about 10,000ft.
I have to say that while in Italy I had less problems with people getting out of their seats when they were not meant to, but in the UK it is something that seems to have affected both airlines despite such a difference in timing the seatbelt sign.
Tightslot might be right in saying that in the US one of the the reason might be because of legal issues....I have also noticed that the sign seem to be on forever!! However my personal experience over here has been very much influenced by how much passengers regard crew in general and how drunk/disruptive/generally unpleasant and uncooperative they were or wanted to be on the day.
Well in BA we let them out of their seats (in normal situations, when turbulence is not expected) at about 10,000ft and the seatbelt sign goes on again at -10minutes to landing, which also is at about 10,000ft.
I have to say that while in Italy I had less problems with people getting out of their seats when they were not meant to, but in the UK it is something that seems to have affected both airlines despite such a difference in timing the seatbelt sign.
Tightslot might be right in saying that in the US one of the the reason might be because of legal issues....I have also noticed that the sign seem to be on forever!! However my personal experience over here has been very much influenced by how much passengers regard crew in general and how drunk/disruptive/generally unpleasant and uncooperative they were or wanted to be on the day.
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A few years ago a young colleague of mine and her husband took a cheapflight to HongKong.When they booked it they were quite proud of the fact that they had saved a fortune, they flew from LHR via Paris, Dubai, Dakha to HongKong.At Dubai many migrant workers boarded on their way home to Bangladesh.On descent into Dakha most stood up and started getting bags out of lockers, my colleague reckons that on landing the aisles were full with baggage and about a hundred standing passengers. The journey home was pretty bad too but they learned a valuable lesson on getting what you pay for..
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I once had to restrain an oriental gentleman, who stood up to look out of the window as we were just about to touch down in Singapore. I would rather have him peeved, than bouncing around the cabin, should anything go pear-shaped.
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I was on a flight this afternoon when the captain turned on the seatbelt sign in light turbulence approaching Zurich. Shortly afterwards a woman a few rows down stood up and opened the overhead bin and a bag containing some alcoholic duty free items fell out and hit another passenger on the head and shoulders, no broken glass or permanent damage but it looked fairly painful.
These items may or may not have been dislodged by the turbulence but, nevertheless, a good example of why you should stay seated and belted once the sign is illuminated.....
These items may or may not have been dislodged by the turbulence but, nevertheless, a good example of why you should stay seated and belted once the sign is illuminated.....
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Yes indeed, and also a good example of why some cabin crew suggest that if you have heavy items/bottles you put them under the seat in front of you and not in the overhead locker....you might know that they're there but your fellow passengers seating next to you might not be aware of it, until they open that overhead locker and injure you/themselves/a third person....
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I've had two incidents of items dropped from an overhead bin onto my head in the past year and a bit
Fortunately both were relatively light objects:
1- September 2005 - BA- crew members shoe, when I was sleeping on a flat bed
2 - The week before last - KM - a box of announcement audio tapes
As you can imagine, I was not impressed.
I was double not impressed, as the "droppers" were both the respective SCCM of the CC!
Fortunately both were relatively light objects:
1- September 2005 - BA- crew members shoe, when I was sleeping on a flat bed
2 - The week before last - KM - a box of announcement audio tapes
As you can imagine, I was not impressed.
I was double not impressed, as the "droppers" were both the respective SCCM of the CC!
Last edited by Final 3 Greens; 12th Jan 2007 at 17:03.
I fly around SE Asia a lot, and this is increasingly true. In particular into CGK Jakarta. As soon as you hear "doors to manual" everyone is up and running for the exits (me included). I think this is partly because we know the queues at immigrasi are going to be awful...
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I took a flight last year between BCN and MAN, unfortunately I was sitting in front of a group of loud drunken shouting idiots. Despite the seatbelt signs being illuminated (was turbulent) they got up, stood around in the aisle, went to the toliet etc as they wished. The CC didn't do anything, mainly because two of them were stood there talking to them for half the flight. If pax see the crew obviously not give a hoot for the seatbelt sign, even when it actually is turbulent, it's hardly surprising passengers don't.
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About three years ago I took a Britannia flight from Manchester to Sanford. As we taxied towards our gate you could here numerous seatbelts being unfastened. The captain came on the intercom and said that he had a newly installed 'seatbelt detector' and that he would stop the aircraft unless everyone fastened their seatbelts. Slowly but surely you could here all the seatbelts being refastened. I thought it was quite amusing at the time !!
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A bit of history
Back in 1979, Christmas day in fact, I took a very short flight on a CAAC Trident from Canton (as it was then known) to Kai Tak airport in HK. There were no announcements re safety and the aircraft started moving as we were putting away our luggage and sitting down. The aircraft didn't stop at the end of the runway for takeoff and just shot off like a fighter with the cabin crew walking up and down the aisle on rotation followed by a fast steep climb, handing out airline junk as presents (toy areoplanes and the like). I had never experienced anything like it, nor since for that matter. Of course I was aware of the safety implications but I have to admit I did resign myself to seeing the funny side of all this. The flight was no more than 15 minutes and the pilot must have thought he was still in a fighter jet the way he turned corners, pinning us to our seats. It was then straight down to the runway (over the sea approach, not the famous head for the hill and turn right between the buildings one) on a very fast landing, or so it seemed to me, with a rapid turnoff to the gate. The cabin crew were still wandering around on the landing too! I am told by friends that this sort of thing does not occur today in China.
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There's an airline in China in which the crew don't have seats and hang onto a bar in the galley at take off and landing...
personally if some idiot chooses to ignore the seatbelt signs they can go ahead and break their necks/smash their head in. And I'll be there saying 'told you so!'
personally if some idiot chooses to ignore the seatbelt signs they can go ahead and break their necks/smash their head in. And I'll be there saying 'told you so!'
