Right here’s a subject I get questions on every now and then, which I believe makes for an attention-grabbing dialogue…
Making sense of airways and their differing security insurance policies
The airline business is closely regulated throughout the globe by way of security. Many aviation authorities are on the identical web page in relation to guidelines, and there are some minimal security insurance policies you’ll discover throughout the board.
For instance, nearly each airline requires passengers to place their telephone in airplane mode whereas inflight, requires exit row passengers to acknowledge that they’re prepared and in a position to help within the occasion of an emergency, requires carry-on baggage to be positioned beneath the seat in entrance or within the overhead bin, and many others.
However right here’s what I discover attention-grabbing — above and past the laws you’ll discover in the USA, you’ll usually discover that airways from exterior the USA have particular laws that we don’t see right here. Simply to provide some examples of insurance policies that some non-US carriers have:
- Disconnecting all electronics from energy sources throughout taxi, takeoff, and touchdown
- Opening all window shades for taxi, takeoff, and touchdown
- Eradicating all private headphones or earbuds throughout taxi, takeoff, and touchdown
- Protecting sneakers on throughout taxi, takeoff, and touchdown
- Not utilizing blankets throughout taxi, takeoff, and touchdown
- Not serving scorching drinks or soup when the seatbelt signal is on
- Not inserting baggage beneath the seats in exit rows
It’s humorous, as a result of on my present journey, I’ve skilled 5 of these insurance policies on numerous airways, though none of these guidelines apply to airways in the USA. Ordinarily, I delight myself in being a great airline passenger who instinctively is aware of what guidelines I have to observe earlier than being advised to take action, although I additionally typically get caught off guard, particularly on insurance policies round headphones, blankets, and many others.
What explains the inconsistency in these aviation guidelines?
Right here’s what I discover attention-grabbing, and what I’d prefer to briefly focus on. It basically looks like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) units the fundamental commonplace globally for aviation security, after which we see different international locations pile on their very own guidelines, above and past what’s required right here.
In order that brings us to all of those guidelines. Is the FAA being careless by not having a few of the above insurance policies? Are regulators in different international locations (or in some conditions, airways independently) simply extra involved about security, taking issues a step too far, or how do you justify the disparity by way of insurance policies?
As I see it, all the above insurance policies are greatest practices:
- It is sensible for window shades to be open throughout takeoff and touchdown, since these are the phases of flight the place issues are most probably to occur, and there’s worth in having the ability to assess the environment within the occasion of an emergency
- Having electronics plugged into energy ports, utilizing blankets, and having baggage underneath seats in exit rows, throughout takeoff and touchdown, could cause a tripping hazard within the occasion of an evacuation
- Having private headphones on could make it laborious to listen to crew directions within the occasion of an evacuation
- Sizzling drinks might trigger a burn if there’s turbulence, they usually spill on you, so there’s advantage to not serving these if there’s a threat
So I do completely assume these are all greatest practices. That being stated, aviation is outrageously protected. If you wish to completely maximize the chance of no accidents or destructive outcomes, these insurance policies make good sense. Nonetheless, what number of lives have been saved on account of the above insurance policies? Not many, so far as I do know.
I believe this finally comes right down to the quirkiness of our relative threat tolerance. We’re joyful getting in a automobile every single day with out considering twice, though it’s exponentially extra harmful than flying even probably the most unsafe airline on the planet (it’s one of many causes that from a security perspective, I’m joyful to fly nearly any airline).
So within the context of maximizing odds of the absolute best consequence, these guidelines make sense. For that matter, that’s what the aviation business strives for, and that’s a great factor. Nonetheless, if throughout billions of annual enplanements we will’t truly level to any saved lives, are these insurance policies strictly crucial? I dunno, I assume all of it comes right down to the way you steadiness minor inconveniences with greatest practices.
Once more, I’m not which means to in any approach query these insurance policies, as I believe they’re logical. I’m simply noting the way it’s attention-grabbing how regulators arrive at completely different conclusions in relation to the need of the foundations.
Backside line
Rules for airline passengers differ all over the world, and what I at all times discover most attention-grabbing is the foundations that some regulators have above and past what the FAA requires. This largely entails restrictions round habits throughout crucial phases of flight (taxi, takeoff, and touchdown), together with charging of electronics, use of blankets and headphones, sporting of sneakers, placement of carry-on baggage, and many others.
I do know some foreigners who journey to the USA are stunned to search out that these guidelines don’t exist (like restrictions round window shades), and I typically get feedback from individuals about that.
What do you make of this inconsistency in relation to security laws?
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