Carry-on bags and evacuations don’t mix

On October 23, 2015, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom issued a safety notice to operators highlighting the dangers of passengers evacuating aircraft with carry-on baggage.

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

The safety notice states:

“Evidence from evacuations of aeroplanes since 2013 has shown that significant numbers of passengers attempt to take hand baggage with them when evacuating an aircraft. Such passenger behaviour can present a significant hindrance to egress, injury to other passengers, and damage to evacuation slides.”

Following numerous high-profile aircraft accidents involving passenger and crew evacuations, recurring images have shown passengers carrying their belongings off the aircraft. One notable incident involved the fire and evacuation of a British Airways aircraft in Las Vegas. These events have prompted industry insiders and safety experts to emphasize the dangers associated with retrieving carry-on baggage during evacuations. Carry-on baggage can obstruct the evacuation process, damage evacuation slides, and critically delay escape when every second can mean the difference between life and death.

The CAA is urging operators to address this issue by raising awareness and implementing measures to prevent passengers from retrieving carry-on baggage during an evacuation. Potential strategies include:

• Enhancing pre-flight safety briefings to stress the risks of retrieving baggage during emergencies.

• Modifying shouted commands during evacuations to explicitly instruct passengers to leave their belongings behind.

• Implementing policies that enable crew members to physically prevent passengers from taking baggage during an evacuation.

By prioritizing passenger safety and ensuring a swift and unobstructed evacuation, the aviation industry can reduce the risks posed by carry-on baggage and improve survival outcomes during emergencies.