Guest Blog: Tips for Evacuating an Aircraft during an Emergency

We have asked a few select guest bloggers to join us on this blog as part of a six week mini series on hot button aviation topics that effect you, the traveler. These guest bloggers will no doubt enrich your travel experience by bringing in their own various perspectives and experiences from different horizons. Today we would like to introduce Beth Blair as the second guest blogger*.

Her strong online presence includes penning the monthly USATourist News Magazine and, in the blog world, co-owning TheVacationGals.com where she blogs about her travels and offers valuable insight and tips for hitting the road (and skies). Her blog posts have been featured on major news websites including Travel Meredith, Fox and NBC affiliates, Reuters, Chicago Sun Times, and others. She writes regularly for Fodors.com and Homewood Suites' SuiteTrip.com.

A former flight attendant, Beth enjoys sharing her insider’s perspective and knowledge on all aspects of travel. She is frequently quoted in the media, including Chicago Tribune, FoxNews.com travel, RealSimple.com and Woman's Day magazine and is a PBS SproutforParents.com travel expert. Beth also appeared on ABC-15 Sonoran Living Live in Phoenix, Arizona. Follow Beth on Twitter @BethBlair.

Today Beth will be sharing her tips on how to evacuate an aircraft during an emergency.

January 15th is the one-year anniversary of US Airways Flight 1549’s Hudson River ditching (aircraft water landing). The fact that every passenger and crew member on board survived stunned the world and made Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger a household name.

It’s true that the majority of airplane accidents are survivable - especially if passengers can escape within the first 90 seconds, also known as the “golden period.” Of course, the possibility of your flight actually being involved in an airplane accident is very unlikely; however, tell that to the crew and passengers of Flight 1549 and they may have a different opinion – because, despite statistics, they know it can happen.

What if you were to find yourself in such a situation - would you know what to do? Here are some basic tips every air passenger should know before boarding an aircraft:

Wear safe shoes. The trend these days is to wear easy-off shoes to get through security quickly; however, ensure the shoes you choose will protect your feet during an evacuation. You may be facing anything from freezing water, fire or snow.

Know how your seatbelt works. As silly as it sounds, passengers struggle with their seatbelts under normal circumstances. During an emergency, when seconds count, struggling with a seatbelt could become a nightmare. Fasten it low, snug and practice its easy release feature when you first sit down.

Know where the floatation devices are located. Keep in mind that not every aircraft has a life vest, but your seat does double as a floatation device. If you end up with a life vest on, never inflate it while still in the aircraft. If the plane becomes submerged under water you will not be able to lower yourself through an exit with an inflated vest.

Study your exit. This is especially important if you are sitting in an emergency exit row as not every exit is made the same. Some 40 pound exit windows are a “pull in and throw out” while others have a pull handle which pops the exit open. Also, don’t forget to look behind you for your closest exit. It is human instinct to exit through the door you entered – even if the closest exit is directly behind you.

Look outside before opening an exit. Don’t open an exit if there is smoke, fire, water or any other obstruction that could make exiting through that escape route unsafe. If the exit is blocked, direct your fellow passengers to another exit.

Never return to the aircraft. After flight 1549 passengers were quoted saying that they almost returned inside the cabin to retrieve belongings or were asked by other passengers to do the same. Never take that risk.

*The opinions expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Harrisburg International Airport.