An airplane is considered to be the safest way of transport and airline emergencies are extremely rare. The passengers often do not pay much attention to the flight attendant’s instructions thinking that nothing dangerous will ever happen. What if it will?
Airline emergencies might make you think that you are not in control of the situation but a big part of your safety depends on you. You might want to know my airport hacks and tricks to make every flight enjoyable. It is better to be prepared and never use the knowledge than panic when something happens.
Follow the recommendations below and your flight will be safe and pleasant despite all the unexpected events.
Dress Comfortably
Your comfort and safety on board depend a lot on your clothes. Cotton and wool is the best choice. Did you know that the fabric for the airline seats is usually the wool blend material? It is not a random decision. Wool blend material is used because it is flame-retardant which might be very important in a situation of emergency.
The clothes should also let you move quickly and cover your body to protect it from burns if you will ever have to experience the escape slide. Make sure your shoes will not come off in case you need to run or stand on hot tarmac. It is better to refuse from wearing heels and flip-flops during a flight.
Take Care of Electronic Devices
The passengers often travel with a lot of gadgets and do not think they may part with them during the flight. Laptop, smartphone or tablet is not something you carry with you when there are only a couple of minutes to escape and save your life. It is better to be prepared for the possibility of losing your electronic devices in case of emergency.
Consider copying all the information to another hard-drive or cloud before the flight. Make sure your gadgets are in good condition and the charger that is out of order will not cause a fire on a plane.
Make a Run Kit
An evacuation usually lasts about ninety seconds and a passenger does not have much time to grab all the necessary things with him. A run kit with all the essential items will help you not to lose anything important. Take a travel wallet or a small cross-body bag and put your passport, credit cards, medications, a paper with contact numbers, and probably your smartphone in it.
It is better to wear a run kit during the whole flight unless you will be asked to take it off. It will not happen if a bag is small enough and let your seat-belt to function properly. A run kit will save you some precious time during the evacuation.
Be Serious With Oxygen Masks
The oxygen masks drop on an airplane in case of a sudden loss of cabin pressure. They supply passengers with oxygen until the pilot change the flight level so that everybody could breathe easily. The flight attendants usually instruct the passengers to put on their own oxygen mask first and then help others.
The appearance of oxygen masks does not mean that the plane is crashing but the situation might become dangerous for a while. It is better to take it seriously to stay safe and make sure everybody has a mask on instead of making a selfie in it.
Know The Exit Options
The evacuation is very unlikely but it is better to be prepared for an escape. Listen to the flight attendant’s instructions and plan your escape. Pay attention to the location of the exits. It is better to learn all the options and think everything through.
In case of emergency, it might be dark or there might be smoke and other obstacles. Make sure to count the number of seats to the nearest exit to know the distance you might need to crawl.