Your on Board Care

As a frequent flier, your mindset may be on the destination or on your task to be attended ,upon landing. For your care, there will be so many announcements after boarding the aircraft till landing. And you may or may not concentrate on the announcements due to pre occupied engagements. It is very important and essential to listen to all announcements and follow them strictly. The crew is thoroughly trained to provide total guidance in case of any emergency on board. The passenger must be aware of the emergency services on board so that in emergencies, the passengers cooperation will be of more use to the crew. An attempt is made , for your use, to compile various cares for the passengers, essentially of the emergencies and way out from them. The pictorial guidance will clarify many points. It is worth reading once, preserve for ever and recall in case of a requirement. *******************************************************

Passengers appreciation and cooperation is always required for a safe and comfortable flight *************************************************************************

There are two types of emergencies. They are the

1) ANTICIPATED : The ANTICIPATED EMERGENCIES are announced in advance by the pilots in-flight before landing. (Ex:when the pilots are aware of the non-rectifiable failure in flight it is inevitable to land in emergency) The cabin crew then will prepare the cabin and the passengers. Preparing the cabin means: they secure various loose items and lock them to avoid unwanted slipping/sliding items which can endanger the passengers

2) UNANTICIPATED : The UNANTICIPATED EMERGENCIES are unexpected, even not known to the pilots. (Ex:after landing, a Landing gear collapsing/aircraft over shooting the run way, fire in aircraft etc.)

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There is another classification:

a) In flight emergency i.e. when the aircraft is in motion

b) On ground emergency, when the aircraft has come to a halt *************************************************************************

Whatever/wherever be the emergency, the crew and the airport staff are well trained to rescue the passengers. It is to ascertain the passengers for their peaceful and enjoyable journey by air. ***************************************************************************

SEAT POSITIONS: Recline your seat to relax under all conditions except for: (1) Take off and Landing (2) When snacks/dinner/lunch is served to passengers and (3) During turbulence conditions, you have to retract your seat to normal position (4) When a fellow passenger requests to do so

SEAT BELTS: Wearing the seat belts has become essential in cars too for safety! This has been stressed in aircraft from olden days! The aircraft while moving at high speeds on ground, may be braked. Newton’s second law of motion says “Every body continues in its direction of motion unless stopped by an external force” i.e. when aircraft is abruptly braked there is a tendency of the passengers to move ahead hitting the front seat. There is another possibility of being pushed out from the seat in case of turbulence in air due to the mighty winds. The experience is similar to the bumpy road travel. It can be aggressive also. In both the cases there shall be some body holding us to avoid moved out of the seat. It is the seat belt. So is the importance of fastening around the waist. Infants on lap shall be held by parent’s hands.

FIRST AID: Contains various medicines like crocin/digene/gelucil/antacid/avomine and what not. In flight the crew provide more experienced treatment as they are well trained and equipped with the appropriate and approved first aid kits. Prolonged inaction or immobility due to being seated in the confines of the aircraft can be overcome: By taking the medical advice from the cabin crew or exercise the muscles using your knowledge Walking in the cabin as and when, it is permitted Will be of great relief to be away from the inaction or immobility

PHYSICIAN KIT: A kit containing such life saving drugs intended to be administered Only by a qualifies medical practitioner if and when available

CELL PHONES: Many installed navigation equipments of aircraft, are required for the aircraft to reach the destination safely. These equipments must not be interrupted for the safety of flying. A small cell, in hand, which is ON in flight, may see the end of aircraft and the passengers. There are instances of this kind. For information a small bird from whom the aircraft is designed can damage the aircraft to any extent. A small singing bird is virtually a threat to the flying aircraft. Let everybody honour ‘the prohibition to use cell phones during a flight ‘ , responsibly.

WINDOW SHUTTERS: Out of 6 or 8 passengers in a row only 2 will have the opportunity of watching the nature through the windows. Window shutters shall be opened for take off and landings for identifying the outside conditions. In the event of emergency landings, outside scenario will be of use. Enjoy the nature during your flight, by keeping the shutters open. While crying for other reasons, parents know how to cajole and comfort the infant!

NO SMOKING: ‘Smoking is injurious to health’ should not remain as a mere sign. Smoking kills the people. Let us use our wisdom to shun the habit.

FIRES IN FLIGHT: Whenever there is any fire in aircraft, it may be visible or hidden. 1)For the hidden fires (like in lavatories/cargo compartments) the crews are alerted by both visual and aural warnings. They do take immediate action to extinguish the fire. 2)Visual fires (like seat/curtain burning) in cabin, cabin crew immediately bring the portable fire extinguisher and discharge the agent on the fire. There will be sufficient fire extinguishers on board ,ready for use on board.

FIRE AND SMOKE in aircraft In case of smoke or fire in cabin the following care has to be taken by all.If possible use a wet cloth or paper towel over your nose and mouth. Move away from the cause of fire and smoke. Stay low. The air is clearer close to the floor. You should have already counted the number of rows to the exit. Use this count to find the exit. Use the lighting on the floor to make your way to the nearest exit. Once outside, move away from the aircraft, to a safe location . If possible help others. Never go back into a burning aircraft ************************************************************

In all emergencies passengers need not be panic but be alert and follow the procedures and instructions given by crew.

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OXYGEN: Usually the aircraft fly above 30000’ where the oxygen levels in the atmosphere are far less than the requirement for the individuals. But inside the aircraft, the air is trapped to have comfortable breathing. Comfortable breathing means nobody should know that one is breathing. Incase of air leakages from the aircraft, oxygen also leaks out. As a result breathing trouble starts for all the occupants.

FIXED OXYGEN: Before the passengers encounter the discomfort in breathing, oxygen unit panels above the seats automatically open and oxygen masks drop down. Each passenger has to pull and put on the mask. Emergency oxygen starts flowing for comfort but is limited approximately for 13 mts. Meanwhile the pilots bring down the aircraft to lower levels (apprx to 10000’) where oxygen is no more required. That means masks have to be removed from the faces, for normal breathing.

DECOMPRESSION Pull oxygen mask towards you to start oxygen flow. Put your oxygen mask on as quickly as possible. Help children and others with their masks only after yours is secure.

PORTABLE OXYGEN: During a normal flight a passenger may fall sick and starts expressing breathing. Upon knowing this, alerted by co-passenger, the cabin crew immediately ensures a potable oxygen bottle with oro-nasal mask that covers nose and mouth upon donning.

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Brace position for impact landing It has been proven that passengers who assume the brace position sustain substantially less serious injuries than other passengers, in emergency landings. Phrases such as 'brace', 'head down, stay down'; and 'grab your ankles' are commonly used to tell passengers to assume a protective position.

EXIT ROW SEATED PASSENGERS In case of an emergency, the use of evacuation slides is assumed. If you are assigned to an exit row seat you may be asked to assist the crewmembers in the case of emergency evacuation. Where is the exit seat? Exit seats are located in different areas depending on aircraft type. Please check the signs posted next to the exit seats. Please feel free to inform the cabin attendants if you are in an exit seat but are unable to assist during an emergency. The exits will be clearly indicated by cabin crew with Positive instructions for evacuation. You may be required to perform the following tasks: Keep other passengers clear of the emergency exit door until crewmembers securely open it. After evacuating, assist other passengers coming down the emergency slide. Direct evacuated passengers to move away from the aircraft immediately. (Crewmembers will instruct the tasks whatever is necessary).

ESCAPE PATHS are clearly indicated in order to escape from the aircraft. These paths are also Indicated on the safety cards of the aircraft. The crew will also brief and guide the passengers of the evacuation paths.

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Evacuating the aircraft Follow instructions of crew members. Stay calm and proceed quickly to the nearest exit. Leave all your possessions behind. Help others after you've helped yourself. The aircraft are fitted with escape devices which are convenient for coming down. How to slide Remove high-heeled shoes, as they can damage slides. Jump feet first into the center of slide. Do not sit down to slide. Place arms across chest, elbows in, and legs and feet together

EVACUATING FROM CABIN IN CASE OF SMOKE IN CABIN The visibility will be poor. Where you sit with respect to the nearest exit shall be remembered The floor proximity lights are designed to guide to the exit .The upper cabin part will be with smoke So looking at the floor proximity lights and moving, will reach you easily to the exit.

LIFE JACKETS: are usually stowed under each cabin seat. They are to be used when an aircraft lands on water, in emergencies. Their removal and donning procedure is indicated in safety cards. It is also explained by cabin crew during Pre- flight demonstrations and incase of unlikely event of aircraft landing on water. When landed in water, if a passenger with life jacket inflated, slips into water while evacuating from the aircraft, the passenger floats on waters as indicated above. Then follow crew’s guidance and instructions to reach a safe position.

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With the modern equipment on board and with technological advancements the evacuation from the aircraft and reaching the shore will be certain. The crew are given extensive recurrent trainings. They guide you to safety. Listening to their instructions and following them in total will provide a bail out from emergency to normalcy.

PREPARED & SUBMITTED BY:

G MURALI MOHANA RAO SR MANAGER(OTT) CTE AIR INDIA HYDERABAD-11