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What
to Wear
Passengers who wear sensible
clothing can reduce their chances of serious injury in
the unlikely event of an emergency .
- Wear
clothes made of natural fabrics such as cotton, wool,
denim or leather. Synthetics may melt when heated.
- Dress
to cover as much skin as possible.
- Wear
clothing that is roomy, avoiding restrictive clothing.
- Wear
low-heeled, leather or canvas shoes.
What
Not To Pack or Carry On Board –
Common Household Hazardous Materials
- Watch
for common household items that can be hazardous materials
when transported by air. The changes in temperature
and pressure during flight can cause items to leak,
generate toxic fumes or start a fire.
- Fireworks,
signal flares, sparklers or other explosives.
- Flammable
Liquids or solids such as fuel, paints, paint-thinners/cleaners,
lighter fluid, matches, or perfume (no more than 16
oz per container). Strike-anywhere matches, lights with
flammable liquid reservoirs and lighter fluid are forbidden.
- Pressure
Containers such as spray cans (hair spray, deodorant
or repellents), butane fuel such as curling iron refills,
scuba tanks, propane tanks, CO2 cartridges, self-inflating
rafts.
- Weapons
such as firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, tear
gas or pepper spray. Firearms
may be checked and declared, if unloaded.
- Knives
and cutting instruments of all kinds are prohibited.
Contact the airline to determine any additional
airline restrictions that may apply.
- Other
materials such as dry ice, gas-powered tools, wet-cell
batteries, camping equipment with fuel, radioactive
materials, poisons, infectious substances. Dry Ice (4
lbs or less) may be carried on board for packing perishables
providing the package is vented.
- You
must declare hazardous materials to airlines, express
package carriers or the Postal Service. Violations carry
a civil penalty of up to $27,500 for each occurrence
and, in appropriate cases, a criminal penalty of up
to $500,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment.
Carry-On
Baggage
Think
Small, Think Smart, Think Safe
- Check
with airline on the maximum size and number of carry-on
bags allowed.
- Keep
essentials such as prescriptions, personal hygiene items,
passports, important documents and valuables (jewelry
or cameras) in your carry-on bag.
- Plan
to check more of your baggage and carry on less.
- Be
safety conscious when stowing baggage.
- Stow
heavy items under the seat in front of you, not overhead.
- Don’t
stack items in the overhead bin.
- Don’t
be a bin hog.
- Don’t
overstuff the overhead bin.
- IN
AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS BEHIND.
Airport
Security Issues
- For
special travel advisories concerning security threats
at your destination, call the Department of Transportation’s
Travel Advisory Line at 1-800-221-0673.
- Arrive
early. Current security measures increase time needed
to check in. When traveling with young children, infants,
elderly or disabled passengers, build in even more time.
- DO
NOT leave your car unattended in front of the terminal.
Security measures mean local parking rules are being
strictly enforced and your car may be towed.
- Keep
your photo identification handy. If you do not have
a photo ID, make sure you have two pieces of identification,
one of which must be issued by a government authority.
Minors are not required to have identification. Failure
to have proper identification may result in additional
security scrutiny. Some airlines may prohibit you from
boarding without proper ID.
- For
international flights, airlines are required to collect
your full name and ask you for a contact name and phone
number.
- Keep
your eyes open for unattended packages and bags, and
report them to authorities. Watch your bags and don’t
accept packages from strangers.
- Be
prepared to answer questions about who packed your bags
and whether you might have left them unattended at any
time. Think carefully and answer honestly--history has
shown that criminals and terrorists use unwitting passengers
to carry bombs or other dangerous items on board aircraft,
either by tricking passengers into carrying packages
or by simply slipping items into unwatched bags. If
you have any doubts, say so.
- Do
not joke about having a bomb or firearm in your possession.
Security personnel are trained to react when they hear
these words. Penalties can be severe, and can include
the possibility of time in prison and/or fines.
- Both
carry-on and checked bags are subject to being hand-searched,
especially when airline security personnel cannot determine
by X-ray the contents of a package.
- Leave
gifts unwrapped until after you arrive at your destination.
Airline security personnel will open it if X-rays are
unable to identify the contents.
- Leave
your firearms at home, and do not pack fireworks, flammable
materials, household cleaners, or pressurized containers.
Remember that violators of hazardous materials regulations
are subject to civil penalties of up to $27,500 per
violation, as well as possible criminal prosecution.
Passenger
Safety Information
- Review
the passenger safety card before takeoff and landing.
- Listen
carefully to the safety briefing.
- Be
able to locate emergency exits both in front and behind
you. Count the rows between you and the nearest front
and rear exits.
- Locate
the flotation device.
- Make
a mental plan of action in case of emergency.
Turbulence
Turbulence
happens and much of it is unpredicted. And when it does
happen, adults and children who are not buckled up can
be seriously injured. Indeed, the majority of turbulence-related
injuries and deaths occur when the seat belt sign is on.
- Wear
your seat belt at all times, turbulence is not always
predictable.
- Make
sure your seat belt is secured snugly and low across
the hips.
- In
non-fatal accidents, in-flight turbulence is the leading
cause of injuries to airline passengers and flight attendants.
- Each
year, approximately 58 airline passengers in the United
States are injured by turbulence while not wearing their
seat belts.
- From
1981 through December 1997, there were 342 reports of
turbulence affecting major air carriers. As a result,
three passengers died, 80 suffered serious injuries
and 769 received minor injuries.
- At
least two of the three fatalities involved passengers
who were not wearing their seat belts while the seat
belt sign was illuminated.
- Of
the 80 passengers who were seriously injured, approximately
73 were not wearing their seat belts while the seat
belt sign was illuminated.
- Generally,
two-thirds of turbulence-related accidents occur at
or above 30,000 feet. In 1997, about half of the accidents
occurred above 30,000 feet.
Child
Safety Seats
- FAA
strongly recommends the use child safety seats for children
under 40 lbs. It is important to check with the airline
to see if the child seat will fit the width of the airline
seat. While airline seats vary in width, a safety seat
no wider than 16" in width should fit most coach
seats.
- Ask
about discount fares for children under two travelling
in a safety seat. Purchasing a discounted seat for your
child is the only way to guarantee you will be able
use a safety seat.
- Ask
about the airlines busiest travel times. Avoiding these
times make it more likely you will have an empty seat
next to you. In many cases, airlines will allow you
to place your child infant/toddler in an empty seat
next to you.
- Children
under 20 lbs should be in a rear-facing seat.
- From
20-40 lbs use a forward-facing seat.
- Place
the infant seat in the window seat.
- Ask
airlines to arrange for assistance in making connections
when traveling with children and a child safety seat.
- Infant
seats should not be placed in an aisle seat.
Exit
Row Seating
- You
must be physically capable and willing to perform emergency
actions when seated in emergency or exit rows. If you
are not, ask for another seat.
- Thoroughly
familiarize yourself with the emergency evacuation techniques
outlined on the written safety instructions. Ask questions
if instructions are unclear.
Cellulars,
Laptops and Computer Games
- The
FCC and FAA ban cell phones for airborne use because
its signals could interfere with critical aircraft instruments.
Radios and televisions are also prohibited.
- Laptops
and other personal electronic devices (PEDs) such as
hand-held computer games and tape or CD players are
also restricted to use above 10,000 feet owing to concerns
they could interfere with aircraft instrumentation.
Unruly
Passengers
- Interference
with the duties of any crewmember is a violation of
federal law.
- Fines
could range up to $25,000 per violation in addition
to criminal penalties.
- The
FBI, federal enforcement agencies, airlines, crewmembers
and FAA have combined to vigorously pursue prosecution,
which has resulted in imprisonment.
Fire
or Smoke
- Use
wet napkin or handkerchief over nose and mouth
- Move
away from fire and smoke.
- Stay
low.
Evacuation
- LEAVE
YOUR POSSESSIONS BEHIND.
- Stay
low.
- Proceed
to the nearest front or rear exit – count the rows between
your seat and the exits.
- Follow
floor lighting to exit.
- Jump
feet first onto evacuation slide. Don’t sit down to
slide. Place arms across your chest, elbows in, and
legs and feet together. Remove high-heeled shoes.
- Exit
the aircraft and clear the area.
- Remain
alert for emergency vehicles.
- NEVER
RETURN TO A BURNING AIRCRAFT.
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