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.