A recent evacuation of a passenger aircraft in Venezuela shows us the extreme danger and foolishness of trying to escape from a smoke-filled airplane with your hand baggage.
Foolish Passengers Flee Smoke-Filled Plane Via Emergency Exit Slide…With Their Carry-On Bags
The incident occurred on Laser Airlines, a Venezuelan carrier, onboard an ex-American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 on a flight from Maracaibo (MAR) to Caracas (CCS). When smoked filled the cabin after an auxiliary power unit failure, passengers were ordered off the aircraft via emergency exit slide.
But video of the incident comically yet pathetically shows that passengers took their carry-on bags down the slides, with one passenger stumbling over the tarmac as she attempted to escape with a large bag:
Following an APU failure aboard a @laserairlines MD-80, passengers were evacuated due to smoke in the cabin. Regrettably, most passengers exited with their carry-on luggage, resulting in avoidable hazards. pic.twitter.com/7FsfZ3Zkuk
— Enrique Perrella (@Enrique77W) April 29, 2024
Any one of those bags could have ripped the slide…
View From The Wing found an even longer cut than I did:
Folks, I tend to think this is a bigger problem than we imagine. And as much as I’d love to think that I’d be a model citizen and leave my bags behind, there’s a certain mix of panic and self-interest that combines to create a situation like we see in the video above.
I must constantly remind myself that it is simply wrong to take your carry-on items with you…even the small bag that I carry with me that has my computer, passport, and money. It’d be easy to self-justify taking that, right? Be honest.
But imagine another situation like JL 516, in which every second mattered. Had every passenger grabbed even a small personal item, the aircraft may have been consumed by a fireball…
> Read More: More Details Emerge About Evacuation Of Japan Airlines Flight 516
While Japan gives us the model, the culture in the Americas is different…and that is something we need to grapple with now, not when the next disaster happens. That includes me.
CONCLUSION
The video above is a warning to us all. To those who think this is unique to Venezuela (i.e. a reaction to the scarcity in that nation or something like that), I would respectfully disagree. I think we’d see the same thing here in the USA…and that should be a wake-up call. It’s time for airlines to remind passengers more clearly, forcefully, and often that if there is an emergency landing, all carry-on items truly must be left behind. Because that may be quite literally the difference between life and death.
@Matthew: while I 100% agree with you, you have to agree that your wish is impossible. People are built different and in times like this they will act differently. Imagine that guy that was carrying tons of cash in his carry on that someone posted the other day. Do you think he will think twice before grabbing his bag with him before evacuating the plane? In times like this, most people will think about themselves and nothing else. Human nature, not easy to change.
On the other hand, we have seen airlines he too cautious. The worse is when AA says it’s a full flight and they will gate check your bag. You later find out there’s plenty of overhead space and even quite a few empty seats and not a full flight.
Likewise, if there is lots of smoke, people will actually run and leave bags behind.
@derek … I am with AA on that one . The less carry-on bags , the better for everyone .
I am all for airlines enforcing the 1 carry one plus 1 personal item. It has become a total zoo where people bring their homes with them. Now, I would agree that less carry on is better IF we could trust airlines with our bags. Unfortunately, you cannot trust the bag will arrive to the destination but also you cannot trust it won’t be damaged or have items stolen from inside. Thus, people try to bring as much as they can with them since they control their belongings instead of having to trust an airline to take care for them. BTW, my family always checked bags but after the chaos in the European airports during the pandemic, we now have an EU approved carry on for each person and we only travel with that plus a backpack. That way we always control out own things.
Speaking of phone/wallet/passport…
I normally leave these items in my pockets even while sitting in my seat during flights, but if I happen to have them in a bag and we have to leave those behind during an emergency, what recourse would we have in a foreign country without any contacts, money, credit cards, or ID?
I’ve done my share of traveling but I’ve never been in such situation.
@Jinxed_K … Try the special pouch around your neck , under your shirt . Also prevents pickpockets .
Regarding the JL evacuation, the flight attendants had to knock bags from the arms of some passengers. These items could now block a path to safety. Nothing is more valuable than a life, just leave everything not already in your clothing, put your phone in your pocket, and focus attention on the situation at hand.
essential medicine would be a consideration for taking the bag
My BP will quickly rise without my medicine, which could cause a second stroke
@Derek … Excellent point . How about carrying essential medicine in a special pouch around your neck , under your shirt . Ditto for passports and money in a different special pouch around your neck .
I always have all my essentials in a small backpack that is always with me. It goes under the seat (never in the overhead bin) and it can easily be placed in my chest (small backpacks can easily be placed in the front of your body) which avoids pickpockets. Thus, in case of an evacuation, that can easily be with me, it won’t need me to open overhead bin, it won’t damage the slide since it is in my chest and not on my back and it has everything I really care about. Carry on only has clothes and shoes. That is not needed.
@Santastico … +1 . You are a careful and thoughtful person . But you go to Europe in the summer . You ought to go in the winter and enjoy the Christmas season in Austria , for example . The music and food are outstanding .
LOL! When I moved to MN many years ago I had to promise my wife we would never go on winter vacations. She hates the cold but lives here so go figure. Once I mentioned about a cruise in Alaska in the summer and she almost killed me. Thus, as long as we live here, there won’t be spending time in Vienna in the winter. Christmas is in the tropics. Also, we learned the hard way that you do not always need winter coats. Once we made the mistake to wear out heavy winter coats to go from our home to the airport. Well, it is -30F so you better wear your coat, right? Wrong. We were going to Thailand and we had to carry those heavy coats while there which was a huge mistake. Now, we embrace a few minutes of cold when getting in and out of the airport but do not travel with them if we are going to a warm destination.
I do think an argument can be made for bringing a small bag that holds medication, passports, credit cards, etc. Which nobody is really going to carry on their person for every flight ever on the almost zero chance of such an event.
It’s also Venezuela. Which, maybe if you leave it you lose it, no?
Otherwise, yeah, I agree with the general principle. However if the only relevant factor is the ability to evacuate in a timely manner then age, weight and mobility would be larger factors than anything. So maybe only athletic types should be allowed to fly.
@Ryan … +1 . I happen be aware I am disabled , and I write myself off , as a total loss , every time I board an aircraft .
If only athletic fit people flew , it would be OK with me . There are far too many overweight moron-minded people who couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag . And they bring their dogs , to boot .
ANA’s safety video shows (in a kabuki theater style) that photography is prohibited during an evacuation. If only other airlines showed this visutally there would be better compliance.
I remember when the overheads were designed to hold hats and overcoats. They also had enough staff to deliver luggage to the claim area in a timely fashion.
My sister checks her luggage, she travels with a heavy coat. She has been told to put her coat under the seat in front – she also has a large (not huge) purse. If it’s a shared overhead, why is she subjected to moving her coat for a group 5 or lower customer with a large roller? Remember when the priority was the roller bag was the item that would go underneath the seat?
@M. Casey … +1 .
In times of chaos sometimes rules don’t apply. I probably would do the same with my handbag anyway.
Maybe unsafe, but not “selfish.’ I mean, you look out for yourself these days.
In times gone by, I had a specific plan to grab my carryon bag, which is usually a messenger style bag that typically holds 2 or more laptops. A lost laptop can be really catastrophic for me, and the tech for backing up a laptop used to be terrible (some of it still is).
Thankfully these days there are efficient ways for me to back up my laptops before getting on a plane, and I can fully reconstitute an entire computer in a few hours from these backups if needed. These days the laptops will stay onboard.
The other thing I have added over time is clothes with zippered pockets. My travel blazer’s inside pockets zipper, and at least one of my pants pockets zippers- this prevents things like my phone or wallet ending up left in the seat, and also means I’m ready to leave unexpectedly, and also hopefully provides some protection against pickpockets, though not infallible.
I wondered how it would play out… no surprises!
There need to be laws that explicitly make it a felony to retrieve carry-ons during evacuation. (In the US, it may be possible to enact this at the state level.)
The punishment needs to be prison time (not just fines) due to the extreme disregard for life.
And, of course, the airlines need to impose lifetime bans on any such passenger. The airlines can already do this, as they impose bans for many other reasons.
Safety briefings could say something like this: “In the unlikely event of an evacuation, you must leave your carry-on baggage behind. Failure to follow this instruction endangers the lives of you and other passengers, and will result in you being permanently banned from flying with us.” [Where laws exist, add “and may carry substantial legal consequences, including imprisonment.”]
New idea. Those who wish to retrieve their bags can exit after those who prioritize human life over belongings. Problem solved.