A look at why the cabin crew gives us plenty of instructions before every flight

If you are a frequent flyer, you probably learned all the flight instructions by now. Nevertheless, each flight the cabin crew will want your attention in order to point out all the things you should know during the flight. So, in this article we will check out why it is so important to follow all cabin crew instructions without an exception and what are the most frequently presented cabin crew instructions.

First of all, all the airlines can agree that no matter what is their basic company motto, one motto comes first for all the airlines and that is: „Safety comes first!“ Safety is the main reason why we will hear the same in-flight instructions every time we embark the aircraft. Furthermore, the most dangerous times of flight are take off and landing and this the main reason why most of the safety instructions are related to these flight periods.

Now, when we know that the main purpose of the cabin crew instructions is our safety, it is time to bring you some of the most frequently used safety instructions.

The window shades need to be pulled up during the take-off and landing

Just imagine everyday situation when you wake up in the morning, open the curtains and sun comes in your room, or if the electricity went out and suddenly you are standing in a dark room with no light. In a case of a regular situation you will have time to adjust your eyes, but if the emergency occurs seconds can be crucial. All the aircrafts are designed and tested such that all the passengers can evacuate the plane within 90 seconds through half the available emergency exists. Therefore, in a case of an emergency cabin crew have only 90 seconds to evacuate the whole airplane. Last but not least, additional pair of eyes always come good to see some potential irregularity. Also, ground handling services can look and estimate the situation in aircraft by looking through the windows. So, this is the reason why window shades have to be pulled up so that the eyes of passengers and cabin crew would be adjusted to the light or the dark outside.

The seat needs to be put up

In case of emergencies, passengers need to be able to evacuate the aircraft as quickly as possible. If your seat is down there is a big chance that the passengers right behind you will get stuck in the aircraft. Moreover, when the seats are in the upright position, they are locked. So, they are impacted less during accidents and therefore are more safer.

The tray tables needs to be stowed

Same as for the seats, the tray tables need to be stowed in order not to block yourself or passengers sitting next to you. Also, in case of an accident tray tables could cause some additional injuries by hitting the body of passengers.

The laptops and other personal belongings need to be stowed in the seat pocket or overhead bin

If the aircraft came to an dangerous and abrupt stop, anything the size of a laptop would do some serious damage if it hit someone, especially in the head. Therefore it’s in everyones interests that laptops and belongings are stowed in the seat pocket or overhead bin.

The belts need to be fastened and it is not allowed to use the lavatory during take-off and landing

It is pretty much clear to everyone that properly fastened belt can save your life no matter what kind of transportation people are using. Furthermore, imagine if the landing doesn't go well and you are walking towards lavatory or if you have 90 seconds to evacuate the aircraft and you are stuck in the lavatory.

The mobile devices need to be set in an airplane mode and other electrical devices should not be used

The root of this instruction is in the past when the navigational systems weren't protected enough from interference, so switched on cell phones could interfere the signal when a pilot communicated via radio system or watched the plane on the navigational screen during the flight. Nowadays, both cell phones and aircraft systems have become more advanced since that time, so the most reasearches show that switched on mobile phones and electrical devices don't influence that much modern navigation. Furthermore, this rule varies from country to country, but most of the airlines still keeps it as one of their basic in-flight safety rules.

In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that all the in-flight safety instructions are there for your own safety. So, follow the instructions to stay safe presented by your cabin crew and enjoy your flight!

Airlines are preparing really interesting safety demonstration videos nowadays, here are two interesting by out choice:

British Airways

Korean Air