AA plane evacuated after catching fire at Chicago O'Hare

Yes indeed the selfish passengers who stall the evacuation by trying to recover their luggage also place the disabled folk in extreme peril, since the aisles need to be cleared so that the cabin crew can help them out.

According to current industry standards, an airplane must be evacuated in 90 seconds.

This takes into account some unusable exits.

In the US, they have to use a predetermined mix of young and old…and probably some lightly disabled…but nothing as severe as what I referred to.

When I was in high school (grammar school), I was speaking with our headmaster, who’d just come from a similar position the Seattle area. To raise money for school activities, the school student body volunteered to provide “passengers” for Boeing’s test for the 747. Students recruited parents, siblings, grandparents and friends to get the proper mix. I believe the tests have to be done in various conditions…like a dark hangar.

Thanks.

In the US, they have to use a predetermined mix of young and old…and probably some lightly disabled…but nothing as severe as what I referred to.

When I was in high school (grammar school), I was speaking with our headmaster, who’d just come from a similar position the Seattle area. To raise money for school activities, the school student body volunteered to provide “passengers” for Boeing’s test for the 747. Students recruited parents, siblings, grandparents and friends to get the proper mix. I believe the tests have to be done in various conditions…like a dark hangar.

When manufacturers do those tests/demonstrations of how quickly you can supposedly evacuate an airliner, do they still use fit, young college students in tracksuits who have all been briefed exactly what to do?

That assumes the passengers will actually listen to whatever is said.
How many actually listen, let alone read the safety card, or rarer yet, actually look for the emergency exits.

Also, the people who can’t understand what is said, and the occasional passenger who can’t move under their own power.
During my time working for an airline we boarded more than a few of the latter…some had power seats or heavy scooters and needed two airline attendants to get seated. One one occasion after the passengers were gone, the captain turned to me and said that person has no business flying, in the event of a situation like this, not only would they die, but could cause the deaths of other passengers.

Obviously, those passengers can’t be discriminated against, but their presence in an emergency situation likely won’t have a happy outcome.
Someone needs to address this in some fashion.

Maybe airlines should relate the disaster at Manchester (R.I.P. souls) during the passenger briefing.

A Facebook video taken by one of the pax shows people stopping to collect their personal belongings from the overhead bins. :stupid::mad: