30 injured in turbulence: Air Europa

[AirScotia]

Air Europa flight diverted to Brazil after turbulence; 30 injured

[krismiler]

I flew as a passenger recently and was amazed at the number of times cabin crew had to tell people to sit down even though the seatbelt sign was on. I can understand a few people who were out of their seats going to and from the toilets being injured, as well as cabin crew doing their jobs, but if thirty are hurt then something is wrong.

It’s time airlines insisted on passengers using seatbelts all the time they are in their seats, otherwise no compensation if injured. There is a high level of compliance from motorists due to the heavy fines involved, there needs to be a similar mindset on aircraft that when seated, belts are to be used.

[Maninthebar]

Originally Posted by krismiler

It’s time airlines insisted on passengers using seatbelts all the time they are in their seats, otherwise no compensation if injured. There is a high level of compliance from motorists due to the heavy fines involved, there needs to be a similar mindset on aircraft that when seated, belts are to be used.

In my setting (UK) compliance is not due to enforcement activity, I believe, but social pressure and (now) habit.

In the early days of compulsion there were EXTENSIVE tv ads - "clunk click every trip" became a mantra, and rthen when rear seatbelts were intoduced "beware of the unrestrained granny in the back" (rather good!). I suggest that that sort of activity is FAR more effective, achievable and value for money than attempted enforcement alone.

[MechEngr]

Perhaps allowing the use of cudgels by the cabin crew to enforce the value of remaining belted as much as practicable would work? Wallop someone who is not wearing the belt and then click the belt together and explain to the rest of the passengers how and why this was done. See if anyone else wants help with the seat belt but has been too shy to ask. When the first one comes to, explain the plane hit some turbulence and they were knocked out because the belt wasn't secured.

[EnerJi]

Originally Posted by krismiler

I flew as a passenger recently and was amazed at the number of times cabin crew had to tell people to sit down even though the seatbelt sign was on. I can understand a few people who were out of their seats going to and from the toilets being injured, as well as cabin crew doing their jobs, but if thirty are hurt then something is wrong.

I've flown to South America many times. Nowhere else have I seen so many people out of their seats during cruise. Just milling about, chatting together or chatting with a friend or family member in another section of the aircraft.

[framer]

It’s time airlines insisted on passengers using seatbelts all the time they are in their seats, otherwise no compensation if injured.

I agree but one hurdle on the path to implementing that strategy is that it creates problems for the cabin crew. If the Airlines go down that road they are effectively asking young people on minimum wage with three weeks training to confront all types. Now days the training they receive has been reduced. Classroom training has been whittled down to the minimum that the regulator will allow with subjects such as ‘security’ now being online courses. I’m sure many Airlines still bring their cc into the classroom to train restraining pax etc, but some don’t anymore because it’s cheaper for the cc to watch a video online and answer a few multi-choice questions. I suspect it’s a trend we will see more of. I would want to see that reversed before asking more of our crews.

[c52]

Just make it a rule that if a passenger's head damages the plane, they must pay for the damage.

[snid]

Turbulence

If pax regarded flying as a privilage they would sit down and strap in .Not wander around like some entitled americans do.

[nivsy]

Event seemed sudden. Do we actually know that the seat belt sign was on?

[51bravo]

Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ulence-brazil/

And more descriptive of what happened in the cabin in the Independent:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2572288.html

Maybe for airliners to copy/paste this text and present it to passengers on the taxi roll...

.....Another passenger, Romina Apai, said the man sitting next to her "got stuck in the roof, in the bin. We could not find him"......

[FUMR]

Do we know if any turbulence was expected? Do we know if the seat belt sign was on? Do we know if some of the injured were cabin personnel going about their business? Do we know if some of the injured passengers were in fact in their seats with belts on but got clobbered by something or someone? So often we see the self-righteous brigade make all sort of assumptions based on pure speculation. Perhaps we should have a Turbulence Events forum specially for them.

[magari]

Originally Posted by FUMR

Do we know if any turbulence was expected? Do we know if the seat belt sign was on? Do we know if some of the injured were cabin personnel going about their business? Do we know if some of the injured passengers were in fact in their seats with belts on but got clobbered by something or someone? So often we see the self-righteous brigade make all sort of assumptions based on pure speculation. Perhaps we should have a Turbulence Events forum specially for them.

Indeed. And we might also add, people injured while using the lavatories.

[Klauss]

time

Hi, I am wondering about timing, like when the turbulence took place, or how long it took to get to Natal airport after turbulence injuries were sustained?

[tdracer]

Telling people that they won't be compensated if they don't have their belts fastened, or making them responsible for damage will have zero effect. People don't fasten their belts because they don't think anything will bad will happen - and odds are they are right. People drive around in cars all the time - the odds that they'll be in an accident on any particular trip is very, very small.
So 99.999% of the time there is no consequence for not buckling up.
If you told someone that - on this particular trip, the odds were 99% that they would be in an accident (or heavy turbulence) - they would make damn sure the belt was tightly fastened.
I buckle up religiously - in autos and on aircraft - because I know there is that .0001% that this will be the trip that something bad happens. Lots of people don't think that way.

[EnerJi]

Originally Posted by tdracer

Telling people that they won't be compensated if they don't have their belts fastened, or making them responsible for damage will have zero effect. People don't fasten their belts because they don't think anything will bad will happen - and odds are they are right. People drive around in cars all the time - the odds that they'll be in an accident on any particular trip is very, very small.
So 99.999% of the time there is no consequence for not buckling up.
If you told someone that - on this particular trip, the odds were 99% that they would be in an accident (or heavy turbulence) - they would make damn sure the belt was tightly fastened.
I buckle up religiously - in autos and on aircraft - because I know there is that .0001% that this will be the trip that something bad happens. Lots of people don't think that way.

This is all true for buckling seatbelts on airlines. The recent news of turbulence injuries may help somewhat in that regard, but longer-term what needs to change is habit and the social cues and social construct surrounding airline seatbelts. Most people who get into a car don't buckle up because they are worried about an injury or receiving a ticket, they do it out of habit. It also helps that if they forget to buckle up, the car reminds them with warning bells.

I wonder how much it would cost to put weight sensors in future airline seats? Something like that could be used in interesting ways to nudge passengers into making buckling up a habit.

[nnc0]

We could just make a turbulence check SOP. Initiate A gentle dive maybe - Passengers will know it's coming - just not when.

Heck we could charge em $20 if they want a little card from the In Flight crew telling them exactly when.