Awareness is Key to a Safe Operation

JUN 24 - The goal of every safe operation is for every employee to return home in the same condition as when they arrived at work.    Injuries can come from many sources and awareness is a key component in injury prevention.

The goal of every safe operation is for every employee to return home in the same condition as when they arrived at work.    Injuries can come from many sources and awareness is a key component in injury prevention.

Undeniably, the safest place during taxi, takeoff and landing for every Flight Attendant is in their jumpseat, strapped in. Getting to our jumpseat in a timely manner can, for a variety of reasons, be a challenge.  Skilled pilots recently trained on new aircraft in our fleet, new hire Flight Attendants, full flights as a result of a welcome increase in passenger loads and overall tighter connecting times may all be contributing factors in delaying us getting to our jumpseat. These delays, however, can cause injuries that might occur during any of these critical phases of our flight. 

To a new Flight Attendant who is just getting their footing on a moving aircraft, a quicker taxi might feel a bit rough, perhaps even aggressive.  This, combined with the increased loads and associated compliance checks, means it may cause a delay in getting to our assigned jumpseat. Not hearing a take-off or landing announcement also creates a significant risk.

Awareness on the part of everyone involved is the cornerstone of safety.  During our briefing, we can ask those on the flight deck for their assistance by communicating take-off and landing notifications as early as possible as well as reminding them, especially in short taxi situations, that a quick taxi presents us with challenges in completing compliance checks and getting safely to our seats for take-off.

As Flight Attendants, by starting and completing the safety demonstration and associated compliance checks and securing the galley once the main cabin door is closed, we can then immediately take our assigned jumpseat after having timely completed our compliance checks.  In point of fact, galleys should be secured prior to movement of the aircraft which might best be accomplished prior to door closure. FAR 121.391 (d) requires us to remain seated in our assigned jumpseat with seatbelt and shoulder harness fastened during taxi, takeoff and landing until the aircraft is parked at the arrival gate with the only exception being to address a safety related issue.

This heightened awareness on everyone’s part will play a critical part in the safe operation of each and every flight.