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There are certain rows of
the aircraft designated as exit rows. You can
tell if you are in an exit row if there is an
emergency exit around the window. People seating
in exit rows should be prepared to assist the
flight attendants and other passengers should
the aircraft need to be evacuated in an
emergency. An exit row passenger should be
physically capable of opening the heavy, bulky
exit row door, should be able to assist
passengers, should be able to see and hear
instructions shouted by the flight attendants.
The passenger must be over the age of 15.
If you feel
qualified to help in the case of an emergency,
and you find yourself seated in an exit row,
then just stay put. However, if you are
disabled, easily flustered, elderly or for any
reason at all unwilling to sit in the exit row,
just let the flight attendants know and they
will change your seat with someone else. You
don't have to give any reason. Just say you
don't want to do it and would like a change.
After all, switching seats and letting a more
experienced traveler sit in the exit row might
end up being beneficial to all passengers should
an emergency arise.
As the airplane
is moving out to the runway, the flight
attendants will give you a brief safety
demonstration. The high point is the operation
of the oxygen mask.
I have been on
hundreds of flights. ***NEVER, EVER***, repeat,
never, ever have I seen the oxygen masks in use.
There are people on this board who could tell
you the same thing. However, there is always the
first time.
If the plane
loses oxygen pressure for any reason, the oxygen
masks will drop down out of the small overhead
compartment. (Look up in your seat and you will
see a small panel, which covers the
compartment.) If that happens, put the mask over
your nose and mouth. You might have to tug
slightly on the gas line to start the flow of
gas. (This way, gas does not flow to empty
seats.) There is an elastic band on the mask,
which should go behind your head. Relax, and
breathe normally.
If you are
seated next to someone who might need some
assistance, such as a child, an individual with
limited physical or mental capabilities or just
a sleepy, groggy spouse, you should put your own
mask on first, then breathe normally as you
assist the other person. That way, if the other
struggles, you will have a steady flow of oxygen
as you fight the person to get their mask on.
Remember, this
is an extremely infrequent occurrence. Many,
many frequent flyers can say they have never
seen the oxygen masks drop. Our airplane seat is
equipped with a seat belt. You should buckle the
seat
belt when you
sit down, and it should remain buckled during
take off, landing, or when there is turbulence.
If you are unsure, there are lighted "seat
belt" signs through the aircraft. If the
sign is lit up, then buckle up. If it is not lit
up, you can unbuckle it. However, many
experienced flyers leave it buckled whenever
they are in their seat. I do, too. Why not? One
tip about seat belts:
If you decided to sleep, put your blanket over
your body, then buckle the seat belt over the
blanket. If, later during the flight, the seat
belt light comes on, the flight attendants will
be able to see you are buckled up without having
to remove the blanket and wake you up.
When you sit in
your seat, do a quick check to see where your
nearest emergency exit is. Figure that the
aircraft might be full of smoke, or it might be
dark with no interior lights. Therefore,
mentally count the seats so you could find your
way in smoke or the dark. ("Hmmmm...one,
two, three, four rows then turn right.")
Then relax, and pull out your book or
magazine.
There is one
final, very important point to make. On most US
domestic flights, smoking is prohibited. On some
international flights, smoking is allowed only
in certain designated smoking rows. On those
flights you may smoke only while seated in your
seat, but not in the aisles. If you are standing
with a lit cigarette, and there is a bump of
unexpected turbulence, you might lose your
balance and the cigarette might burn someone.
You may only smoke cigarettes, but not pipes or
cigars.
In addition to smoking being
prohibited from the aircraft, many air terminals
are now banning smoking from all but a few
places. The end result is that a passenger must
go many hours without a puff. This drives people
crazy. Some try to sneak a smoke in the airplane
bathroom. Folks, this is one of the MOST
DANGEROUS things you can do. The airplane
bathroom is full of paper. The waste bin is full
of used paper towels. The airplane is
pressurized with oxygen. Throwing a smoldering
cigarette into the waste paper bin turns the
airplane into a flying bomb. The airlines have
installed smoke detectors in the airplane
bathrooms, and the flight attendants are
authorized to break down the door with a fire
extinguisher in their hands if the lavatory
smoke detector goes off.
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