FROM THE BRIEFING ROOM

The airline passenger

a partner in the safety management
system or an obstacle to it?
The passenger is a key partner in the safety management
system. We depend on them to inform the crew of anything
they see or smell which is unusual, to influence the behaviour
of fellow passengers by their own behaviour and response to
safety instructions and, in an emergency, assist the crew in
the safe evacuation of the aircraft.

However, the cooperation of the passengers is not something

that we can take for granted even though they have a direct
stake in the safety of the flight.
By John Barrass and Professor Robert Bor

John Barrass discusses the issue of passenger compliance

with safety instructions.
“ Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport...
please remain seated until the aircraft has come to a halt and
the seat belt sign has been switched off”

A fairly typical and clear announce- personally into the cabin to repeat
ment, or so you would think. The his instructions face to face with the
captain was informed by the cabin passengers. Slowly, reluctantly, with John Barrass
crew that all the passengers were indignation, and not a little surprise,
standing up and opening the over- the passengers took their seats. served for 20 years in
head lockers despite their announce- the UK Royal Air Force and Canadian Forces in
ments. He brought the aircraft to a In a survey conducted for the Austra- a variety of flying, instructional, and com-
halt and informed the passengers lian Transport Safety Board (ATSB)1, mand appointments before becoming an
over the PA system that the aircraft 92% of passengers considered the aviation consultant.
would not continue to the gate un- primary role of cabin crew to be “to
til they all sat down. The passen- John has worked on most of EUROCONTROL’s
1- “Public Attitudes, Perceptions and Behaviours to-
gers were surprised, looked at each wards Cabin Safety Communications” ATSB Research
safety enhancement initiatives and is the
other, but did nothing. The captain and Analysis Report, July 2006. current editor of SKYbrary.
put the parking brake on and went http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/pdf/B20040238.pdf
6

Hindsight 09 Summer 2009 41

FROM THE BRIEFING ROOM

The airline passenger

a partner in the safety management
system or an obstacle to it? (cont’d)

assure passenger safety”. Strange

then, that so many passengers ig-
nore safety instructions.

On a recent flight into Los Angeles, as

the aircraft descended through scat-
tered cloud, and the city became visi-
ble below, I listened to the cabin crew
making their pre-landing announce-
ment which included a reminder not
to switch on mobile phones. Even
while the crew were making their
announcement, the cabin was full of Of course, the majority of passengers Nevertheless, many of the factors which
the noise of mobile phones. I looked do indeed listen to and obey the safety influence attention to safety communi-
around and saw people busy send- instructions, but it is easy to come to cations also influence behaviour and
ing texts to announce their arrival. I the conclusion that the design of pro- compliance with safety instructions.
thought about saying something but cedures and aircraft systems must not
I was with my wife and didn’t want assume that passengers will fully com- For many people, air travel is a stress-
to embarrass her – that’s my excuse ply with safety instructions. ful experience, with physical and psy-
and perhaps part of the problem. chological effects. They may not show
Now, while I’ve The passenger can obvious signs of anxiety or discomfort
never experi- be a safety barrier but their behaviour will nevertheless
enced problems The challenge is to mini- as well as a safety be affected by the experience. The
associated with threat. The chal- crowded cabin environment, the feel-
mobile phones, mise the threat posed by lenge is to minimise ing of confinement, means that many
except for the an- the threat posed people are relieved to reach the desti-
noying sound of passengers AND engage by passengers and nation and get off the aircraft as quickly
the phone trans- engage with them as possible. I suppose, in that context, it
mission bursts with them in promoting in promoting and is not surprising that people stand up
in the headset, enhancing safety. before the aircraft has come to a stop
I’m aware of the and enhancing safety A great deal of re- – they are “in a hurry”. Of course, since
potential for in- search has been many, especially on long haul flights,
terference with conducted into will end up waiting by a carousel for
aircraft systems, I’m also aware of the effectiveness of passenger safety their luggage, there is no real hurry to
developments to allow airlines to of- announcements and safety demon- get off the plane is there? But for most
fer mobile phone services using on- strations. This has been driven by a of us, the desire to breathe fresh air (or
board base stations linked to a satel- concern that, because of inattention of light up a cigarette!), get moving and
lite link, and I’m aware that there are passengers to the safety communica- just get away from the cramped con-
going to be continued restrictions tions, they are not adequately prepared ditions on the plane is a powerful mo-
on the use of mobile phones below for any subsequent emergency, specifi- tivator. For the same reasons, it is also
10,000 feet if such systems are in- cally the location of emergency exits, perhaps understandable why people
stalled and approved for use – but do the opening of doors and the opera- are anxious to inform their loved ones
the people around me, busy texting, tion of the emergency slides. However, that they are about to land. However, in
have any understanding of the safety it cannot be said that passengers are both cases, the actions of passengers
issues? I doubt it – so why do people not aware of the restrictions on the use are contrary to safety instructions. How
who know nothing about these is- of mobile phones and personal elec- can we improve compliance and turn
sues ignore the specific instructions tronic devices, prohibition of smoking, the passenger into a partner in the safe
of crew that they acknowledge have and the requirement to remain seated management of the flight rather than
responsibility for safety? when the seatbelt sign is illuminated. an obstacle?

42
We can of course make greater efforts to ensure that passengers are attentive to As usual, we need also take a broader
safety communications. The ATSB study mentioned earlier resulted in the following view of non-compliance and examine
relevant recommendations: how we can better create an environ-
ment in which the passenger is well in-
n “Airlines should develop tailored cabin safety communication strategies for frequent flyers that formed and whose attitude to safety,
account for the unique challenges of effectively delivering safety messages to such passengers. safety instructions, compliance, and
the authority of the crew, is positive
n That additional factual safety information and resources about air travel and cabin safety be and contributes to system safety. It is
made available to passengers at airports by airlines and safety authorities. important to accept that non-compli-
ance with safety instructions by some-
n Carriers refrain from providing passengers with reading materials (such as newspapers and one who is normally law-abiding, may
magazines), amenities and non-essential information, regardless of class of travel, until the well be the result of environmental
conclusion of the safety briefing and where possible, after take-off. and cultural factors that we, as an in-
dustry, have created and can therefore
n Carriers vary the content or creative format of safety briefings on a regular basis, notwithstand- change. We need to understand better
ing regulatory requirements, to increase passenger attention. Such variation should not result why passengers choose not to comply
in dilution of, or cause confusion in regard to, core safety messages. with safety instructions.

n That beyond the extent of current requirements, passengers be provided with an explicit direc-
tion that additional information exists in the safety card that is not contained in the briefing
and that the card should be read.” Finally, South West Airlines have a
novel way of improving passenger attention
to safety briefings – Flight Attendant David
Passengers should perhaps be re- addressing the problem, airlines are Holmes delivers the briefing as a Rap act
minded of the penalties for non-com- unlikely to use such powers in the with passenger participation:
pliance and crews should challenge majority of cases. http://www.youtube.com
and be seen to react to non-com- watch?v=fiVcnJ5iLqs
pliance. Airlines might support this What else can be done?
publically by taking legal action
against those who flagrantly ignore One of the most important factors in and, for a more humorous view of how
safety instructions. Conditions of passenger compliance is their per- to give a passenger briefing, you can always
Carriage are also a useful legal tool ception of the importance of that follow the example of Yorkshire Airlines:
to enable airlines to deny boarding compliance to the crew. Therefore,
http://www.youtube.com/
to disruptive and non-compliant the crew must be seen to place a
passengers. But while such puni- great importance on the safety infor-
watch?v=QJxzDYJ4C3Y
6

tive measures might go some way to mation, encouraging attention.

Hindsight 09 Summer 2009 43

FROM THE BRIEFING ROOM

The airline passenger

a partner in the safety management
system or an obstacle to it? (cont’d)

Robert Bor provides the following observations concerning

the reasons why some passengers ignore or deliberately
flaunt safety instructions:

Lack of awareness as to no longer associate safety with some-

thing they need to attend to. Also,
WHY certain procedures most safety demos or the captain’s
should be followed briefing are scripted. I have just taken
four flights with the same airline and Inclusion
Most people know where to find their the captain’s announcement regard-
life jacket but have no clue as to why ing safety and of course the video Compliance works best when people
it shouldn’t be inflated in the a/c; or are identical. People can’t be blamed feel that they are collaborating in the
have little understanding of why they for switching off and we need to find process and are not being ‘spoken
shouldn’t stand up until the seat belt more effective ways of delivering the at’ as though they were naughty or
sign has been switched off (I know it message. ill-informed.
is common sense but then not every-
one is so insightful!) Have we overplayed Protest?
safety?
The routine nature of This is a bit of a long shot, but I won-
We know air travel is extraordinarily der whether this is a way in which
safety demonstrations safe. It is something that passengers people can vent their frustration
Because most people regard air travel know is ‘there’, but is apart from them, with modern air travel. They are tired
as routine, banal and utterly safe, they on a dusty shelf, so to speak; flying of security checks, long queues at
has become too safe and too routine airports, poor food and service etc.
in their eyes. They also don’t want to and inattention to the safety briefing
know about risk and safety because is a reflection of annoyance and apa-
it arouses anxiety and we know from thy. It is also a slightly hostile way of
research that up to 40% of passengers communicating to the crew ‘it’s your
would prefer not to be on the plane issue and you will know how to save
and are suppressing some anxiety. me if things don’t work out’. It is a
Safety issues increase anxious feel- part of a sense of entitlement that
Professor ings. some passengers carry with them.
Robert Bor
“Accidents don’t Communication
is an aviation clinical
psychologist based at the Royal Free happen to me” Lastly, communication needs to
Hospital, London, with a special interest in That is a normal reaction or response, be personalised. For some reason,
passenger behaviour and crew mental health. and like the comment above, a rea- most of the safety demo goes over
son why people show no attention. people’s heads – literally. Countless
He has published widely and his recent Again, they may have knowledge of bits of psychological research have
books include ‘Passenger Behaviour’, the safety demo (my four-year old confirmed that giving information
‘Aviation Mental Health’, and ‘Psychological nephew can recite one regularly seen is insufficient to effect behavioural
Perspectives on Fear of Flying’. brief verbatim) but have little under- change. We need to do something
standing of the ‘why’. more interactive and engaging.

44
Editorial Comment
Plenty of challenges here! And a few thoughts arising too…

n Perhaps it’s also worth reflecting directly on the two rather different reasons
that passengers might consider that safety briefings – and other safety pre-
cautions they encounter – are worth their attention. Firstly of course there is
always a risk of an individual personal injury during a ‘normal’ flight – sudden
turbulence when not secured in one’s seat, a poorly stowed (by someone else
of course!) bag falling from an overhead bin. There’s also a remote chance that
a sudden cabin depressurisation might occur at a high altitude after which
there won’t be any further help from cabin crew on oxygen mask use as they
secure themselves during the accompanying emergency descent. There’s also
a remote chance that the flight will end, probably without prior warning, in an
accident in which their very survival may depend upon a speedy and effective
evacuation of the cabin.

n The reasons why particular passengers might ignore safety briefings can be
split neatly into two groups: those who really do know it already (and on that
particular aircraft type too) and those who don’t appreciate the importance
of them. The old argument that the former should pretend to pay attention so
that the latter can see them doing so is understandably unpopular with a lot
of regular travellers.

n Most established airlines, in Europe at least, would probably be less than keen
on the notion that the ‘standard’ pre-flight safety briefings could be made
more ‘interesting’ by a ‘creative’ and by implication ‘variable’ approach. Their
cabin crew are trained for all their ‘core’ duties to act prescriptively and they
are likely to set the application of ‘initiative’ in briefings against their responsi-
bility for ensuring that key aspects of the briefing are always delivered.

n Compliance is not always a good way to engage everybody willingly. Espe-

cially when one size clearly doesn’t fit all. Robert Bor makes possibly one of
the most important points on this thorny subject when he says that people
need to feel they are collaborating in safety…… n

Hindsight 09 Summer 2009 45