It may seem a far-fetched question, but some people ask themselves: do we have to watch safety instructions and demonstrations on a plane? Or, put another way, can you be punished if you don’t?
The precedent: a couple deplaned by Air New Zealand for refusing to follow safety instructions
In fact, if the question arises, it’s because there’s at least one precedent. Last year, on an Air New Zealand domestic flight, a passenger seated at an emergency exit continued to read her book while the safety instructions were being broadcast.
The flight attendant kindly asked her to pay attention, but she refused.
As a result, the aircraft returned to the gate and she and her husband were disembarked.
Perhaps you, too, have been called to order by the on-board staff when the instructions were broadcast and you continued to listen to music or read a book, but without going any further.
This raises the question of whether or not it is compulsory to watch the instructions, whether on video or just explained by the on-board personnel.
Passengers are under no obligation to watch the safety instructions.
A search of the regulations reveals a number of texts on the subject, but nothing about such an obligation.
What the regulations say:
- Passengers must be given a verbal reminder of these instructions before takeoff, in addition to the obligatory card in their seat pocket.
- The subjects that must be addressed during this briefing are listed explicitly.
Apart from that, there’s nothing to say how the brieffing is to take place and, above all, that passengers are obliged to watch it carefully.
Instructions are really important
If we go back to the source of the subject, and even if by now you have the impression that you know the safety instructions as well as the staff, they really are important.
Recent episodes (passengers evacuating with their hand luggage, inflating their lifejackets inside the aircraft rather than outside) show that failure to comply could have had dramatic consequences.
Of course, knowing them doesn’t mean respecting them, but that’s where it all starts. What’s more, they may vary slightly from one airline to another and, above all, from one aircraft to another.
In fact, one wonders whether the creative resources deployed by airlines to make them pleasant to watch do not run counter to the objective by making passengers more interested in form than content.
But none of this answers our question or justifies the Air New Zealand crew’s decision.
In fact, it wasn’t the refusal to observe the instructions that caused the passenger and her husband to disembark.
Following safety instructions is not compulsory, but obeying the crew is!
One might also think that she was entitled to this special “treatment” because she occupied a seat at the emergency exits, which we know to be one of the most critical seats in the cabin.
It’s certainly not the reason for the mandatory viewing of the instructions, but it may be the reason for the crew’s uncompromising attitude.
In fact, the answer is simpler than that, and is the same as for the incessant debate on the need to close the window blinds: it doesn’t matter whether or not something is made compulsory by regulation, as long as the crew demands it, you’re obliged to comply.
In other words, if the crew deems it vital to pay attention to safety instructions in the event of a problem, and requires passengers to do so, they have the right to disembark anyone who doesn’t obey.
It’s as simple as that.
Watching instructions is not compulsory, but obeying the crew’s instructions – all of them – is.
Image : flight attendant explaining safety instructions by Svitlana Hulko via Shutterstock
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