LONDON – It’s clear that video footage from RedAir Flight 203 highlights the dangers of passengers carrying luggage during an evacuation. Welcome to The Editor’s Corner.

The Editor’s Corner is an op-ed series from AviationSource Editor-in-Chief James Field, who is going to give his thoughts (Maybe controversial) on all things going on in the aviation industry.

In case you have missed the last 12, feel free to browse through them before you continue to read this piece:

1. The Editor’s Corner #1: The Industry Isn’t Ready for Summer 2022 Demand
2. The Editor’s Corner #2: JetBlue’s Offer for Spirit Airlines Will Change The American Airline Dynamic
3. The Editor’s Corner #3: Boris Johnson’s Damage To The Aviation Sector is Another Reason for Resignation
4. The Editor’s Corner #4: PLAY Will Transform The Market with a Post-Pandemic Edge
5. The Editor’s Corner #5: Detriment of the Boeing 737 MAX & 787 Is Causing a 777X-Based Aftershock
6. The Editor’s Corner #6: Qantas’ Plans For The Future Will Turn Around Negative Times
7. The Editor’s Corner #7: The P2F Market Is Hotting Up…
8. The Editor’s Corner #8: O’Leary Is Gunning For Another Cheap Boeing Order
9. The Editor’s Corner #9: Ukraine Crisis: Turkish Airlines’ A350 Snap-Up from Aeroflot May Have Something To Do With A Red Carpet…
10. The Editor’s Corner #10 – Ukraine Crisis: Lessors Will Not Win The Russia Battle
11. The Editor’s Corner #11 – Spirit Airlines Are Slowly Changing Their Mind…
12. The Editor’s Corner #12 – The Indian Air Cargo Market Is Hotting Up

James will be starting things off with his next topic being: Video Footage from RedAir Flight 203 Highlights Dangers of Carrying Luggage During an Evacuation.

Video Footage from RedAir Flight 203 Highlights Dangers of Carrying Luggage During an Evacuation

The annoying aspect of RedAir Flight 203 is the mindset of passengers thinking that their luggage is more important than the rest of the lives of those onboard.

Some skeptics may say, well they are in a high-stress environment, which they are. But I personally believe that this doesn’t excuse them from endangering others.

If anything, thank goodness this is an op-ed series, as the following four points below will exemplify my thinking behind this.

Careless Behaviour…

It remains clear that this is careless behavior. Even from the Twitter video, you see above, you can quite clearly see the passenger concentrating on the event as well as handling his luggage through the thin walkways of the MD-82.

Even in a tweet of mine, I came across a photo of one passenger carrying a handbag and two suitcases. How much time was needed to get those items off the plane?

It can mean the matter of life and death, and it is something that should be punished, but it never will in the current climate.

Reforms of Safety Briefings Needed?

This incident, like other crash-landings, has shown as well, show a clear need for the reform of safety briefings. A lot of passengers tend not to pay attention to these briefings.

It is of course why we are seeing things like this after an accident. Emphasis needs to be placed on these emergency briefings further, including the addition of ditching personal belongings.

Such frustration from this comes from passengers actually needing to listen to what the cabin crew is saying to them. I can imagine that crew on the RedAir flight may have told them to leave their belongings.

The outcome of the Accident Could Have Resulted in Fatalities…

I would like to imagine that there were some passengers who bolted out of the plane quickly and without their personal items, for which I commend them.

But if every single passenger went for their personal belongings, we could have definitely seen fatalities arise out of this incident, especially with the engines catching fire after the aircraft came to a stop.

You have also got to think of the psychological impact as well. What if a passenger reaching for their personal items died as a result of the incident?

The crew and even the passengers who have survived would have suffered greater psychological damage, and that is unfair to place that burden on them, especially if deaths are preventable.

Passengers Are The Priority, Not The Bags…

This brings me to the point of passengers being the priority. Most personal items can be replaced, especially through insurance companies as well.

Bags are not the priority in emergencies like this. Preservation of life is so much more key. The consequences of loss of life are far more severe than personal items.

There may be exceptions to these rules, but they are very far and few. Look after everyone around you!

Overall: More Needs To Be Done…

It remains clear that more needs to be done to prevent passengers from doing dangerous things like this during evacuations.

Some suggestions such as locking the overhead lockers in emergencies could be a positive step, but this could ultimately result in passengers trying to pry the doors open during an evacuation, which would hinder evacuation time further.

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this, which is something that frustrates me further.

I hope that passengers who may be jetting away on holiday this year see these posts and maybe have a change in perspective, especially if they know that this is something they would do.

If this comes across as whinging, then I do apologize. But I stand by this opinion. People matter more than personal goods. End of story.