There’s Been an Airplane Emergency. Here’s What Flight Attendants Do Next.
Visuals by Tegra Stone Nuess
Text by Christine Chung
April 15, 2024
But recent airplane emergencies serve as abrupt reminders that flight attendants are first responders who train rigorously to save lives.
Alaska Airlines flight attendants put on oxygen masks during a training demonstration in a mock airplane cabin designed to resemble a Boeing 737-900.
In January, two planes collided on a runway in Tokyo, killing five people. Less than a week later, an Alaska Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., after a portion of the plane’s fuselage blew out mid-air. In March, more than eight United Airlines flights required emergency landings or diversions. These mishaps and others have stoked anxiety about aviation safety.
Christine Chung, a travel reporter, flew to Seattle to join a class about Alaska’s flight attendant safety training.
To prepare for these terrifying but rare onboard crises, new flight attendants on all commercial carriers must undergo four to six weeks of training. Additional one- to two-day training, primarily focused on safety, recurs annually. It varies from airline to airline.
We recently visited Alaska in Seattle to learn about flight attendant training, which includes exercises that simulated emergency landings, fire outbreaks and in-flight medical issues. Here’s what we saw.
We recently visited Alaska in Seattle to learn about flight attendant training, which includes exercises that simulated emergency landings, fire outbreaks and in-flight medical issues. Here’s what we saw.
Administering Aid in Medical Emergencies
The most common in-flight medical issues are nausea, fainting and respiratory problems. Flight attendants are trained to provide onboard first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that commercial airplanes carry an arsenal of intravenous and diagnostic equipment, and various medications including analgesics, antihistamines and epinephrine. They must also have onboard automated external defibrillators, machines that deliver an electric shock through the chest to the heart.
The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that commercial airplanes carry an arsenal of intravenous and diagnostic equipment, and various medications including analgesics, antihistamines and epinephrine. They must also have onboard automated external defibrillators, machines that deliver an electric shock through the chest to the heart.
Some medications, such as Benadryl and epinephrine, can only be administered by flight attendants once an on-call medical professional on the ground has given approval.
For guidance in severe situations, attendants call emergency medical professionals at organizations including STAT-MD and MedAire, using a phone app or a satellite or radio call. (Sometimes they’ll ask if there’s a doctor on board.)
Flight attendants brief the pilots, and the captain decides whether to divert the flight to a nearby airport.
Fighting Fires
Lithium batteries, which power cellphones and tablets, are increasingly overheating and sparking fires on board planes, according to the F.A.A.
When fighting in-flight fires, flight attendants use fire extinguishers (which use water and the chemical agent halon) and fire gloves.
When fighting in-flight fires, flight attendants use fire extinguishers (which use water and the chemical agent halon) and fire gloves.
Personal smoke hoods are also used, which inflate and provide up to 15 minutes of oxygen.
For a battery fire, each attendant has a role — one will fight the fire, another will update the flight deck and a third provides an extra set of hands. They’ll use liquids and fire extinguishers to douse the flames, seal the electronic device in a thermal containment bag and place it in one of the lavatories.
Last year, there were 63 lithium battery fires caused by passengers, according to the F.A.A. Battery packs and e-cigarettes are the biggest culprits.
Leading Evacuations
The process for an emergency evacuation varies. Fire or debris might cause harm or delay disembarking, or the landing might occur on land or in the water. Aircraft will be evacuated by door, window exit or inflatable slides.
Planes also hold rafts, safety vests, oxygen masks, flashlights, a crash axe and an escape rope.
Planes also hold rafts, safety vests, oxygen masks, flashlights, a crash axe and an escape rope.
Alaska mostly flies Boeing 737 aircraft, which have four door exits and four window exits. Opening these can be tricky – the doors weigh about 150 pounds.
Commands to passengers used by flight attendants in these situations — “leave everything, exit here, jump” — can differ from one airline to another. The goal is to evacuate the plane within 90 seconds, a requirement an aircraft manufacturer must demonstrate has been met before a plane is certified.
But recent evacuations have taken far longer. In the Tokyo runway collision in January, the 379 passengers and crew members aboard one plane evacuated in about 18 minutes.
But recent evacuations have taken far longer. In the Tokyo runway collision in January, the 379 passengers and crew members aboard one plane evacuated in about 18 minutes.
Passengers sitting in the exit row may be called on during an emergency to open the emergency exit and help direct passengers out the plane.
An exit row in a mock airplane cabin at Alaska’s training facility. This overwing exit door weighs about 60 lbs.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, said all passengers should listen to the safety instructions, every time.
“You're much more likely to be able to hear instructions from flight attendants or be able to respond faster. Even if you think ‘Oh, I've heard this a million times.’”
“You're much more likely to be able to hear instructions from flight attendants or be able to respond faster. Even if you think ‘Oh, I've heard this a million times.’”