Flight in the Age of Selfies

A few days later it was time to bid the ocean and its craggy cliffs farewell and I strapped into the passenger cabin of an airliner for the flight home. I’m still not sure whether I was more acutely aware of civil disobedience because of the mountain top escapades, or whether it was my recent holiday, either way the passengers on board seemed to pay scant regard to just about every rule.

Okay, so the seat belt not being fastened during refueling operations can be a tricky one. However, speaking during the flight attendants’ safety briefing is not only potentially unsafe, but downright rude. And heaven forbid, if there is an emergency, it’s a bit late then to ask for instructions.
Taxiing out for take-off there was continual sneaky texting and even a phone conversation taking place. Gathering by the number of chimes on descent, those phones were never set to flight mode and began chirping the second the aircraft flew into cellphone coverage. Exiting the runway, a chorus of clicking seat belts defied the illuminated sign, only to be outdone by passengers beginning to stand before we’d reached the terminal.
In all honesty, there is no surprise in my words as we have all seen it before, time and again. Even so, the arrogance and idiocy of such behaviour never ceases to grate on the nerves just a little.

One wonders if it takes an emergency to ram the message home, but then again, we need only recall some recent passenger evacuations to prove otherwise. The smartphone images capturing folks running across the apron, bags in hand, with a blazing airliner backdrop. Or the onboard footage of overhead lockers being emptied as the cabin fills with smoke and cabin crew scream, “Jump! Jump! Jump! Leave your bags behind.”

This non-compliance to the rules pervades many areas of our society, not just aviation. However, aviation is one field of endeavor where failing to follow the rules can lead to tragedy very, very quickly. It is quite apparent that some people just don’t get that, or choose to ignore it. As I said – arrogant.

Then there are the occasions where they force the hand of the cabin crew to intervene and the passenger is at best indignant and at worst, abusive. The crew member is doing their best to ensure the safety of everybody on board and cop a mouthful because of it. Sometimes, the travelling public and some marketing departments believe that the word passenger and customer are one in the same by definition. They are not.

In retail, the customer may always be right, but not in air transport. The term ‘customer’ is more in keeping with the commercial aspect of any exchange, but air travel comes with further obligations. A passenger is legally bound to be compliant with the instructions issued by the crew. If a sales assistant tells you to go to change room three to try on a new outfit, you can choose not to, hang the garment back on the rack and walk away. A crew member’s instruction to sit down and fasten your seat belt is not a whim or a multi-choice quiz. It’s not even a request.

The ramifications may extend far beyond individual safety. A tray table not stowed, or cabin luggage strewn on the floor may block an exit that costs many lives. A defiant and unrestrained passenger thrown about by turbulence has to land somewhere and that may well be on top of another passenger.

One would think that the amount of media coverage these days dispel the attitude that, “It couldn’t happen to me”. Yet, time and again, the rules that are put in place for their very safety are ignored and any attempt to point this out is generally met with hostility.

There are those infrequent travelers and those that have genuinely accidently overlooked some aspect of the rules, but they are not the issue. Generally, when they have it brought to their attention they tend to be embarrassed and apologetic, not confrontational. These instances actually highlight one of the reasons why the crew are there and that they should not have to compete with the raised voices in row two when they are pointing out the safety features of the aircraft.

It would seem that some passengers ignore the safety briefings and chat just to highlight that they are a frequent flyer – been there and done that, so to speak. If that is what strokes the ego, then that’s a worry. Deep down, a part of me would love to throw a life jacket at these clowns and say, “Pop quiz! You’ve got 15 seconds to put that on.”

Unfortunately, it seems to be a growing trend and it’s not exclusive to any class or social demographic. It is our society in general seemingly that more and more people believe that the world rotates around the individual, even if it is at the expense and potentially the safety of others. As we all know, aviation doesn’t work that way.