How to survive a plane crash

Have you ever wondered what you would do if a plane you are on had to make an emergency landing?

It is a question British Airways regularly considers.

Since 2004, some 15,000 people have taken the firm’s Flight Safety Awareness Course at BA’s flight training facilities near London Heathrow Airport.

Passengers are taught to be aware of their surroundings and familiarise themselves with what happens during an emergency.

Andy Clubb, British Airways Safety Instructor said:
“The most important thing we then go onto is the brace position – that’s vitally important – and then they learn how to get themselves out of an aircraft by opening the doors in the over-wing exits.”

Onboard simulated flights, passengers are treated to a regular safety demonstration by a flight attendant.

“Passengers always feel as if they’re left out of the loop somewhere along the line so we put them through an emergency evacuation given them the opportunity to think about it,” says Clubb.

“We give them the answers and they suddenly realise that in any given situation where it’s an evacuation or a decompression, there are actually positive things that they can do to put control back into their hands,” adds Clubb.

Statistically, flying remains one of the safest forms of travel.

Every day, some 8.3 million people around the globe climb aboard nearly 93,500 flights and they almost always land safely.

In the past decade, there have only been 138 crashes worldwide that had fatalities, according to aviation consultancy Ascend.