U.S.
Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular Subject: Passenger Safety Information Briefing and Briefing Cards Date: 8/29/24 AC No: 121-24E Initiated by: AFS-200 Change:
1 PURPOSE OF THIS ADVISORY CIRCULAR (AC). This AC provides updated information regarding the items that are required or recommended content in oral passenger safety briefings and on safety information briefing cards. This AC provides specific information about operations conducted under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) parts 121, 125, and 135. The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way, and the document is intended only to provide information to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies. Information about operations conducted under parts 121, 125 and 135 is contained in:
• Appendix A, Parts 121 and 125 Operations With at Least One Flight Attendant.
• Appendix B, Parts 121 and 125 Operations Without Flight At tendants.
• Appendix C, Parts 135 Operations With and Without Flight Attendants.
• Appendix D, Brace-for-Impact Pos itions.
• Appendix E, Safety Information Br iefing Card Content Quick Checklist: 14 CFR Part 121, § 121.571 and Part 125, § 125.327.
• Appendix F, Sample Postflight Passe nger Safety Briefing Comprehension Survey for Operator Data Analysis.
2 AUDIENCE. The pr imary audience for this AC is operators and flight operations personnel, cabin safety, and in-flight safety management involved in crewmember manual guidance, script development, delivery media, and comprehension data measurement for passenger safety information briefings and safety information briefing cards under parts 121, 125, and 135. Principal Operations Inspectors (POI) and Aviation Safety Inspectors—Cabin Safety (ASI-CS) (where applicable) should also be familiar with the contents of this AC.
3 WHERE YOU CAN FIND THIS AC. You can find this AC on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_cir culars and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov.
4 WHAT THIS AC CANCELS. AC 121-24D, Passenger Safety Information Briefing and Briefing Cards, dated March 5, 2019, is canceled.
2 5 SOURCE BASIS.
• Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C.) § 46318.
• Title 49 U.S.C. § 46504.
• Title 14 CFR Part 91, §§ 91.21 and 91.517.
• Part 121, §§ 121.135, 121.306, 121.311, 121.317, 121.333, 121.571, 121.573,
121.577, 121.585, 121.586, and 121.589.
• Part 125. §§ 125.23, 125.73, 125.204, 125.209, 125.269, and 125.327.
• Part 135, §§ 135.21, 135.23, 135.87, 135.117, 135.122, 135.127, 135.128, and
135.129, and 135.144.
• Title 14 CFR Part 252.
6 RELATED READING MATERIAL (current editions).
6.1 ACs.
• AC 91.21-1, Use of Portable Electronic Devices Aboard Aircraft. Refer to the report from the Portable Electronic Devices (PED) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to the FAA, Recommendations on Expanding the Use of Portable Electronic Devices During Flight, dated September 30, 2013.
• AC 120- 95, Portable Oxygen Concentrators. This AC explains FAA requirements for the use of portable oxygen concentrators (POC) on board aircraft.
6.2 Information for Operators (InFO). You can find a current list of InFOs at https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/ all_infos.
• InFO 11006N, Inflatable Seat Belts.
• InFO 13010, Expanding Use of Passenger Portable Electronic Devices (PED).
• InFO 13010SUP, FAA Aid to Operators for the Expanded Use of Passenger PEDs.
6.3 Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) Technical Reports.
• Effective Presentation Media for Passenger Safety I: Comprehension of Briefing Card Pictorials and Pictograms (DOT/FAA/AM-08/20) , September 2008.
• Effect of Passenger Position on Crash Injury Risk in Transport-Category Aircraft (DOT/FAA/AM-15/17), September 2015.
6.4 Related Research Material. (You can obtain the following documents from various public sources such as the Web, public and university libraries, and the government entities or associations that published them.)
1. SAE International S-9 Cabin Safety Provisions Committee Documents (available at https://www.sae.org/standards/).
• SAE ARP5655A, Safety Briefings for Passengers in Exit Rows.
• SAE ARP1384E, Passenger Safety Information System.
• SAE AIR5471A, Limitations of Braille for Use on Passenger Safety Instruction Cards.
2. Chandler R. “Brace for Impact Positions.” Proceedings of the Fifth Annual International Aircraft Cabin Safety Symposium, Cosponsored by the University of Southern California, FAA (Western Pacific Region), and Southern California Safety Institute (1988).
3. Chittaro, L. & Buttussi, F. “Assessing Knowledge Retention of an Immersive Serious Game vs. a Traditional Education Method in Aviation Safety.” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 21, No. 4 (2015): 529–538.
4. Chittaro, L. “D esigning Serious Games for Safety Education: ‘Learn to Brace’ versus Traditional Pictorials for Aircraft Passengers.” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 22, No. 5 (2016): 1527–1539.
5. Chittaro, L. Corbett, C.L., McLean, G.A., & Zangrando, N. “S afety Knowledge Transfer through Mobile Virtual Reality: A Study of Aviation Life Preserver Donning.” Safety Science Vol. 102 (2018): 159–168.
6. Buttussi, F. & Chittaro, L. “Effects of Different Types of Virtual Reality Display on Presence and Learning in a Safety Training Scenario.” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics PP, No. 99 (2017).
7. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc 10086, Manual on Information and Instructions for Passenger Safety (2017).
8. U.S. Department of the Interior ( DOI), Interagency Aviation Safety Alert No.
IA SA 13-01 “Helicopter Brace for Impact Positions” (2013).
7 BACKGROUND. An alert, knowledgeable person has a much better chance of surviving any life- or injury-threatening situation that could occur during passenger-carrying operations in civil aviation. Therefore, the FAA requires U.S. operators under parts 121, 125, and 135 to develop oral briefings and passenger safety information briefing cards.
Collectively, both the briefings and safety information briefing cards must be referred to as the passenger safety information system. Consideration should be given to the content and assessment of the passenger safety information system delivery methods, taking into account passenger behavior and strategies to mitigate distractions during safety briefings.
Every passenger should be motivated to focus on the safety information in the required passenger safety briefing; however, motivating people, even when their own personal safety is involved, is not easy. One way to increase passenger motivation is to make the safety information briefings and safety information cards as interesting, entertaining, and attractive as possible.
7.1 This AC encourages individual operators to be innovative in their approach to imparting such information. This AC also encourages evaluation of passenger comprehension of the safety information throughout the development process of the videos or briefing cards, and postflight surveys should be conducted to validate passenger comprehension and mitigate the ever-increasing distractions from passenger-supplied PEDs used during safety briefings. For specific recommendations, please refer to the applicable appendix.
To encourage innovation, the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) Cabin Safety Research Team has been in active collaboration with the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Udine, Italy (refer to http://hcilab.uniud.it/) to evaluate and analyze oral briefings with standard symbols included in safety information briefing cards and compare it to safety information using educational games. The use of “Serious Games” and computer applications are a topic of research which is looking at the efficacy of interactive, education/entertainment applications to improve the transmission and retention of safety information. As technology develops, computer applications could potentially play a larger role as a supplement in passenger education and safety information briefing systems. The use of smartphone applications offers a novel experience where the user interacts with the computer software to practice behaviors that were previously only available to crewmembers during computer-based training exercises and passengers during an actual emergency. This collaboration has led to the development and successful deployment of multiple, freely available applications for aviation safety education. These applications are all available at no cost. Additional information is found at https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/aero medical/cabinsafety/passengerinfo/.
7.2 Section 432 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 requires that no later than 90 days after the date of enactment the Administrator shall initiate such actions as may be necessary to include in the briefing of passengers before takeoff required under § 121.571 a statement informing passengers that it is against Federal law to assault or threaten to assault any individual on an aircraft or interfere with the duties of a crewmember.
8 SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS). All operators required under 14 CFR part 5 must have an SMS that meets the requirements of this part and is acceptable to the Administrator. Operators under part 5 must systematically ensure the performance and effectiveness of safety risk controls through the collection, analysis, and assessment of information. Continuous risk control assessment will identify opportunities to improve passenger communication.
9 AC FEEDBACK FORM. For your convenience, the AC Feedback Form is the last page of this AC. Note any deficiencies found, clarifications needed, or suggested improvements regarding the contents of this AC on the Feedback Form.
Jack ie L. Black for Lawrence Fields Executive Director, Flight Standards Service
Appendix A A-1 APPENDIX A. PARTS 121 AND 125 OPERATIONS WITH AT LEAST ONE FLIGHT
ATTENDANT This appendix discusses the passenger briefing and safety information cards for operations conducted under 14 CFR parts 121 and 125 where at least one flight attendant (F/A) is present.
A.1 Crewmember Procedures. Passenger briefings may be delivered orally or through video presentations. Each oral briefing provided by a carrier or commercial operator for its passengers must be explained and described in appropriate manuals. The manuals must1 also contain a description of F/A tasks and coordination procedures to ensure passenger compliance with information signs and F/A’s (or crewmember’s) safety instructions (refer to part 121, § 121.135 and part 125, § 125.73). This description should include the stipulation that F/As (or crewmembers) should notify the pilot in command (PIC) anytime a passenger refuses to comply with safety instructions. F/As (or crewmembers) should neither be assigned nor perform non-safety-related duties during the safety information briefings if those duties could obstruct the view of the passengers or distract them from active listening.
1 Where reference is made to a regulatory requirement, this AC uses “must” or “shall.” Where reference is made to guidelines that are not regulatory requirements, this AC uses “should” or “may.”
A.2 Oral Briefings. The pretakeoff oral briefing must be delivered so that each passenger has the opportunity to hear it and easily see required demonstrations from crewmembers (refer to §§ 121.571 and 125.327). F/As giving these briefings should speak slowly and distinctly. When there is only one F/A, the F/A should be located so that passengers can see the required demonstration and, if applicable to the flight, demonstrations of specific safety equipment and procedures to be used in an emergency situation during extended overwater operations. When more than one F/A gives the briefings and demonstrations, the F/As should be evenly distributed throughout the passenger cabin. For example, when there are only two F/As, one F/A should give the briefing by using the aft public address (PA) system (if one is available) while the other F/A gives the demonstration at the front and then moves to mid-cabin of the aircraft. This will ensure that passengers in the last rows or in aft-facing seats see the demonstration. F/As giving the demonstrations should coordinate their gestures with the applicable information given in the oral briefing script, be animated, and make eye contact with as many passengers as possible. F/As should be aware of cabin class dividers, extended headrests, sleeper seat partitions, and galley compartments that present a challenge for passenger direct viewing.
A.3 Audio and/or Video Briefings. The pretakeoff safety briefing may be given by prerecorded audiotape, videotape, or electronic media means. This method of safety briefing is recommended when the aircraft is equipped with the necessary videotape, sound equipment, or wireless network server. The advantage of prerecorded presentations is the assurance that a complete briefing is given, that the diction is good, and that an overall high quality of the safety information briefing is maintained. Prerecorded presentations also lend themselves very well to a multilingual presentation. In addition, a prerecorded presentation can include “closed captioning” for the deaf and other visual presentations, which may be more meaningful to passengers. In accordance with
Appendix A A-2 § 121.577(d), operators using prerecorded presentations must have procedures to ensure that screens or video monitors that extend into the aisles during the safety information briefing are properly stowed prior to movement on the surface, takeoff, or landing.
Screens or video monitors located at passenger seats that could impede rapid passenger egress should also be stowed properly prior to movement on the surface, takeoff, or landing. When a prerecorded safety information briefing is used, F/As must be positioned close to their assigned emergency duty station and evenly distributed between exits. F/As should be attentive and available to passengers who may have questions at the conclusion of the prerecorded safety information briefing. In addition, operators should have alternative safety briefing procedures to follow if the prerecorded or WiFi presentation becomes inoperative.
Note: Pretakeoff oral, audio, video, or WiFi safety information briefings should conta in only information that is essential for safety. For example, paid advertising, schedules, or promotional information is not safety-related and should not be commingled in the safety information briefing.
A.4 Briefing Types.
A.4.1 Pretakeoff. Pass enger safety information briefings are critical to passengers’ understanding of procedures that may prevent or minimize serious injuries and fatalities.
Sections 121.571(a) and 125.327(a) require that before takeoff the certificate holder (CH) must ensure that passengers have been briefed orally by the appropriate crewmember about safety procedures during the flight. Before each takeoff,2 the operator must ensure that all passengers are orally briefed on each of the following:
2 The appropriate crewmember must orally brief passengers prior to each takeoff, regardless of the number of passengers or, in the case of an intermediate stop, whether or not additional passengers have boarded the aircraft.
A.4.1.1 Com pliance With Signs and Placards. The safety information briefing must include a statement that the FAA’s regulations require passenger compliance with the lighted passenger information signs, posted placards, and instructions of crewmembers (refer to §§ 121.317(k), 121.571(a)(1)(iii), and 125.327(a)(2)).
A.4.1.2 Smoking. T he safety information briefing must also include when, where, and under what conditions smoking is prohibited. This must include that:
1. Smoking, including the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vape devices,3 is not permitted on the ground, anytime the “No Smoking” sign is illuminated, or while “No Smoking” placards are posted (refer to §§ 121.317(g) and 125.327(a)(1) and 14 CFR part 252, § 252.1);
3 An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that simulates tobacco smoking by producing a heated vapor, which resembles smoke. It is sometimes called “vaping.”
2. Federal regulations require passenger compliance with the lighted passenger information signs, posted placards, areas designated for safety
Appendix A A-3 purposes as no smoking areas, and F/As’ instructions (refer to §§ 121.571(a)(1)(i) and 125.327(a)(1));
3. Smoking, including e-cigarettes and vape devices, is prohibited in the lavatories and the aircraft at all times. Tampering with, destroying, or disabling smoke detectors in the lavatories is prohibited by Federal law (refer to §§ 121.317, 121.571(a)(1)(i), 125.327(a)(1), 252.1, and 252.8);
and
4. The instructions of F/As or other appropriate crewmembers regarding smoking, i ncluding e-cigarettes and vape devices,4 and prohibitions against smoking and use of e-cigarettes and vape devices must be followed (refer to §§ 121.317, 125.327, and 252.17).
4 Part 252 amended rule (81 FR 11415) became effective April 4, 2016. Refer to https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/03/04/2016-04799/use-of-electronic-cigarettes-on-aircraft.
A.4.1.3 Seatbelts (Including Seatbelts, Airbag Seatbelts, and Shoulder Harness Lap Belt Combinations). F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must brief passengers on the method of fastening, tightening, and unfastening seatbelts.
Passengers must also be informed that their seatbelts must be fastened anytime the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign is illuminated and should be fastened anytime they are seated. In addition, passengers must be informed that Federal regulations require that they must obey the instructions of the F/As regarding the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign. Crewmembers should brief passengers that seatbelts provide better protection when worn low and tight (refer to §§ 121.317(f) and (k) and 125.327(a)(2)).
A.4.1.4 Seat Backs. Crewmembers must brief passengers regarding the need to have their seat backs in an upright position before takeoff and landing (refer to §§ 121.311 and 125.327).
A.4.1.5 Exits. F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must brief passengers on the location of emergency exits. They should also brief passengers as clearly as possible on any additional information about the exits and physically point them out. Some window exits are equipped with a lifeline or rope installed in the window frame. On other aircraft equipped for overwater operation, the lifeline is located in a small overhead stowage bin. This lifeline is primarily designed to stabilize passengers boarding a liferaft from the slippery surface of the aircraft wing. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has indicated, in Safety Recommendation A-10-081, that when lifelines are installed on extended overwater aircraft, passengers must be briefed on the location to ensure that the lifelines can be quickly and effectively retrieved and used. This information must be included during the safety briefing and supplemented with the illustration on the safety information card (refer to §§ 121.571(a)(1)(ii), 121.573, and 125.327).
Appendix A A-4 A.4.1.6 Individual Flotation Equipment.
A.4.1.6.1 F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must brief passengers on the type, location, and use of required flotation equipment. This briefing must include the type of equipment available at the individual passenger’s seat and the method of use in the water, such as putting the arms through the straps and resting the torso on the cushion. When the aircraft is equipped with life preservers, the safety information briefing must include instructions about the specific location (e.g., under or between seats or in a side console), removal of life preservers from stowage areas, including pouches, and the donning and inflation of the life preservers (refer to §§ 121.571, 121.573, and 125.327).
The NTSB recommends that the FAA require 14 CFR parts 91 subpart K (part 91K), 121, 125, and 135 operators to brief passengers on all flotation equipment installed on an airplane, including a full demonstration of correct life preserver retrieval and donning procedures, before all flights, regardless of route (NTSB Safety Recommendation A-10-083). The FAA concurs with this recommendation and encourages operators to revise their safety information briefing guidance for crewmembers.
A.4.1.6.2 When a passenger is informed about more than one type of flotation cushion or life preserver, it can be confusing. The different methods of donning and/or operating the individual flotation device must be depicted on the safety information card and must be given in the oral safety briefing or demonstration. One method for informing passengers is to give each passenger information about the piece of individual flotation equipment that is located at that individual passenger’s seat. In some cases, this may mean different safety information cards at different seats and individual briefings at certain seats. When two sections on the same aircraft are equipped differently, each section would need a different passenger safety briefing. Another method for informing passengers is to advise them during the oral safety briefing that there are different types of flotation devices on the airplane; therefore, it is important that they study the safety information card carefully and be aware of the differences in the flotation equipment (refer to §§ 121.571 and 125.327).
A.4.1.6.3 Individual flotation equipment for an in-lap child (under the age of 2).
Section 121.311 permits an adult occupying an approved seat to hold a child less than 2 years of age. This child is commonly referred to as an “in-lap” child. The FAA’s long-standing reading of § 121.340(a) is that all cabin occupants, including in-lap children, must have an individual flotation means available for use. The briefing for a parent or caregiver traveling with an inlap child is more effective when it is part of a special personalized briefing rather than using the PA system. Operators should not invent or create their own unique method of using a flotation device for an adult holding a lap child or infant. Operators must verify that the safety information card illustrations reflect the design specifications for the individual flotation cushion or life preserver (refer to Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C72c, In dividual Flotation Devices, and §§ 121.340, 121.571(a)(1)(iv), and 121.573.)
Appendix A A-5 A.4.1.7 Exit Seating.
A.4.1.7.1 In response to NTSB Safety Recommendation A-00-077 regarding a passenger occupying exit seating, the FAA strongly encourages part 121 operators to require crewmembers to provide a preflight personal briefing to each passenger seated in an exit seat.
1. That requirement should be part of the operator’s approved Exit Seating Progr am and would apply to each passenger seated in an exit seat.
Operator’s procedures should direct F/As to engage each passenger in an exit seat in conversation to ensure that each passenger meets the selection criteria for exit seating. The preflight individual exit seat verification should include four features:
• A request to read over the safety information briefing card information regarding exit seating;
• Visual assessment by an assigned crewmember to determine suitability of each passenger occupying an exit seat;
• Verbal assessment of the passenger occupying an exit seat;5 and
• Before the boarding door closure, inform the assigned company personnel that exit seat verification has been confirmed (refer to § 121.585(g).)
5 F/As should engage the passengers at the exit row in conversation to determine that each passenger is suitable for exit seating. Inspectors report that some passengers who were not eligible for exit seating were not immediately identified by the F/A conducting the exit briefing due to the exit briefing technique used. F/As are encouraged to ask different questions of exit seat occupants that do not always require an affirmative response. Inspectors and passengers report F/As have been observed coaching each passenger to provide a verbal “yes” when instructed to do so.
2. Pas sengers should review pictures of the emergency exit operation sequence, including the location of the backup inflation lanyard. The F/A should ask passengers to review the safety information briefing card for the location, retrieval, and use of lifelines when installed at a window exit.
A.4.1.7.2 Existing regulations require that passenger safety briefings include a request for passengers seated in exit seats to identify themselves if they feel they cannot or do not wish to perform the exit seat functions included on the safety information briefing card (refer to § 121.585).
A.4.1.7.3 An entity undergoing part 121 certification must include a requirement for crewmembers to perform preflight personal briefings in its approved Exit Seating Program.
Appendix A A-6 A.4.1.8 Passengers Needing Assistance.
A.4.1.8.1 An F/A or other appropriate crewmembers must individually brief a passenger who may need assistance in moving expeditiously to an exit.
A.4.1.8.2 If the passenger is accompanied by an attendant, the attendant must also be briefed.
A.4.1.8.3 The safety briefing must include information about the most appropriate route to an exit and the most appropriate time to start moving toward that exit.
There must also be an inquiry about the most appropriate manner of assisting the person to prevent pain and further injury (refer to §§ 121.571(a)(3) and 125.327(b)).
A.4.1.8.4 Although not required by regulation and depending on the passenger’s needs, a discrete individual prelanding briefing may be appropriate.
A.4.1.9 Floor Proximity Emergency Lighting. An F/A should inform passengers that emergency lights are located at aisle armrests (if applicable), on or near the floor of the aircraft to guide them to an emergency exit (refer to NTSB Safety Recommendation A-83-080). F/As should relay any specific visual features that designate the location of the emergency exit location.
A.4.1.10 Port able Electronic Devices (PED). No 14 CFR part 119 CH or PI C may operate or allow the operation of any PEDs on any U.S.-registered aircraft operated by the CH, except as provided in part 91, §§ 91.21 and §§ 121.306 and 125.204. Passengers’ education should include company policy rega rding the expanded use of PEDs, with permissible times, conditions, and limitations when various PEDs may be used. Information for Operators (InFO) 13010, Expanding Use of Passenger Portable Electronic Devices (PED), provides operators with a method for expanding the allowances of PED use.
A.4.1.11 Oxygen Equipment Including Passengers Using Oxygen Therapy.
A.4.1.11.1 F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must demonstrate the use of oxygen equipment including locating, donning,6 and adjusting the equipment; any action which might be necessary to start the flow of oxygen; and the prohibition against smoking during oxygen use. Passengers must also be given instructions regarding the automatic appearance of the oxygen mask in all sections of the cabin including lavatories. In addition, passengers must be instructed to don their own oxygen masks before assisting children with their masks. The announcement must include information that oxygen mask
6 TSO-C64b, Passenger Ox ygen Mask Assembly, Continuous Flow, states, “oxygen masks are of oronasal design, covering the mouth and nose.” The crew demonstration must accurately reflect this design specification.
Appendix A A-7 reservoir bags may not inflate, although sufficient oxygen is flowing into the bag7 (refer to §§ 121.333(f) and 125.327).
7 “Pulse oxygen” system technology does not provide a reservoir bag commonly included with chemical oxygen generators and compressed oxygen systems. The oxygen demonstration and safety information cards should accurately instruct the passenger on the use of this oxygen system.
A.4.1.11.2 If a passenger requires operator- or passenger-supplied therapeutic oxygen, the individual briefing (see paragraph A.4.1.8) must include what to do i n case of cabin decompression. The operational altitude for portable oxygen concentrators (POC) is up to 10,000 feet (3,048m) (523 mmHg). Higher altitudes may affect oxygen canister performance; therefore, passengers using therapeutic oxygen should discontinue use of the POC and use the oxygen mask from the passenger service unit. The PIC will announce when it is safe to discontinue use of the decompression oxygen and resume POC use (refer to the current edition of Advisory Circular (AC) 120-95, Portable Oxygen Concentrators, and §§ 121.574 and 125.219).
A.4.1.12 Supplemental Information. Passengers should be briefed regarding safety information briefing cards and additional safety actions. Critical safety information includes the following:
1. The location of the safety information cards and the fact that they contain additional safety information which the passengers should read.
2. The briefing should also contain instructions regarding passenger compliance with the following pretakeoff requirements: proper stowage of each passenger’s carry-on baggage, including large PEDs;
securing each passenger’s food and beverage tray in its stowed position; securing or stowing small PEDs in “Airplane Mode;”8 and stowing of any food, beverage, or tableware. Operators should review briefing procedures and the manner by which passengers are informed of pretakeoff and landing safety information (refer to §§ 121.577(b) and 121.589(c)).
8 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation 47 CFR part 22, § 22.925 prohibits the use of some cellular service while in-flight. Requiring “Airplane Mode” during PED operation will help prevent a violation of these regulations.
A.4.1.12.1 Passengers should be reminded to leave carry-on baggage behind during an emergency evacuation. Carry-on baggage during an emergency egress can put other passengers at risk by delaying passenger egress, injuring passengers, obstructing the exit, or potentially damaging an evacuation slide (when installed).
A.4.1.13 Extended Overwater Operations. If the flight involves extended overwater operations, F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must brief passengers before the overwater portion of the flight begins. This briefing must be given
Appendix A A-8 before takeoff if the flight proceeds directly overwater (refer to §§ 121.573 and 125.327). It must include:
A.4.1.13.1 Exits. F /As or other appropriate crewmembers should instruct passengers on the most appropriate exits for their use. Passengers should be aware of installed lifelines or ropes designed to assist passengers while on the aircraft wing surface.
A.4.1.13.2 Life P reservers.
1. The F/A or assigned crewmembers must point out the stowage locations of life preservers and demonstrate their removal from stowage locations
(e.g., under or between seats, or in a side console), extraction from pouches, donning, and their use including manual and oral inflation methods, instructions on when the equipment should be inflated, and manual operation of survivor locator lights and accessories. If there are significant differences in the donning or operation of life preservers at various seats, passengers must be briefed on the specific characteristics of the life preserver located at the individual passenger’s seat. It is recommended that an F/A individually brief the parent or guardian accompanying a child on the use of life preservers as it applies to a child (refer to §§ 121.573 and 125.327(a)(6).
2. When a passenger is briefed about more than one type of flotation cushion or life preserver, it can be confusing. One method for informing passengers is to give each passenger information about the piece of individual flotation equipment that is located at that individual passenger’s seat. In some cases, this may mean different safety information cards at different seats and individual briefings at certain seats. When two sections on the same aircraft are equipped differently, each section would need a specific passenger safety briefing. Where a single briefing card depicts multiple types of individual flotation equipment but only one type of equipment is provisioned, passengers should be specifically informed that the particular aircraft is equipped with only that specific type of individual flotation equipment. It is important that the announcement emphasizes the importance of studying the safety information card carefully and being aware of the differences in the flotation equipment. The different methods of donning and/or operating the individual flotation device should be depicted on the safety information card and must be given in the oral safety briefing or demonstration (refer to §§ 121.573 and 125.327(a)(6)).
A.4.1.13.3 Lifer afts and Slide/Rafts. F/As or other appropriate crewmembers must instruct passengers on liferaft and slide/raft retrieval from stowage and their preparation for use (refer to §§ 121.573 and 125.327(a)(6)).
A.4.1.13.4 Information on Cards. Th e extent to which safety information briefing cards enhance passenger action in emergencies is directly related to the clarity and comprehension of the elements of the safety information system. NTSB