Just in the past few days, we have had two major incidents dealing with aircraft — the first in Japan, where a plane landing hit a supposed unauthorized aircraft partially in its landing runway. The second came in Portland, with the door plug from the Alaska Airlines fight.
In both instances, passengers remained reasonably calm and followed instructions of cabin crew. On reading the report this morning, I read that there were children in parents’ arms and not buckled in. This is a standard U.S. practice and I believe it needs to stop. If this had been a European flight, parents would have been supplied by the crew with “infant seat belts” which allow the child to be restrained. If this depressurization had taken place at a greater height, the possibility exists that these would have been the first to be literally sucked out of the aircraft.
Is the reason cost that U.S. companies do not supply such restraints for young children where the Europeans do?
As a footnote, when you get on board your plane, please do as quickly and efficiently as possible, as your hero cabin crew does not start getting paid until the cabin door is closed and ready for takeoff.
— Alan McArthur
Anchorage
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