Javascript is not enabled.

Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.

Skip to content

Refresh your driving skills with the Smart Driver online course and save 25%!

Content starts here
CLOSE ×
Search
Popular Searches

Games

Car rental

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

Travel

Suggested Links
Help Show me my account info Change my Address How do I contact AARP? Where is my membership card? How do I get a digital card?
Red Membership Card

AARP MEMBERSHIP

AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products, hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 

 

120x30-AARP-logo-red
Join
Renew
Enroll
Rejoin

AARP en Español

Join
Renew
Enroll
Rejoin
Leaving AARP.org Website

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Continue Cancel

What You Need to Know to Stay Safe on a Plane

On the heels of the Alaska Airlines near-tragedy, flying is still the safest mode of transportation

a flight attendant giving a safety briefing
Pay attention to the flight attendants’ safety briefing. “Something the flight attendant says could save your life,” says Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aerospace safety.
Jupiterimages/Getty
By

Adam Pitluk,

 
AARP
Published January 11, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) grounding of many Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the U.S. after a terrifying in-flight incident has air travelers wondering how to stay safe in an emergency.

On Jan. 5, 2024, the left door plug of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 dislodged from its hinges and blew off the airplane, leaving a gaping hole that caused the jet to depressurize and its oxygen masks to deploy. All 171 passengers and six crew on the plane survived, though by all accounts, the ordeal was terrifying. The door plug, along with a passenger’s cellphone, were found in Portland, Oregon, neighborhoods after they fell from 16,000 feet.

the alaska airlines boeing seven thirty seven max nine plane that had a door fall off during flight
A plastic sheet covers a hole in the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane on Jan. 8, 2024, at Portland International Airport in Oregon.
Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

Though several passengers experienced injuries, none were life-threatening. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

The FAA grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft that have a mid-cabin door plug installed. In the U.S., Alaska Airlines and United Airlines fly this plane configuration. In a statement to AARP, United, which has 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, said the airline has “found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug — for example, bolts that needed additional tightening.” ​Alaska and United canceled flights because of the Max 9 grounding. The Associated Press reported that United said it canceled 170 flights Tuesday, while Alaska said it canceled 109 flights. On Wednesday, Alaska canceled all flights on 737 Max 9 planes through Jan. 13, which the airline says is 110 to 150 flights a day.

Incidents like this month’s are jarring and scary. The decompression in the cabin of Flight 1282 ripped a teen’s shirt off him. It’s OK to be scared about flying.

To help stem fear, there are actions you, as a passenger, can take.

Be prepared

Professor Anthony Brickhouse teaches aerospace safety with an emphasis on air crash survivability at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, one of the top five aerospace engineering schools in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. He instructs his students — many of whom will enter the aviation field — about various ways to survive an in-flight incident or, in the worst-case scenario, a plane crash. He says being properly prepared starts before you even get to the airport.

“Passengers should seriously consider what they’re wearing,” Brickhouse says, donning an Embry-Riddle polo shirt. “This shirt that I have on: It feels absolutely amazing. But it’s polyester. It’s synthetic, and synthetic fibers could be really bad in a fire situation. So I recommend that passengers consider wearing cotton or natural fiber.”

Other safety tips Brickhouse recommends:

  • Follow flight attendant directions and keep your seat belt fastened. “I always defer to the flight attendants, who are the professionals.”
  • Passengers should wear close-toed shoes and keep them on, especially during takeoff and landing. If you must evacuate the craft quickly, you don’t want to be in flip-flops or worse, barefoot.
  • Always eat a meal before you get on a flight. If an emergency happens, you don’t want to be sluggish because you didn’t eat.
  • Once you board the aircraft and take your seat, be sure to note the closest exit, even if it’s behind you. “I even go as far as recommending to count the rows to the emergency exit. Therefore, if you don’t have any visibility, you can hopefully navigate your way out,” he says.
  • Pay attention to the flight attendants’ safety briefing. “It’s really frustrating to me when I fly and I look around and passengers have their AirPods in, and they’re not paying attention to the flight attendants. Something the flight attendant says could save your life.”
  • If you need to evacuate the plane, don’t grab your carry-on luggage. It significantly slows down the evacuation process.

Safety record

Mitch Bell, a former Marine pilot and current commercial pilot with more than 25 years of experience, stresses that air travel is still by far the safest mode of public transit. Bell, who has logged hundreds of hours in the 737 Max aircraft, points to the statistics: According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, from 2008 to 2017, the global fatality rate on airplanes was one death for every 7.9 million people boarding. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, citing data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 42,939 deaths occurred in 2021, resulting in 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.37 deaths per 100 million miles traveled.

“I want everybody to know, don’t be afraid of flying. With the technology that we have and the constant training that we have, it’s one of the greatest professions,” says Bell, who hosts a podcast called Tall Tales With Taco Bell, on which he speaks to military personnel and aviators.

Bell had to call “Mayday” when he was flying an aircraft that decompressed. In 2004, he was flying an MD-80 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Monterrey, Mexico. After the pilots reached their 35,000-foot cruising altitude, the plane completely lost pressure in the cabin. Bell says he and the other pilot executed a textbook emergency landing.

“I would say that the number of people that I know who have had an engine fail in the 25 years I’ve been doing this, I could probably count on one hand,” he says. “It’s very few. I’m one of the few crews, I think, that has had a depressurization event. And it’s just a very rare deal.”

If a traumatic event occurs during a flight — such as clear-air turbulence, which won’t down a plane but probably will scare everyone onboard — Bell acknowledges that passengers want to hear from the pilot immediately. Be aware: Should a situation arise, pilots have a protocol they follow that may prohibit them from addressing the passengers as quickly as the pilot — and the passengers — would like. 

“Aviate, navigate, communicate,” Bell says, describing the pecking order of events vis-à-vis the pilots in the cockpit. If the plane becomes compromised, the first step a pilot takes is to aviate, or regain control, of the craft. Once the pilots are confident they can fly the plane and it’s airworthy, they navigate, or course correct, the aircraft and establish a heading. Finally, when the pilots have the cockpit in order, then they communicate the situation to the passengers, which is why in an emergency situation, passengers won’t hear the pilot’s voice immediately.

How can passengers find out what kind of aircraft they’ll be on?

The type of aircraft used for a flight can be listed in the flight details, and you can find it during seat selection when making your reservations online. If the information is not readily visible, Google Flights, FlightAware, ExpertFlyer and SeatGuru may have it.

Bell and Brickhouse say it really doesn’t matter what aircraft you’re on: They’re all safe.

“We’re in a world now of knee-jerk reactions,” Bell says. “The FAA has pulled all those [737 Max 9] airplanes. … Maintenance guys are going over them right now. … The engineers have looked at it and said, ‘This is what the problem was, let’s fix it.’

“Nobody should have any issues getting on an aircraft.” 

Adam Pitluk is an award-winning journalist and book author. He is the group publisher of Midwest Luxury Publishing and Groom Lake Media. 

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member?

AARP Travel Center

Or Call: 1-800-675-4318

Enter a valid departing date

Enter a valid returning date

Age of children:

Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats:

Enter a valid departing date

Age of children:

Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats:

Enter a valid departing date

Age of children:

Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats:

Flight 2

Enter a valid departing date

Flight 3

Enter a valid departing date

Flight 4

Enter a valid departing date

Flight 5

Enter a valid departing date

+ Add Another Flight

Enter a valid checking in date

Enter a valid checking out date

Occupants of Room 1:

Occupants of Room 2:

Occupants of Room 3:

Occupants of Room 4:

Occupants of Room 5:

Occupants of Room 6:

Occupants of Room 7:

Occupants of Room 8:

Enter a valid departing date

Enter a valid returning date

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Occupants of Room 1:

There are children in room 1 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age for room 1

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Occupants of Room 2:

There are children in room 2 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 2

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Occupants of Room 3:

There are children in room 3 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 3

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Occupants of Room 4:

There are children in room 4 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 4

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Occupants of Room 5:

There are children in room 5 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 5

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Age of children:

You didn't specify child's age

Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats:

You have more than 6 people total

Please select a trip duration less than 28 days

There must be at least 1 traveler (age 12+) for each infant in a lap

Enter a valid start date

Please select a Pick Up Time from the list

Enter a valid drop off date

Please select Drop Off Time from the list

Select a valid to location

Select a month

Enter a valid from date

Enter a valid to date

Benefits Recommended For You

See All