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Back in the day they had everyone remove their shoes if they thought the inflatable slides would be used... This article says it is so a heel wouldn't pop the

Back in the day they had everyone remove their shoes if they thought the inflatable slides would be used... This article says it is so a heel wouldn't pop the slide or injure someone below them on the way down. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/14/us/shoe-policy-may-change-in-airlines.html https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/14/us/shoe-policy-may-change...

isostatic 8y ago
So 90% of people not wearing heels have to run over burning tarmac with no footwear?
- dogma1138 8y ago
  It’s not only heels that can chase a puncture and it’s still better than the flight crew having to inspect each shoe individually.
- gumby 8y ago
  You can't run in heels. And we crossed only a short bit of tarmac before being assembled on a big patch of grass. I think you're better off running in bare feet than damaging the slide or spearing the person ahead of you. That ramp is STEEP (apparently broken ankles are common).
  - secfirstmd 8y ago
    Sidenote, it's something addressed in close protection training. If the principal is a woman and she's wearing heels, good teams will have some kind of thin flat shoe nearby for her.
- JoblessWonder 8y ago
  That is part of the reasoning behind changing the procedure. I think it mentions it in the article.
- megy 8y ago
  Yeah, I guess the guys who have planned exactly for this, spent years looking at it, and created one of the safest industries in the world did not think of that?
  - isostatic 8y ago
    Apparently not, as they changed the rules to make you only remove high heel shoes. Airlines are safe because they keep learning from mistakes and updating regulations with new evidence.
Steko 8y ago
A little more detail on current policy: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/31920/in-what-circumstances-do-passengers-or-flight-attendants-have-to-take-their-shoe https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/31920/in-what-c...

isostatic 8y ago

So 90% of people not wearing heels have to run over burning tarmac with no footwear?

dogma1138 8y ago
It’s not only heels that can chase a puncture and it’s still better than the flight crew having to inspect each shoe individually.
gumby 8y ago
You can't run in heels. And we crossed only a short bit of tarmac before being assembled on a big patch of grass. I think you're better off running in bare feet than damaging the slide or spearing the person ahead of you. That ramp is STEEP (apparently broken ankles are common).
- secfirstmd 8y ago
  Sidenote, it's something addressed in close protection training. If the principal is a woman and she's wearing heels, good teams will have some kind of thin flat shoe nearby for her.
JoblessWonder 8y ago
That is part of the reasoning behind changing the procedure. I think it mentions it in the article.
megy 8y ago
Yeah, I guess the guys who have planned exactly for this, spent years looking at it, and created one of the safest industries in the world did not think of that?
- isostatic 8y ago
  Apparently not, as they changed the rules to make you only remove high heel shoes. Airlines are safe because they keep learning from mistakes and updating regulations with new evidence.

Steko 8y ago

A little more detail on current policy: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/31920/in-what-circumstances-do-passengers-or-flight-attendants-have-to-take-their-shoe https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/31920/in-what-c...