5 ms·

Something I found discovered recently which I found quite amazing in light of how long it typically takes to board a plane: The target time for an emergency ev

Something I found discovered recently which I found quite amazing in light of how long it typically takes to board a plane: The target time for an emergency evacuation is 90 seconds. And the manufacturers must demonstrate that this is possible in order for the aircraft to get certification.

userbinator 3y ago
It's the difference between everyone wanting to get out ASAP, probably because they fear for their lives, and "the plane's not going anywhere even if I take a few more seconds".
templaedhel 3y ago
Well to be fair a lot of the boarding time is tied up in people struggling to get luggage into overhead bins, and then eventually fully running out of space and having to swim upstream after they put their bag behind them.
- nicoburns 3y ago
  Yes, apparently this is why "DO NOT TAKE YOUR LUGGAGE WITH YOU" is emphasised so much in safety announcements. 90 seconds still seems impressively fast to me though.
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Also one (or very rarely 2 with some 757s) entrance vs. 5+ exits.
xyzelement 3y ago
The passengers aren't all filing out the one door at the front in that situation. I'd say an average jet has at least 6 emergency exists (2 in the front, 2 in the exit row, and 2 in the rear) so nobody is more than a couple of rows from an exit in that situation, plus they are moving their ass and they are not dealing with luggage.
- kmeisthax 3y ago
  Which begs the question: why can't we just[0] replace the emergency exits with regular doors, have more jetbridges, and load planes faster? [0] My use of the word "just" should betray the fact that this is far more complicated than I think it is. Obviously, this would be too expensive, impractical, and double the weight of the aircraft all to solve a very minor traveler issue.
  - brigade 3y ago
    Rear exits are already the same size as the front exits, but getting a jet bridge safely past the wing isn't easy so you'd have to mirror what European carriers do and use dual stairs. If you're thinking of using two front exits, jet bridges also can't get too close to the engine so the only narrowbody that works for is the aging 757. Plus it doesn't really save time because the space between 1L and 2L is generally first class.

userbinator 3y ago

It's the difference between everyone wanting to get out ASAP, probably because they fear for their lives, and "the plane's not going anywhere even if I take a few more seconds".

templaedhel 3y ago

Well to be fair a lot of the boarding time is tied up in people struggling to get luggage into overhead bins, and then eventually fully running out of space and having to swim upstream after they put their bag behind them.

nicoburns 3y ago
Yes, apparently this is why "DO NOT TAKE YOUR LUGGAGE WITH YOU" is emphasised so much in safety announcements. 90 seconds still seems impressively fast to me though.
aidenn0 3y ago
Also one (or very rarely 2 with some 757s) entrance vs. 5+ exits.

xyzelement 3y ago

The passengers aren't all filing out the one door at the front in that situation. I'd say an average jet has at least 6 emergency exists (2 in the front, 2 in the exit row, and 2 in the rear) so nobody is more than a couple of rows from an exit in that situation, plus they are moving their ass and they are not dealing with luggage.

kmeisthax 3y ago
Which begs the question: why can't we just[0] replace the emergency exits with regular doors, have more jetbridges, and load planes faster? [0] My use of the word "just" should betray the fact that this is far more complicated than I think it is. Obviously, this would be too expensive, impractical, and double the weight of the aircraft all to solve a very minor traveler issue.
- brigade 3y ago
  Rear exits are already the same size as the front exits, but getting a jet bridge safely past the wing isn't easy so you'd have to mirror what European carriers do and use dual stairs. If you're thinking of using two front exits, jet bridges also can't get too close to the engine so the only narrowbody that works for is the aging 757. Plus it doesn't really save time because the space between 1L and 2L is generally first class.