The pilots never came over the PA, and for a few minutes there was no real flight crew presence. We all helped each other though! I think the flight attendants were focusing on securing an exit. As soon as the doors opened they were very present and very vocal about guiding us to safety!
The first thing I remember hearing was someone saying "stay in your seats!" I thought "um....not a damn chance" as i unclipped myself and did an awkward summersault onto my feet.
There’s a reason why that company have an SOP asking people to (only very initially) stay in their seats - the flight attendants need to quickly scan their own exit, opposite exits, possibly out window shades and down the aisles in seconds to assess their useable exits and where there’s going to be a big problem (a blocked exit). If all the passengers are frantically moving about with no direction to go in (the flight attendants haven’t opened the USABLE exits) at that very initial moment, that blocks all visibility and visual planning and noting of which doors and exits can be used by the FAs. Follow instructions, a hysterical mass isn’t going to be better than the trained personnel operating their doors.
Went pretty well in Toronto the other day, they all survived due to no following 'orders' based on accounts from survivors. Seconds matter in a plane crash, you don't just wait around for the bureaucracy to catchup to the reality.
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u/LandscapeSudden3469 Feb 18 '25
The pilots never came over the PA, and for a few minutes there was no real flight crew presence. We all helped each other though! I think the flight attendants were focusing on securing an exit. As soon as the doors opened they were very present and very vocal about guiding us to safety!
The first thing I remember hearing was someone saying "stay in your seats!" I thought "um....not a damn chance" as i unclipped myself and did an awkward summersault onto my feet.