Business Travelers, All Travelers – Buckle Up!
Having just returned from a whirlwind cross-country air travel extravaganza – with the requisite 2-hour delay in Dallas (in my humble opinion, the worst airport operation in the country) – I’d like to use this blog as an excuse to complain about some of my fellow passengers. Maybe these people irk you, too. Maybe you’re one of them. Either way, today’s topic is:
People who do not comply the fasten seat belt sign!
You know what I’m talking about. It’s that 5% of the traveling public that seems to be in complete ignorance of both rows of illuminated signs and repeated crew members instructions. That elite group of travelers who do not feel subject to the laws of the United States of physics itself. Was during massive turbulence the best time to get a new DVD out of the overhead bin? Did that guy really have to wait until final approach to go to the bathroom? And don’t even get me started on the people who loudly unhook their seat belts the moment the wheels hit the runway. The plane is still speeding along at an incredible speed, and just how horrible is it to simply keep a thin strip of nylon clasped across your hips for another few minutes? You’d think these people were clamped inside an iron maiden.
But this isn’t the place to indulge in too much simple complaint-mongering. I’m here to talk about federal regulations 121.317 and 121.311. These are the the regulations to which the head flight attendant is referring when s/he says something like “federal regulations require passengers to comply with all posted placards and signs.” She isn’t kidding! It’s right there in the Code of Federal Regulations:
121.317 (b): …the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign shall be turned on during any movement on the surface, for each takeoff, for each landing, and at any other time considered necessary by the pilot in command.
121.317 (f): Each passenger required by §121.311(b) to occupy a seat or berth shall fasten his or her safety belt about him or her and keep it fastened while the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign is lighted.
121.311 (b): Except as provided in this paragraph, each person on board an airplane operated under this part shall occupy an approved seat or berth with a separate safety belt properly secured about him or her during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing. A safety belt provided for the occupant of a seat may not be used by more than one person who has reached his or her second birthday.
So there we have it, folks. These aren’t suggestions. Federal regulations require passengers wear their seat belts:
- During taxiing, takeoff, and landing.
- At any other time that the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign is illuminated.
So what happens if you don’t do it? Well, for starters, you are making the cabin unsafe for both yourself and everyone around you. But if you don’t care about that, consider that you can be sued in civil court and subject to a fine. That doesn’t happen often, but every year a few uncooperative air travelers find out the hard way that federal regulations carry the force of law. You can’t go to jail for refusing to put on your seatbelt, but you can find yourself stuck with a big fine, and you may even be banned from travel on that airline. So buckle up!
