IATA urges passengers to leave bags behind in aircraft evacuations

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a new passenger safety campaign warning travellers that taking cabin baggage during an aircraft evacuation can put lives at risk. The campaign, called ‘Save a Life, Not a Bag’, urges passengers to follow crew instructions, leave all belongings behind and move quickly to the nearest usable exit when told to evacuate. It is supported by aviation safety regulators, including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and comes amid growing concern over cases in which passengers have stopped to collect bags or film during emergency evacuations. “Taking bags during an evacuation is not a minor issue. Every second matters. Even taking one bag can affect the safe evacuation of everyone onboard. Crew instructions are clear and simple: leave everything behind and move quickly,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. “Save a Life, Not a Bag” is a message that passengers need to understand and act upon,” he added. According to IATA, valuable seconds can be lost when passengers retrieve items from overhead lockers, while bags can block aisles, damage evacuation slides or cause people to fall. The association said the risk is not limited to the passenger carrying the bag, as even one person stopping to collect luggage can delay others, disrupt crew instructions and affect the use of exits and slides. “Rapid evacuation in an emergency situation saves lives. Aircraft are certified to stringent evacuation standards and crews are trained extensively for emergency situations, to make sure every single passenger has the best possible chance of survival in an acute situation,” said Florian Guillermet, EASA Executive Director. “For this to work in a real emergency, all passengers must play their part too,” he said. “And it is very simple: follow crew instructions, leave all baggage behind and move quickly to the nearest usable exit. Not only this will save your life, but you will have done your very best to allow everyone to get out of danger,” Guillermet added. The campaign also responds to videos shared online showing passengers trying to leave aircraft with cabin bags, or filming, despite instructions to evacuate quickly. In some cases, IATA said, passengers have been seen attempting to evacuate while carrying both infants and personal items, creating further risks at a critical moment. “We are seeing an increasing number of passengers not following flight crew instructions during emergencies,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “In those moments, compliance is critical. Passengers must act quickly, follow instructions without hesitation, and leave all belongings behind,” he added. “Safety is a shared responsibility, and informed, attentive passengers help ensure a faster, safer evacuation for everyone on board,” Bedford said. As part of the campaign, IATA commissioned research among recent air travellers in the US, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Singapore, with input from behavioural experts. The findings showed that while 80 per cent of those surveyed said they knew what to do in an emergency evacuation, only 61 per cent correctly answered that they should leave all personal items and exit the aircraft. At the same time, 33 per cent said they had seen reports of people taking baggage during an evacuation. Of those, 22 per cent indicated that they were likely to do the same. The research also found that many passengers overestimate how long an evacuation should take. Only 18 per cent knew that aircraft evacuation procedures are designed around a 90-second safety benchmark, while 38 per cent believed it could take three minutes or more. IATA said one in ten passengers admitted they might still take baggage during an evacuation, or follow others who do, even when instructed not to. However, 60 per cent said they would be less likely to take baggage if essential small items were already secured on their person. “The majority of passengers know what to do in an accident. There is, however, a significant gap in knowledge among some travelers that could result in disaster,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Operations, Safety, and Security. “Even just a passenger or two taking a few extra seconds to gather personal items can endanger lives,” he added. Careen said it was important for passengers to build good habits, including paying attention to safety demonstrations each time they fly and keeping essential items, such as a passport, money and medication, on their person. “It’s also important that passengers understand the consequences of not listening to crew,” he said. “Save a life, not a Bag is meant to be a blunt reminder of what is at stake for everyone in the rare event of an evacuation,” Careen added. According to IATA, taking baggage during an evacuation can slow movement through the cabin, block aisles and exits, prevent passengers from using their hands and injure others. Bags can also puncture evacuation slides, obscure exit path lighting, become caught on seats or fixtures and create hazards for crew and rescue personnel outside the aircraft. The campaign encourages passengers to prepare before take-off and landing by keeping essential items such as passports, money and medication secure on their person. Its main messages are simple, saying “pay attention to crew, leave all baggage behind, do not film or photograph, keep moving and exit quickly.” IATA said the campaign video was developed with input from human behavioural specialists, using surreal imagery and exaggerated scenarios to make the message clear and memorable. The campaign’s digital assets will be made available to airlines, media and other aviation industry partners, allowing them to share the message directly with passengers and across social media.