American Airlines rethinks their saftey measures
American Airlines says it is now limiting the number of passengers on some planes while it orders additional life rafts needed in case of a water landing similar to the one made recently on the Hudson River by a US Airways jet.
Shouldn’t they have thought of this before. Did it take a near fatal accident to revisit safety measures? Is this true of other airlines?
Apparently, American will allow no more than 228 people including passengers and crew on its Boeing 767-300 aircraft, which normally holds 236 people including a crew of 11, spokesman Tim Wagner said Wednesday.
The planes are mostly used on flights over the Atlantic to Europe, and to Latin America.
American is taking the step to make sure it complies with Federal Aviation Administration rules on raft capacity, Wagner said.
The spokesman said the problem arose after American added additional seats when redesigning the business-class cabins of the 767s between 2005 and 2007. The airline discovered the shortage this week when it reviewed life raft capacity on new Boeing 737 aircraft and then decided to re-examine the situation on other planes in its fleet.
FAA rules for planes flying over large bodies of water require enough room on life rafts to accommodate everyone on board, including children seated on their parents’ laps during the flight, and to carry an extra raft.
"The FAA rules are clear, and our expectation is that the airline adds the appropriate raft space" based on the number of people aboard, said FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. She added the rules haven’t changed since US Airways Flight 1549 ditched into the Hudson on Jan. 15.
American said it never endangered the passengers safety, who can use other flotation devices on planes, presumably including seat cushions. That’s reassuring.
Until rafts are added, American will limit the number of seats it sells on the planes, and the airline doesn’t have any pending flights that are booked over the 228-person limit, Wagner said.
Good to know.
Karen
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