You can't wear high heels during an emergency evacuation！Nine important airline rules

Text by / MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

Travelers often encounter various issues while flying, including what can and cannot be checked in, what is not allowed on board, and restrictions such as liquid items over 100 ml. Among these, some regulations often pique passengers’ curiosity—such as opening window shades during takeoff and landing. Although passengers may be used to them, the reasons behind these rules are actually very important.

1. Straighten your seat back and stow the tray table during takeoff and landing
Straightening your seat back and stowing the tray table is to avoid obstructing passenger evacuation. According to research by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, if seat backs are not upright, it can take an additional 15 to 45 seconds to fully evacuate all passengers. Also, upright seat backs can better protect passengers' bodies upon impact with the ground.
 
2. Open the window shade during takeoff and landing
Takeoff and landing are the phases of flight with the highest probability of accidents. Opening the window shade helps crew members and passengers quickly detect any emergencies and also allows eyes to adjust more quickly to the outside light, aiding in safe evacuation if needed.
 
3. Turn off your phone during takeoff and landing
Although aircraft electronic technology has advanced significantly and the electromagnetic waves emitted by small communication devices no longer interfere with aircraft systems, larger devices such as laptops can still potentially cause interference.

4. Keep carry-on luggage under the seat in front of you
During taxiing, takeoff, landing, and in-flight, flight attendants will remind passengers not to place carry-on bags on their laps, seats, or on the floor. This is because in case of turbulence, loose baggage could injure passengers or slide into the aisle, blocking movement and evacuation.
 
5. No sharp objects are allowed during emergency evacuation
Because evacuation slides are inflatable, carrying sharp objects may puncture them, making it impossible to evacuate passengers. If you are wearing a belt with rivets or high heels, you must remove them.
 
6. Do not inflate your life vest inside the cabin
According to flight safety instructions, passengers must put on their life vests in an emergency, but they should not be inflated inside the cabin. An inflated life vest takes up a lot of space and can hinder evacuation. If the cabin floods, the buoyancy from an inflated vest could cause passengers to float to the top, preventing them from diving underwater to escape through the exits.

7. You can't board a plane barefoot
This is both to prevent foot odor that might affect other passengers, and for safety reasons. In an emergency evacuation, bare feet are more vulnerable to injury, which could compromise the golden time for escape. 

8. Durians are not allowed on planes
Any items with special or unpleasant odors, or strong and irritating smells, are not permitted on flights. The reasoning is similar to why you can’t go barefoot on a plane.

9. Lighters, power banks, and lithium batteries can only be carried on board, not checked in
If a lighter ignites while being carried on, it can be noticed immediately and hopefully contained before causing major damage. But if it’s in checked luggage, an incident may go unnoticed and could lead to serious consequences. Power banks and lithium batteries also carry risks of sparking or even exploding.
 

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