I ATA I NTER V IEW
uncomplicated” evacuation route from seat to exit,
and ease of transfer between wheelchair and seat for
passengers with disabilities. Another safety factor is that
passengers are generally growing, which can influence
evacuation times.
Jasper advocates applying the same considerations to all
passengers when considering cabin safety, namely whether
they can evacuate the cabin by themselves; whether they can
assist the crew during an evacuation by opening doors, etc;
what help they might need from the cabin crew, and whether
crew have the time and resources to assist them; how
passengers can we made comfortable so they don’t become
disgruntled or unruly; whether they are carrying anything which
could be dangerous; and whether they are able to lift and stow
their carry-on baggage.
“Every passenger is an individual and each brings with them
their own experience, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The
same safety concerns apply to all, whether small, large, old or
young,” he says.
Continuing the theme of the human aspects of cabin safety, we
asked Jasper about his views on the issue of disruptive passengers.
“Unruly passenger behaviour represents a very small minority of the
total number of passengers carried, but is a complex problem, with
many contributing factors,” states Jasper. “IATA produces a lot of
guidance for airlines in managing alcohol consumption, identifying and
classifying inappropriate and unruly behaviour, de-escalating situations,
handling and reporting to authorities. There are many different teams
within IATA working together on this topic as it crosses into safety,
security and legal.
“It’s important for cabin crew to recognise signs early and
take action to prevent or de-escalate any situation before it gets
out of hand.”
ULTRA LONGHAUL
Top priorities
for passengers
IATA’s Global Passenger Survey is designed to provide objective and
in-depth insights into the preferences and behaviours of air travellers,
helping to guide industry initiatives. The 2019 survey elicited 10,877
responses from passengers across 166 countries, who indicated that
they are looking to technology to improve their travel experience,
CONCERNS
Point-to-point flights are likely to
grow in demand as passengers seek
to minimise the transit process.
Qantas’ Project Sunrise, which was
looking at operating 20-hour routes
is on hold, but do longer flights
present new concerns?
“These longer flights are typically
operated on newer aircraft, with
improved cabin altitude systems
which are aimed at making the cabin
a more comfortable environment.
Ultra-long flights introduce new
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JUNE 2020
with top priorities identified including having more personal control
over their journey via smartphones, being able to use biometric
identification to speed-up travel processes, being able to track their
baggage, having maximum wait times of 10 minutes for baggage
collection and immigration/customs, and access to cabin wi-fi.
challenges relating to cabin crew
fatigue and wellbeing, and a knockon
operational effect of increased
numbers of cabin crew being needed
to cover inflight rest periods,”
says Jasper.
“These issues and concerns have
been discussed for many years
already, and the differences between
the 16-hour flights of today and the
20-hour flights of tomorrow are not
substantial from an operational or
cabin safety viewpoint.”
Regarding wi-fi, 53% of surveyed passengers feel that onboard
wi-fi is important, which can be broken into geographical
preferences: Africa (71%), Latin America (68%), the Middle East
(67%), Europe (44%) and North America (49%).
The boarding experience was highlighted as a ‘pain
point’, with the top three suggestions from
passengers being more efficient queuing
at the boarding gate (60%), not needing
to catch a bus to the aircraft (51%), and
more bin space for cabin luggage (46%).
Covid-19 has created new stresses
and concerns for passengers, which crew
need to be trained and prepared to address.
A few potential issues have been identified,
namely passengers refusing to continue wearing a
face covering inflight; an increase in disputes between
passengers according to their ethnicity or country of
residence; and increased stresses created by new
airport health-screening processes and the overall
travel experience that may trigger stronger
responses to disputes or requests for compliance,
as well as stress related to concerns about missing
flight connections. IATA also thinks that the fear
of infection in the cabin may cause more disputes
between passengers if they perceive any noncompliance
with guidelines or poor hygiene
etiquette, or the presence of symptoms similar
to those associated with Covid-19.
IATA does not anticipate that any changes
to the ways that crew handle cases of unruly
passengers will be necessary.
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