amsafe - Gizmodo

posts about #amsafe more →
Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and Better Pillows Airbags

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
Poor dummy. They forgot to tell him he's flying Air Face-plant... #airplaneairbags
Reply

FooSchnickens - BPH Free
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
Nuts to that! Install self-inflating pillows that activate when the passenger is feeling drowsy!

Airplane ergonomics are probably the worst in the world. #airplaneairbags
Reply

curious-character
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
Doesn't anybody read the story before making snarky comments? These are only installed in certain locations where a passenger's head would smash into something very hard (this doesn't include most seats in coach).

It is also designed to raise the survivability threshold of a crash from 9g to 12g. That involves accidents on or very close to the ground (overshooting the runway for example) but clearly excludes plummets of death.

It's amazing how quick we all are to find stupid shit to bitch about. #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead promoted this comment curious-character was starred

Canoehead
10/26/09

@curious-character: Cathay seems to be installing them in all of their seats... #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead was starred Canoehead was unstarred

Canoehead
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
So THAT'S what they are - I have actually seen these belts on a few Cathay pacific flights. It just looks like a big piece of padding on one side of the lap belt - I could not figure out why only one side of the belt was padded, but now I know.

Since we travel with a baby, I would love to know how to have one deactivated, since it looks like on deployment it would push my child through my face.

I also don't understand why they don't add some sort of 5-point harness - you would only have to wear it during takeoff and landing, and then just wear the lap belt at cruise altitude. #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead was starred Canoehead was unstarred

jetRink
10/26/09

@Canoehead: Someone proposed seating passengers backwards because it greatly improves survivability, but they decided that that would be too disorienting and people wouldn't be able to find the exits after a crash.

Given that, I bet the 5 point harness would be too complicated for addled passengers to take off before the fire got them. #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead promoted this comment jetRink was starred jetRink was unstarred

Canoehead
10/26/09

@jetRink: That makes no sense. I know that some people get motion sick moving backwards (I don't), but you just follow the lighted strips to the nearest exit. If that fails, follow the smoke since it will likely be flowing towards the nearest big hole.

You could easily have a 5 point harness with a big, easy to grab, release catch. I think the airlines don't like the "message" sent by something that looks like it belongs in a stunt plane. #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead was starred Canoehead was unstarred

James Babiarz
10/26/09

@jetRink:
Heaven forbid putting exits and both the front and the rear of the place.... #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead promoted this comment James Babiarz was starred James Babiarz was unstarred

Canoehead
10/26/09

@James Babiarz: Um, which they do. Have you not ever flown in a commercial airplane? #airplaneairbags
Reply

Canoehead was starred Canoehead was unstarred

Curves
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
I hope they are detachable and can be used as floatation devices too. On the slimmmmm chance you survive the crash, of course. #airplaneairbags
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

rivercat
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
Pointless! They'd do better to equip each seat with an ejection seat system. #airplaneairbags
Reply

spannu promoted this comment rivercat was starred rivercat was unstarred

spannu
10/26/09

@rivercat: I don't know about you but I certainly don't want my chair to accelerate my skull into the overhead compartment at 15g. Isn't that what this regulation is out to prevent? #airplaneairbags
Reply

spannu was starred spannu was unstarred

FriarNurgle
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag

The cost of replacing all those "what to do in an accident" pamphlets is going to be astronomical. #airplaneairbags
Reply

spannu promoted this comment FriarNurgle was starred FriarNurgle was unstarred

froggy
10/26/09

In reply to Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag
this is so silly on so many levels... a) do you really think an airbag is going to save you on a plane crash? really?; b) the weight added to the plane means increased fuel costs aka higher prices for passengers and/or less luggage allowance; and c) what happens if the airbags deploy because of a electrical short/hard break on landing/turbulence? that plane will be grounded months to reinstall them, meaning huge costs on top of huge losses of revenues.

Just buckle your damn seatbelt when you're seated. It won't kill you, hell, it might even save you a nasty bruise.

(edit: they can always add a shoulder strap for much less weight and about the same degree of protection)
Reply

chauncy that billups promoted this comment Edited by froggy at 10/26/09 10:34 AM froggy was starred froggy was unstarred

deciBels
10/26/09

@froggy: At Southwest, bags fly for free! #airplaneairbags
Reply

spannu promoted this comment deciBels was starred deciBels was unstarred

Curves
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
I am still pretty upset that everyone doesnt have an assigned and available parachute. And whats with the tiny air sick bags? Have you seen anyone get sick on a plane? It doesnt do much outside being handy for notes.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Bryce Clifton
06/30/09

@Curves: You cant open a door at anything over 11,000 feet due to air pressure. Also, Flight Attendants would have to make their safety announcement 20x longer to show people how to use a parachute, not like anyone would pay attention, and no one would know how to use one properly. Oh, and what's to keep it from getting taken off a plane when someone leaves, OR where are you gonna store said chute?

Airsick bags get used everyday. Just cause you've been lucky enough to never get sick doesn't mean there aren't hundreds of others who don't use it every time they fly.
Reply

Bryce Clifton was starred Bryce Clifton was unstarred

Curves
06/30/09

@Bryce Clifton: Actually, what I meant was that the bags are too tiny for the people who do get airsick. Try 2 or 3 of them. I am a white knuckle flyer and keep plotting ways to tape them all together to MAKE the parachute.

Oh yeah, and I DO pay attention to the flight attendants with their safety announcements. Usually right before I ask the person sitting next to me if I can hold their hand during take off.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Geraldo
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
I wish airlines would be required to have seats that actually had legroom, didn't make your ass hurt, and had armrests that didn't cut off the circulations in your arms! f* more safety -- fix the things that make domestic air travel such a f*ing pain in the ass! :-)

/rant/ Sorry, I travel about 35-40 weeks a year, and domestic air travel is mostly just tolerable at best.
Reply

Geraldo was starred Geraldo was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
06/30/09

@Geraldo: You get what you pay for. If you don't think the airplanes are comfortable, you can always upgrade to a higher seating class.
Reply

Hello Mister Walrus
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
This might be just me, but I'd rather have lower air fares than airbags that probably won't prevent my death in an already extremely unlikely event of a plane crash.
Reply

TheCapt
06/30/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: I'd rather that they just remove one row of seats, to give me the extra 3 inches of leg room. Oh, and while we are dreaming, a more comfortable seat would be nice too.
Reply

TheCapt was starred TheCapt was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
06/30/09

@TheCapt: Creating extra legroom without decreasing costs is dreaming. Not increasing costs by not adding airbags and new seats is not dreaming.
Reply

daqman
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
It's very simple. You have alternate rows of seats facing backwards, like on trains, then put all the overweight people in the seats pointing backwards. In the case of an accident the forward facing people nosedive into cushioning rolls of fat!
Reply

daqman was starred daqman was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
06/30/09

@daqman: What, nuns aren't good enough for you?
Reply

frigg
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
Investigators have found that in mid air explosions, passengers often fracture their faces due to rapid deceleration of the plane, causing them to lurch into the back of the seats in front of them. While an air bag could prevent facial fractures, I guess that falls into the category of doesn't matter.
Reply

frigg was starred frigg was unstarred

BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2
06/30/09

In reply to Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and ~~Better Pillows~~ Airbags
Is it safe to have combustible gas as in the airbags in the case of a crash as theorized above?
Reply

Duckspwn
06/30/09

@BergenCountyJC: Combustible? I was under the impression that airbags used sodium azide, which gives off nitrogen gas when heated.
Reply

Duckspwn was starred Duckspwn was unstarred

BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2
06/30/09

@Duckspwn: When you factor in the rapid decompression of a crash/heat/resonating impact, it probably doesn't matter what's inside but I'm sure the contents are still "under pressure".
Reply

Hello Mister Walrus
06/30/09

@BergenCountyJC: I guess that's a valid concern, though cars have had airbags for decades, so I would think that the mechanisms are pretty fail proof at this point. Plus, there is already highly blow-up-able substance on airplanes - jet fuel.
Reply

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#amsafe

Gizmodo

Gizmodo Team

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo

Your Next Plane Seat May Well Have an Airbag

Airplanes Getting Stronger Seats and Better Pillows Airbags

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment