Photo by patrick h. lauke
Talk about a crash course. Or should I say; anti-crash course? Next year members of BA’s Executive Club will have the option to sign up for a four hour course that focuses on how to survive a plane crash. Or rather, participants will learn how to enhance their chances of surviving during or after a crash. So a guaranteed survival it ain’t.
I’m not sure what the motive is behind the British national carrier’s move to start offering this course. Maybe it’s because rival Virgin Atlantic already does so, albeit at the lower rate of £75 per course. Or maybe it’s to get more people to sign up to their frequent flyer programme, which seems a bit cruel; sign up or else…
According to British Airways manager Andy Clubb, they will launch this course so that jittery flyers will feel a bit more relaxed. He states that, ‘It makes passengers safer when travelling by giving additional skills and information, it dispels all those internet theories about the “brace position” and it just gives people so much more confidence in flying.’
During the course participants will go over what seem to be simple tasks. They will practice releasing their seat belts, finding their life jackets and putting on the oxygen masks in a simulated emergency situation. This might seem like common sense, but according to the Civil Aviation Authority a large number of people struggle with these actions in stressful situations which causes many victims to survive the actual crash but not the aftermath. The course will also include a simulation of an evacuation by means of the escape slides.
The cost of BA‘s course on how to survive a plane crash will cost around £125. That’s not too much to pay for survival, I’d say. Although I’d prefer it if they’d offer this course for free on board and during flights. It would kill (excuse the pun) at least a good few hours on a long haul flight.
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