Airline Removed Life Vests to Save Fuel

By Alex in Auto & Transportation on Aug 28, 2008 at 3:51 pm

First they started charging for meals, pillows, and blankets. Now, one airline is taking an extreme step to save fuel by … removing life vests to lighten the planes:

An official with Air Canada’s regional carrier Jazz says the airline is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.

Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday that Transport Canada regulations allow airlines to use flotation devices instead of life vests, provided the planes remain within 50 miles of shore.

Safety cards in the seat pockets of Jazz aircraft now direct passengers to use the seat cushions as flotation devices.

Link – Thanks Tiffany!

(Photo: L. Michael Roberts [Flickr])

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Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
Aug 28th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
At first glance, this sounds like a bad idea. But if you look at the route map for Jazz, you’ll see that most of their flights are over land.

http://www.flyjazz.ca/english/ourComm/routeMap.asp
catskill
Aug 28th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I can only remember one time where a commercial airliner crashed on water and lifejackets were actually needed. In that case, however, many of the passengers inflated them while still in the plane and were then trapped inside and unable to escape. Those who did not inflate them were able to swim down and out of the wreckage. There would have been more survivors if there were not jackets. Bummer.
Jimbo
Aug 28th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I agree, most of the time they just end up looking like strawberry jam when they hit the ground.
Gabe
Aug 28th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Okay, so it’s within regulations. But, uh, how much fuel is there to save by getting rid of them? I mean, let’s face it, the things come uninflated and probably don’t weigh much anyway.
Zombie79
Aug 28th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Planes don’t land in water anyways …. they really crash. Which makes the idea of walking, er – swimming away from one with the help of a life vest a bit silly.

Why don’t they save more fuel by simply cutting the passengers? You know, take the money and give them a ticket, just don’t let them board at take-off. Because I swear the airlines want just that. We give them money to not provide a service.
SenorMysterioso
Aug 28th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
all I need on a flight is a seat and I could go without that if need be
Moi
Aug 28th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Since it’s a regional carrier for Canada, the planes are mainly flying over land. In a way, it makes sense because an inflatable life vest would be pretty useless on land. At least the safety demonstration will be shorter.
Buzz
Aug 28th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
This is exactly what southwest does. Big surprise that every airline is emulating SouthWest. FWIW southwest has never had a crash.
Johnny Cat
Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Thanks, catskill, for being braver than I to point out that these things are useless weight on any flight. Like Carlin says, “Is it me, or does ‘water landing’ sound suspiciously close to CRASHING INTO THE OCEAN?”

I looked around. The only times life vests were deployed in the last 20 years or so were twice that mattered. One instance was a non water landing, in 1989, and the other was a missing aircraft in 2000.

Seriously, if a Boeing or a MD crashes into the ocean, nobody is going to need a floatation device/aka pillow of beer farts!
Joe
Aug 29th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Makes sense to me. While they’re at it, they could remove a couple rows of seats so people with, you know, LEGS could comfortably sit in a Jazz plane.
MoonCake
Aug 29th, 2008 at 5:30 am
but joe, airlines don’t like people with legs.

but yea. this is a good idea because they should have done it a looong time ago. it’s one of those things that plane developers could have done without from the beginning. and now they’re like “oh we have this GREAT new idea.. let’s get rid of this thing that we’ve never even used before to combat an issue that will never go away! go team!” i’m just wondering how many tiny things they’re going to get rid of before they realize the whole market needs to change and not just the few minor details surrounding it.
firithlotiel
Aug 29th, 2008 at 7:45 am
0_0 note to self: do NOT ride their airline…
awh
Aug 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
WTB an airplane that has parachutes. Screw the life jackets.

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