Airline Removed Life Vests to Save Fuel

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.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/08/28/airline.vests.ap/index.html - Thanks Tiffany!

(Photo: L. Michael Roberts [Flickr])


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
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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!
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
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.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 13 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"Airline Removed Life Vests to Save Fuel"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More