Commercial airlines must be able to evacuate an entire plane in 90 seconds or less in case of an emergency. Anyone who flies knows that disembarking at an airport takes forever, but that's when tired passengers must retrieve luggage from under seats and from overhead bins that may be nowhere near them and then file out of a single door. Things are different in an emergency, even if it's a drill: Watch 873 people get off a plane in 78 seconds. This is a 2006 test to certify an Airbus A380 MSN7 for commercial flight. The parameters of the drill include:
* 650 passengers taking part
* Lights will be out in cabin
* Half of exits will be closed
* Drill must feature 40% women, 35% people over 50
* Passengers will not be told which exits are in use
* Passengers must wear their seat belts
Read more about evacuation tests at Quartz. -via Digg