In-Flight Airbags: You Could Be Wearing One and Not Even Know It

April 9, 2010 at 3:48 PM | by Omri | Comment (1)

Consider this an update on a story that we first began running down last July, when the FAA finalized a rule more or less forcing airlines to install airplane airbags. Technically the rule only instructed airlines to ensure that passengers could survive forces up to sixteen times the earth's gravity, which is how it got the creative name the "16g rule." There are a number of ways to do that, enticingly by increasing the distance between individual seats. But since that's obviously not going to happen, instead we're getting in-flight seatbelt airbags:

The seatbelt airbag is quickly becoming ubiquitous. In fact, if you're reading this onboard a commercial flight, you may be wearing one now. You can recognize it if the fixed portion of your seat belt (the non-buckle end) is thicker, measures about 3/4" and has a leather cover...an airplane bag tucked into the passenger's seatbelt is quite different than an automotive bag located in the dashboard...it deploys away from you, not towards you."

Actually—even if you are reading this on a flight—you're probably still not strapped into an airbag-enabled seatbelt. Since it would have been an incredible pain to retrofit already-built airplanes and make them compliant, the 16g rule only applies to aircraft completed after October 2009. American's 777s and 737s, Delta's 777s and 767s, and US Air's A330s and A320s...those are the only domestic airplanes where you'll find the new buckle. So far.

Now the lack of retrofitting makes sense, since our current era is the safest period in the history of commercial aviation. Scheduled American flights go entire years without a single fatality. All of which begs a very important question: given that the cost of the new belts will be passed onto consumers (each one costs $1,250), was all this really necessary?

We understand that "you can't put a price on safety" and so on and so on. But sure you can! People do it all the time, every day. We all always make tradeoffs, some that we're happy with and some that we're forced to make. But if we find out that this has anything to do with Spirit's insane new "fee," there's going to be hell to pay.

Are airplane airbags worth the extra hassle and expense?

[Photo: AmSafe]

Related Stories:
· Airbags on airplanes: Your seatbelt may hide a lifesaving surprise [USA Today]
· Airline Safety Coverage [Jaunted]
· Airline News [Jaunted]

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