FAA Safety Alert Highlights Risks of Carry On Bags in Emergencies

FAA Issues Critical Safety Alert on Passenger Baggage Retrieval During Emergency Aircraft Evacuations

In September 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) addressing a persistent and dangerous risk in commercial aviation: passenger non-compliance with crew instructions regarding carry-on baggage during emergency evacuations. This alert is the result of decades of research, incident analysis, and regulatory debate. It highlights how attempts to retrieve personal belongings during emergencies can transform manageable situations into life-threatening events, undermining the 90-second evacuation standard that underpins commercial aviation safety.

The issue is not isolated to the United States. Globally, incidents and accident investigations have repeatedly shown that passengers’ instinctive desire to grab their belongings during emergencies can delay evacuations, increase injury rates, and sometimes contribute to fatalities. The FAA’s alert is both a response to these realities and a call to action for airlines, regulators, and passengers alike.

This article examines the historical context, recent developments, incident data, expert opinions, and economic impacts related to passenger baggage retrieval during emergency evacuations, providing a comprehensive, fact-based overview of the issue and the industry’s evolving response.

Historical Context and Regulatory Foundation

The regulatory foundation for emergency evacuations in commercial aviation was established in 1967, when the FAA introduced the 90-second evacuation demonstration requirement. This rule, prompted by a fatal 1965 accident in Salt Lake City, mandates that aircraft manufacturers prove their planes can be evacuated in 90 seconds or less, using only half of the available exits and under challenging conditions (e.g., darkened cabins, simulated obstructions).

The 90-second standard is not arbitrary. It is based on survivability studies indicating that, in the event of fire or smoke, conditions inside an aircraft can become unsurvivable in less than two minutes. The regulation has been tested repeatedly in certification trials, such as the Airbus A380’s evacuation of more than 800 volunteers in 77 seconds.

Yet, the assumptions underlying the standard, particularly regarding passenger behavior, have come under scrutiny. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) highlighted this gap in 2000, urging the FAA to address problems associated with carry-on luggage during evacuations. Subsequent research found that emergency evacuations, on average, occurred every 11 days in the 1990s, with injuries and delays often linked to passengers retrieving baggage.

Evacuation Incidents and Recurring Patterns

Despite regulatory advances, the challenge of passenger baggage retrieval persists. The 2016 American Airlines Flight 383 incident at Chicago O’Hare is a case in point. Video footage showed passengers evacuating with bags in hand, even as smoke and fire threatened the aircraft. NTSB investigators found that flight attendants attempted to stop passengers from taking their bags, but ultimately had to prioritize the flow of evacuation over enforcement.

Internationally, the 2019 Aeroflot Superjet 100 fire at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport was particularly tragic. Investigators concluded that passengers retrieving luggage created an “impassable blockage” in the aisle, possibly preventing others from reaching safety. Of the 78 people onboard, 41 died, many found in the aisle, overcome by smoke.

More recently, a July 2024 American Airlines evacuation in Denver again saw passengers sliding down emergency slides with bags in tow. This incident raised concerns in Congress and among regulators about the adequacy of current procedures and the effectiveness of passenger briefings.

“Any delay caused by retrieval of baggage can significantly affect survival rates in rapidly deteriorating conditions.” —FAA SAFO 25003

Quantitative Analysis: Safety and Economic Impact

The consequences of baggage-related evacuation delays are not only measured in lives, but also in substantial economic costs. In the late 1990s, the direct costs of precautionary evacuations exceeded $11 million annually, with passenger injury claims averaging over $550,000 per incident. Airlines also incurred significant expenses for replacing damaged evacuation equipment, particularly slides, and for lost revenue due to aircraft downtime.

Injury data from the same period showed that about 17% of evacuations resulted in injuries, with the majority requiring medical attention. Most injuries involved the back, neck, legs, and feet, and a notable portion were serious enough to require hospitalization.

Simulation studies have further demonstrated that when even a portion of passengers attempt to evacuate with bags, overall evacuation times increase, sometimes beyond the survivability threshold. The FAA’s December 2024 report to Congress acknowledged that, while not every incident could be conclusively linked to baggage delays, the risk is significant enough to warrant industry-wide action.

Global and Industry Perspectives

The problem is not unique to the United States. Canadian authorities issued a safety alert in 2018, and the European Union’s aviation safety agency has also addressed evacuation standards, though it has not changed certification requirements. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that non-compliance incidents, including those involving baggage, increased in frequency globally in 2022.

International incidents, from Russia to the UK and Canada, have revealed similar patterns of passenger behavior. This consistency points to fundamental psychological drivers, such as normalcy bias and attachment to personal belongings, that transcend cultural and regulatory differences.

The challenge of standardizing procedures and messaging across different regulatory jurisdictions, languages, and cultural contexts remains significant. Universally recognizable symbols and pictograms, as recommended by the FAA, are one approach to bridging these gaps.

Expert Opinions and Industry Recommendations

The FAA’s SAFO 25003 recommends a multi-layered approach: leveraging Safety Management Systems (SMS) to assess and mitigate risks, improving safety briefings with clear and standardized messaging, and conducting ongoing passenger outreach and education campaigns.

Experts, including Captain Chesley Sullenberger, have called for updates to evacuation standards to reflect real-world conditions and passenger demographics. As aircraft cabins become denser and passenger populations age, evacuation procedures and training must adapt accordingly.

Some industry stakeholders have proposed technological solutions, such as locking overhead bins during emergencies. However, these ideas raise concerns about crew access to emergency equipment and the potential for unintended consequences.

“Changes are long overdue, as the current standards do not reflect actual conditions.” —Captain Chesley Sullenberger

Behavioral and Training Considerations

Research into evacuation behavior suggests that psychological factors, such as normalcy bias and emotional attachment to belongings, play a significant role in non-compliance. Passengers may not fully process the urgency of an emergency, or may prioritize items like medication, passports, or electronics.

Crew training is critical. Flight attendants must be prepared to enforce baggage policies while making real-time decisions about when to prioritize evacuation flow over confrontation. Short, clear commands have been shown to be most effective in high-stress situations.

Passenger education remains a challenge. Traditional safety briefings are often ignored or forgotten, prompting calls for more engaging and memorable methods, such as visual displays in airports and messaging that appeals to collective responsibility (“Help everyone get out safely—leave your bags.”).

Conclusion

The FAA’s recent Safety Alert underscores the urgency of addressing passenger baggage retrieval during emergency evacuations. The evidence from decades of incidents, research, and regulatory review is clear: even brief delays caused by retrieving carry-on items can have catastrophic consequences in time-critical situations.

Moving forward, the aviation industry will need to implement a combination of regulatory, technological, procedural, and educational strategies to change passenger behavior and ensure compliance. International coordination and standardization, as well as ongoing research into human factors, will be essential for improving evacuation outcomes and maintaining the high safety standards that have defined commercial aviation.

FAQ

Why is it dangerous to take bags during an emergency evacuation?
Retrieving bags can block aisles and exits, delay evacuation times, and increase the risk of injury or death, especially in situations involving fire or smoke.

What does the 90-second evacuation rule mean?
Aircraft must be designed and certified to allow all passengers and crew to evacuate within 90 seconds, using only half of the available exits, under simulated emergency conditions.

What are airlines doing to address this problem?
Airlines are updating safety briefings, using clear and standardized messaging, leveraging Safety Management Systems, and launching education campaigns to encourage passengers to leave belongings behind during emergencies.

Have any technological solutions been proposed?
Some have suggested locking overhead bins during emergencies, but this raises concerns about access to emergency equipment and unintended safety risks.

Is this problem unique to the United States?
No. Incidents and regulatory responses have occurred worldwide, and similar passenger behaviors have been observed in many countries.

Sources

• NTSB Emergency Evacuation Study
• FAA SAFO 25003
• IATA