What is the purpose of the folding table latch on the plane?
Lock the airplane folding table – Source: spm
Despite a few rare accidents, you should know that the plane remains the safest means of transport in the world. In the world of aviation, security precautions are very high and everything has been thought out down to the last detail. Moreover, as you have seen, even following multiple flights, passengers are always entitled to safety instructions to familiarize themselves with wearing lifejackets and oxygen masks before departure. Without forgetting the obligatory passage of the hostesses to check your seats and check if the belts are properly closed. However, and this is somewhat normal, you don’t know the plane inside out either. That said, you have probably noticed a strange fact: at the rows of emergency exits, the locking latches of the folding tables can only be opened in one direction.
Rather intriguing, no? It turns out that this small detail can have a decisive effect in an emergency. Indeed, as Jörg Waber, spokesman for the airline Lufthansa, explains: If the latch is only locked on one side, it is to prevent a sudden and accidental opening of the table during an evacuation “. Indeed, if the lock might be opened in both directions, the table would risk accidentally falling back on the backrests and therefore blocking the movement of passengers during evacuation through the emergency exits. These seconds are decisive and crucial in such an emergency context. Unnecessarily wasting them can delay the rescue process. That’s why everything was calculated to the nearest second. Moreover, in the same sense, it is forbidden to leave bags or other luggage on the ground in the rows of emergency exits.
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Why do plane tables have to be folded during take-off or landing?
Table attached to airplane seat – Source: spm
Precisely, speaking of this famous folding table, as much to say that the passengers are very fond of it. It is sure that it is very practical for placing drinks, the meal tray, but also newspapers, the computer, the Smartphone or the tablet. Children also particularly appreciate it for drawing on the coloring books, often offered by the company. But, when checking the hostesses and stewards, we are systematically asked to check the file at each take-off, landing or even when there is turbulence during the flight. But why is it so necessary to fold this table? Chris Foster, an EasyJet pilot, explained to the Daily Star newspaper that “the airplane table might result in injury to passengers, if unfolded during turbulence and during the ascent or descent of the device “. Therefore, if cabin crew urges passengers to follow this rule, it is only for their own safety. At the same time, it makes sense: if the plane is suddenly the victim of an air leak and there are disturbances, obviously the table risks hitting us and injuring us. It is not impossible to have bruises or, in the worst case, a broken rib if the shock is really violent. And, as we raised above, folding the table is also essential in the event of an emergency evacuation to clear the emergency exits and not block the way of other passengers. This simple reflex can save lives, including yours!
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