Gate 41

In the cabin

Why keep my seat belt on?

The sign is off. Do I really still need my belt?

Keep your belt fastened whenever you are seated, even when the sign is off. Turbulence can arrive with no warning, and most turbulence injuries happen to people who were not buckled in.

Wear it low and snug across your hips, over the bones of your pelvis, not across your stomach. To fasten, push the flat metal end into the buckle and pull the loose end tight. To release, lift the flap. Unlike a car, an aircraft buckle opens like a latch, which is what the crew demonstrate.

When the seat belt sign is on, stay seated unless you need the toilet and the crew say it is fine. The sign always comes on for taxi, takeoff, descent, landing and turbulence. A chime tells you it changed.

A little deeper

During takeoff and landing the belt is also what keeps you in place in the unlikely event of a sudden stop. Seats, belts and floor fittings are tested together, and the aircraft seats are certified to take loads many times your body weight.

Infants under two are usually held on a lap with a loop belt or, on some airlines, travel in their own approved seat. Rules differ by airline and country, and the crew will guide you.

Honest limits: a belt cannot make turbulence feel any smoother. It is simply the cheapest, most effective protection there is.

See it in Gate 41, in the cabin

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