Aircraft safety card

General information

The safety cards are required by airlines on all commercial flights, and are usually located in the seat pocket in front of each passenger, and occasionally on a placard on the back of seats. The safety card provides much more information than passengers receive in the oral pre-flight briefing. Because of that pre-flight safety demonstrations, either conducted by the flight attendants or through a video presentation, most often instruct passengers to familiarize themselves with the safety cards.

Safety card instructions are typically in the form of illustrated pictures not only to help overcome literacy and language issues, but because graphic images are understood better, retained longer in memory, and are preferred over text.

The cards are sometimes laminated or made of plastic, however, this is discouraged because, in the event of a cabin fire, burning plastics increase the toxins in the cabin. Braille cards are also offered on many mainstream airlines.

Collectibles

Aircraft safety cards are also a collectible item among the aviation enthusiast community since they are a reflection of an airline, an aircraft type, a culture, and a historical period. Safety cards are collected from civil and military aircraft, rare cards have been known to fetch over US$1,000 at auction.

References

References

1. Johnson, Daniel A.. (1984). "Just in case : a passenger's guide to airplane safety and survival". Plenum.
2. Eric, Ericson. (2003). "Design for impact". Princeton Architectural Press.
3. (2017-12-26). "From staid to funky, inflight safety card design sends a brand message - Runway Girl". Runway Girl.