How come airlines don't have "Buy a plane ticket, get a parachute free" specials?

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The Shadow

Questions about parachutes have been asked on this site many times. In short:

1. Most accidents occur during takeoff and landing, not while cruising at altitude. Parachutes don't do any good when you're moving at 150mph on a runway.

2. You can't just jump out of a plane at 500+ mph at 35,000 feet. The air is too thin to breathe and the temperature is well below zero. If the lack of oxygen doesn't kill you, the temperature will. If the pilot has enough control to descend to a safe altitude, he/she has enough control to land at the nearest airport.

3. You can't realistically open the doors at altitude on most planes. They're designed so that the air pressure inside the plane pushes out and helps seal the doors. Even if you get the door open, you will rapidly decompress the airplane which can damage the aircraft. There will also be no air or heat for the passengers who are waiting in line to jump, which will kill them.

4. You can't safely jump out of an airplane without training.

There are many other reasons, but you get the idea.

If this worked, wouldn't some government safety agency somewhere in the world require parachutes? None do. There is a reason for it and that reason is that they don't work in a commercial environment.

Ryan

I didn't major in marketing, but I'm sure that slogan would cause jaws to drop in board meeting!

designgirl

Because nothing is free anymore. Not even a Diet Coke. grrrrrr

Live.For Love United

then no one would take that airline!

MikeyG

Serious answer?
1- Weight. The number of parachutes an aircraft would need to carry makes the weight of the aircraft rise dramatically, causing the number of passengers, bags, and fuel amount to be lowered, causing the price of a ticket to rise.
2- Practicality. The time it would take for people to get strapped into parachutes and out the aircraft would be rather long. It's just not feasable to get everyone ready to go in a short time.
3- Liability- There are a number of liability reasons why an airline would not provide parachutes. You have to be trained to jump, or you can be severely injured or killed if not.

zafir

Because no commercial flights carry parachutes for the passengers!

Mike V

I'm not too sure how many people would fly on an airline offering THAT perk.

But then again, airlines really are cutting back these days so maybe you missed the ear of free parachutes.

Question Queen

That should be an automatic amenity.

J.B. Holiday

They give you the free floating seat cushion.
Budget cuts took out the parachutes, a long time ago.

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