British Airways is now offering a crash course -- literally.
The day-long class in plane safety is now being offered three times a week to frequent fliers and business travelers. With luck, none of the attendees will ever need to use the skills taught at the seminar, which include how to jump out of a plane and onto a safety slide, but it's better safe than sorry, especially in the sky.
The course, which teaches how to survive in the case of a plane crash, is a new measure British Airways is taking to try to knock sense into fliers who think flying should be taken lightly. Too many people ignore the safety warnings at the beginning of every flight, assured that they will reach the end safely.
''In this day and age, everybody is so comfortable with flying; they get on planes and don't consider safety,'' said Andy Clubb, a British Airways employer.
The training course was first organized to teach employees at oil companies, who often flew to hard-to-reach places, how to survive a plane crash. British Airways recently opened the course to anyone who wants to pay the $300 price for a safety course, or employees at other companies who fly frequently.
In the course, a crash is simulated in a model of a Boeing 737. Participants are taught not to hesitate before leaping out of the plane and onto the inflatable slide to safety. They also learn the proper brace position for turbulence on the flight: feet flat on the floor, torso bent as far as you can in your seat, head close to your chest. Then, passengers should place their hands behind their head, with the non-dominant hand covering the dominant hand. Fingers should be placed over each other, not connecting. This position should help protect your dominant hand so that, when you're ready to leave the cabin, you can remove your seatbelt.
For the most part, flying is fairly safe. According to the aviation company Ascend, only 138 flight crashes have been reported around the world with deaths. However, flyers should still be prepared for the eventuality of a crash, however unlikely it may be.
''The likelihood is that you are never going to have to do it in a real-life situation. But knowing now that you could do it just gives you a bit more confidence,'' said Sarah Barnett, who took one of the safety classes.
