Novel risks involving airline passengers’ behavior with social media and/or in-flight use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) are being validated a bit at a time, say two U.S. cabin safety specialists. Early signs lead them to expect these changes to be a lasting consequence of governmental decisions to accommodate public demand for expanded in-flight use of passenger-supplied PEDs and media they produce. So they recommend that training programs specifically prepare flight attendants to be resilient in coping with the effects.
Speaking at the World Aviation Training Conference and Tradeshow (WATS 2014) in April, Larry Parrigin, manager of curriculum development, Southwest Airlines University, focused on disruptive changes that social media have brought to the cabin environment, airline classrooms and the lives of flight attendants — especially when crewmembers’ decisions and on-the-job actions “go viral” within minutes on the Internet. Candace Kolander, coordinator for air…
