Your safety and behaviour

Your behaviour plays a key part in ensuring that you and other passengers fly safely and comfortably. During your flight you should follow the cabin crew's directions.

Cabin baggage

Follow the cabin crew’s instructions on how to stow your cabin baggage. You can put it:

• in the overhead compartment
• under the seat in front of you, unless you’re in an exit row.

If you need to evacuate, you must leave your bags behind.

Tarmac safety

The tarmac is a very busy area. There are baggage carts, catering vehicles and fuel trucks all moving around the aircraft. There are also propellers and the potential of jet blasts.

Only ever go where airline staff direct you. They are there to ensure the safety of you and your family and friends.

If you need to walk across the tarmac to get to or from your flight:

• look at what is happening around you
• walk straight to the aircraft – don’t wander
• watch any children in your care, and keep them close to you
• don’t use your mobile device
• be aware of other aircraft nearby with their engines running (you might not hear these over your own aircraft’s noise).

For your safety, always follow airline staff instructions. Pay attention to where you are walking outside the terminal building and across the tarmac to board or leave your flights.

Stay away from propellers

Be aware of where the propellers are in relation to the aircraft doors. Especially at night.

It’s best to stay away from aircraft propellers. They can turn unexpectedly in the wind, or if the engine switches on accidentally.

Be aware of jet blasts

A jet blast is the invisible, high speed and high temperature exhaust that emits from the back of a jet engine. The embarking and disembarking of passengers on the tarmac increases the potential of a propeller or jet blast related incident.

The blast from a jet on the tarmac, without even revving its engine, can even lift a truck, turn it over and dump it. The power of the engine is enough, even at low throttle, to raise sheets of iron off roofs.

Passenger behaviour

When you’re in the airport or onboard your aircraft, you can't:

• use language or behaviour that is threatening, abusive or insulting
• behave in an offensive or disorderly way, including physical assault, verbal abuse or sexual harassment
• interfere with pilots or cabin crew as they do their job
• interfere with aircraft equipment
• do anything that threatens the safety of the aircraft or the people onboard
• smoke anywhere on the aircraft
• disobey instructions, such as not complying with the seatbelt sign or a crew member request.

If you don’t follow these directions, airline personnel and police can issue a verbal or written warning.

Airlines or state or federal police may refer to us about incidents that have breached civil aviation legislation. This could lead to the issue of an aviation infringement notice.

Unruly behaviour

It is against the law to behave in a disorderly, unruly or disruptive manner on board an aircraft. If you do this, you can be fined and prosecuted.

The captain can place anyone on board an aircraft under arrest if they threaten the safety of:

• the aircraft
• its crew
• its passengers.

In some cases, this might involve the crew restraining a passenger.

It is a requirement that you always follow the instructions of crew members. This is something that forms part of your conditions of carriage.

Alcohol

Alcohol has a greater effect on the human body at altitude than on the ground. If you drink too much alcohol before a flight, the airline will refuse to let you on board.

It is an offence to enter an aircraft whilst intoxicated, or to be intoxicated on an aircraft.

You can’t consume your own alcohol onboard. You can only drink what the cabin crew provides.

Denied boarding a flight

An airline has the authority to refuse to board any passenger that displays behaviour presenting a risk to the safety of the:

• aircraft
• people on board the aircraft or their property.

Denying a passenger to board a plane does not mean they are permanently banned to travel by air.

Denying boarding is a way for crew members to ensure a safe workplace and other passengers' safe transportation.

An airline should be clear as to when and under what conditions passengers can board the aircraft after an incident has occurred.

BEan SAFE cabin

Our BEan SAFE cabin safety video shows you onboard safety tips and techniques to improve your flying experience.