AIRLINE and aviation authorities on Saturday reminded travelers to always wear seat belts during a flight, even when the signs are not illuminated, to protect them from possible injury if the plane experiences a sudden downdraft.
The reminders came after a Philippine Airlines plane encountered clear air turbulence (CAT) on Sept. 13 which resulted in the injury of two passengers and four flight crew before it landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines officials insisted that the warnings to air travelers is a must and for those who fell asleep during the flight to keep them strapped all the time.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said airline personnel found that some passengers might not see the point of wearing seat belts which is a very important thing when traveling in a plane.
Apolonio said clear air turbulence, particularly during typhoon season, could neither be seen nor detected by conventional radar and can strike even in the absence of clouds.
He reminded passengers to wear seat belts all the time, “a little inconvenience but it will save us from accident.”
He explained that CAT can be present in almost all altitudes even in 32,000 feet or above, that cannot be detected.
Ma. Cielo Villaluna, PAL External Communications manager, said it is already a policy of airlines to inform and advise passengers to keep their seatbelt fastened whenever they are seated or on their seats.
However, she said, “a few passengers ignore the warnings and look what happened. Most of the injured passengers are those who ignored the fasten seatbelt signs.”
One of the PAL injured passengers during the Sept. 13 incident was 42-year-old Anika Kemba Ellis-Mungin, a member of the American pop group KC and the Sunshine Band, which was scheduled to perform a concert Sept. 14 at the Araneta Coliseum.
CAT is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different and turbulent speeds meet. This is something that can occur anytime during a flight and there are no visual indicators that can indicate oncoming CAT.