The importance of aircraft safety cards

An aircraft safety card is a printed document that instructs passengers during a flight about the procedures for dealing with various emergency conditions that might arise during a flight.

Airlines usually provide safety cards on all commercial flights and place them in the back pocket of the seat in front of each passenger. Pre-flight safety demonstrations, either conducted by cabin crew or through a video presentation, instruct passengers to familiarise themselves with the safety card prior to take-off.

The cards are often laminated or made of plastic to ensure they are robust enough to be handled regularly by different passengers. The instructions need to be specific to the model of the airplane they are found in. The contents are usually in the form of pictures, graphically illustrating such procedures as buckling the seat belts, bracing for impact in an airplane crash, dealing with depressurisation, opening the emergency exit door or inflating life rafts in the event of a water landing.

The graphic representation allows safety cards to be understood by those speaking a different language than the flight attendants, as well as children and illiterate passengers. Some airlines provide braille versions of their safety cards for the visually impaired.

Aircraft safety cards are a collectible item amongst aviation enthusiasts, since they are a reflection of an airline and its brand, an aircraft model, a culture, and a historical period.

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