Airliners.net

Hi everyone,
I thought I would post this here to get thoughts from the REAL collectors.
I'm doing a report on what people think of removing safety cards from commercial aircraft.

Is it right to remove safety cards from aircraft?
So what do you think and tell me why and you will be featured in my report.
Thanks in advance!

No, it's not right. In fact, it's illegal. Immature 'collectors' who think they hobby takes precedence over safety has exactly zero sympathy in my book.

It is right as long as the cabin crew is informed and approves. Usually they even provide a spare from their storage that is in a perfect condition.

I'm a F/A for a large Airline. We keep spares on every airplane. Whenever a collector or a kid asks I will give them one of the new ones.

I have a question for people who says we can't take them off the plane, how about if we didn't get it in the plane?

I only took one when on a final flight experience. on a BA 757. In fact we were encouraged to. I don't find them all that 'collectable' in ordinary circumstances so tend to leave them in place.

If you mean just taking the card without asking then no, it's THEFT.

There's also other considerations, example, taking them is tapering with the aircraft's safety equipment. Idiotic plus potentially causing issues and delays after you've gone.
If crossing an international border, some countries customs inspections consider safety cards as prohibited items. (Because of the theft/safety issues).
They cost airlines a small fortune, smaller niche airlines that are supposedly 'collectable' have struggled with the costs of continually replacing stolen cards.

If you really do feel the need to obtain one, ask the cabin crew. They'll know if they have the replacements on board and if the airline allows it.
If they say no, chalk it up to experience and leave it in the seat pocket.
If really desperate to obtain, write to the airline afterwards and request one.

On every airline I've flown, the card explicitly states "Do Not Remove This Card From the Airplane". In fact on Delta, that message is printed in block capitals, so it is safe to assume that the airline would prefer you not to take them. The in-flight magazine, however, is yours should you choose to take it.

As ChrisKen mentioned, it costs the airline a lot to constantly replace missing safety cards, but their presence and content are also mandated by the FAA. See: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policie ... ntID/22488
One could argue that few passengers actually read them, but that's irrelevant, because the FAA demands that a card be available for each passenger to access.

I would never remove a safety card from an airplane unless it was given to me by a member of the crew.

I will admit I did it when I was in my teens a couple times. I took one from a DL 727 back in 2002 and one from a NW DC-10-40 that same year right before getting off the plane. I knew i would never fly on either again as both were being phased out asap. Not justifying it because I was a teen, I was well aware I wasn't supposed to but I still have those cards today and always will. They remind me of when I was an eager teen first experiencing wanderlust looking up at the sky every time I hear a jet. I still do it but wouldn't take a safety card. Hell i barely even take pics anymore but I still feel that travel bug engrained in me.

i think it is good as i collect myself but you gotta ask before

There are always a stack of extra cards on every aircraft. There only needs to be one card per set of seats. I doubt that many people actually take the safety card on purpose.

Is taking a few Delta 747 cards a bad idea? Well, the 747 is almost out of service, and they should have plenty. With that being said, is it that bad?

On final flights no. Maybe you should ask the FA's tho

Cards are normally restocked every flight during cleaning (the cleaners will organize the magazine, safety card, info material, and barf bag), and if not that flight, every night when the aircraft is detailed they will usually get restocked.

Better to just ask, but don't feel guilty if you take one. Most people don't read them anyway, and snooze through the safety demo. In the event of an emergency, people are too panicked to consider opening it and reading it, even if there was enough time. And if the circumstance renders enough time to read one, then there is enough time to look over your seat mate's card.

It's required safety equipment, and it is the airline's responsibility to make sure they are stocked. The airline replaces hundreds of them a day across the fleet that are torn, ripped, or have coffee spilled on them. They will not notice in the least if one goes missing. In fact, many cards do go missing and you usually find them under a seat several rows back, or lodged in the tight space between the sidewall and the seat. I used to restock them on overnight aircraft, and I'd usually replace 10-15 a night across several aircraft that were missing, or damaged. It's really not a huge deal.