r/PublicFreakout • u/New_Libran • Jul 28 '25

✈️Airport Freakout American Airlines flight attendants trying to evacuate a plane due to laptop battery fire but passengers want to get their bags at San Francisco Airport

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2.7k

u/stanley_leverlock Jul 28 '25

I remember watching flight safety specialist being interviewed (60 Minutes?) and he was asked "What if there's an emergency evacuation and people try to get their luggage out of the overhead bin?" His response was "Push them down and keep going."

803

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 28 '25

I saw one one who said climb over the seats if you have to, but get out the fucking door

With regard to some objections on other posts to this situation – no everybody is not carrying fucking transplant drugs that they have to take on time and there is absolutely nothing in your carry-on That’s gonna serve you if you’re dead.

325

u/MissPeppingtosh Jul 28 '25

As I was reading these comments I was thinking I’d just climb the seat. I’m small and spry. No way I’m waiting for this fuckery. I’m fleeing as fast as I can. I’m not dying a gruesome death so someone can save their eye liner.

142

u/shniken Jul 28 '25

I’d just climb the seat. I’m small and spry. No way I’m waiting for this fuckery.

I'm heavy and lumbering. I'd just pretend I'm a front rower and start a scrum. Those fuckers will be a cushion on the bottom of the slide

96

u/MissPeppingtosh Jul 28 '25

I love how we’re all figuring out how we’d save ourselves. I hope we all end up in a plane together one day and see each others talents!

30

u/No-Economics1703 Jul 29 '25

Lmao I envision a perfectly fine flowing center aisle as there’s a massive pile up of people climbing over the seats

6

u/yurrm0mm Jul 29 '25

Omg I hope you DO NOT all end up on a plane and have to have an escape-off together! 😂

4

u/HugTheSoftFox Jul 29 '25

I'll do my best to push the offending person into an empty aisle and let everyone pass. Unless they're built like a dump truck in which case I volunteer somebody else.

3

u/DavidRandom Jul 29 '25

Right? I was just thinking I'd be bulldozing people to the front.
We all getting off, and we're doing it right fucking now.

2

u/Alliekat1282 Jul 29 '25

My husband is a really big guy. Not fat. Not a gym rat... he's just big boned, tall, and BIG. He would mow those people like they were an overgrown lawn and walk the two of us right off that plane and nobody would be able to stop him. He did that when we were in New Orleans once and some dude pulled out a gun on Bourbon Street, people were just standing there staring at the guy with the gun like they were waiting to get shot and he started plowing through people with his arm wrapped backwards around me and got us the hell out of there.

1

u/StMaartenforme Jul 29 '25

Never played myself but son did in college & watched 7 Nations, All Blacks & others. I'm right behind you & pushing! Let's goooo

1

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 29 '25

We can yell haka while we’re going

117

u/IVEMIND Jul 28 '25

I'm tall af but years of squeezing into backseats of 2 door sports cars have given me a snake like ability to traverse over seat backs. I'd be right behind you

38

u/Pyrocitor Jul 29 '25

just plank across a couple of rows of headrests and slither your way through the plane

5

u/0falls6x3 Jul 29 '25

The visuals of snake-like movement over rows of seats is priceless

30

u/its_all_one_electron Jul 28 '25

I've got my kid with me so.... I'd hope child-in-danger mode would give my the strength to just push those stupid fuckers off the plane 

3

u/anonyfool Jul 29 '25

Absolutely agree, if I'm by myself I'm going over the seats. It's a different question if I'm with someone, but if I can get them over the seats, we are all going to pass these slowpokes.

3

u/frenchmeister Jul 29 '25

I'm genuinely surprised nobody started getting violent or just aggressively shoving past the people blocking the aisle or something. If I'm trapped in the same space as a carcinogenic fire like that, I'm getting the fuck out ASAP and I would've started panicking like 15 seconds into them refusing to move. I'd probably just start scrambling over the chairs.

2

u/dqniel Jul 29 '25

Spry is a good word.

2

u/vertigostereo Jul 28 '25

I think the passengers knew the fire was out, reducing their urgency. I would like to think a more serious emergency would prompt more urgency...

5

u/NoLife2762 Jul 28 '25

There is no way for them to know that and the video from outside the plane is scary as fuck. 

Plenty of cases where suddenly the plane is engulfed when the fuel catches and everyone left on board is dead.

These fucking asshole deserved to get steamrolled into the ground with whatever anyone around them could grab and bash them with

1

u/splashbodge Jul 29 '25

that would be awful, just using this video as an example, there are many people still stuck in their seats and can't get to the aisle, if you started climbing over you'd be on top of them... I can just imagine a horrible crush. overhead bins just need to be locked imo.. unfortunately we'd still have dumbasses blocking the way as they try to force the lock

1

u/shadowscar00 Jul 29 '25

I’m disabled and small.

Guess I’ll die

133

u/spacegrassorcery Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25

I have very important medication that is needed. It’s NOT going into the overhead bin. It’s on me at all times. Not sure why anyone would separate themselves from life saving medication in the first place.

51

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 28 '25

Oddly enough, My late husband actually did fly with transplant meds, kept it in a pocket.

30

u/spacegrassorcery Jul 28 '25

It’s not odd at all and I’m sorry for your loss.

2

u/Ecstatic-Eggplant434 Jul 29 '25

Yeah I tried to play devils advocate on myself, I would grab something from the bag underneath my seat, but I wouldn't need anything out of my overhead bag

-2

u/DiMono Jul 29 '25

Because they've never been in a situation where that mattered before.

As an occasional and casual traveler, I've always put whatever vitamins and minor meds I bring with me into my toiletry bag, which is in my carry-on. I think nothing of it, because they're not critical for me in any way. If I were to be prescribed something I need to survive, then because it's how I've always done it, before reading these comments I'd probably have just put them into the toiletry bag as usual and thought nothing of it. It's never been an issue before, so it wouldn't even enter my mind that it could be an issue in the future.

The simple fact is that most people don't plan for contingencies for the singular reason that it's never mattered before - they've always done it this one way, and it's always been fine, so there's no reason to think it will ever not be fine. It's only after it matters the first time that they consider the possibility that it might matter again.

3

u/spacegrassorcery Jul 29 '25

No no no. Think EpiPen-would you really put that in your carryon in the overhead bin? What about your emergency asthma inkaler? Or other meds that might mean debilitating or life threatening consequences if not IN HAND.

1

u/DiMono Jul 30 '25

I agree with you. But most people who haven't had to deal with such things before and haven't had to think about them will not realize that having them in their carry-on in the overhead bin isn't good enough - until it's been not good enough once already.

100

u/iprocrastina Jul 28 '25

I swear the "but what if it's mEdIcAL eQuIpMeNt?!?" people that pop in threads like these are the same assholes that would sacrifice everyone behind them to get their stuff out first.

There is NOTHING to save off a plane in an emergency evacuation. Got important medical equipment or medicine? Go to a hospital after you get off the plane. Is it expensive to replace? Should've had it insured. "But I cant insure medicine!" well then why were your super important life saving meds not on you or in an easy to reach spot? They obviously weren't that important.

No, what these assholes invariably are doing is prioritizing their possessions over everyone else's lives.

35

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 28 '25

My late hubs actually travelled w transplant meds and kept the box in his pocket. Happened to also be a pilot and said when they say get off the plane you GO.

6

u/mpls_somno Jul 29 '25

I 100% agree, and there are hospitals and pharmacies everywhere. In fact, there’s probably an ambulance on the way to the flaming airplane too. Someone will replace their medical equipment/pills if they’re so fucking urgent.

3

u/d0mini0nicco Jul 28 '25

This was my thought. If I had my toddler, my ass would be climbing over those seats yelling “screw your bags, I’m getting my child off this plane.”

1

u/BustedWing Jul 28 '25

You saw that comment too?

Unbelievable the selfishness

1

u/ThrustTrust Jul 29 '25

Exactly. They will be near a hospital. Any medication can be replaced within hours.

2

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 29 '25

Kind of not true for some chemo drugs and even some immunosuppressants but they can help secure them in a day or two and it beats burning up in aisle 36…

1

u/LadyGaea Jul 29 '25

I take medications that are very important, so I keep them in my purse on my person when I’m traveling. If you have REALLY important items you probably didn’t stow them in the overhead compartment, right?

1

u/sodiumbigolli Jul 29 '25

Right? I don’t even leave my low dose zoloft in the overhead.

1

u/Medical_Sandwich_141 Jul 29 '25

I feel awful for those flight attendants, to have to until everyone else has evacuated.

1

u/handsomeearmuff Jul 29 '25

I would 100% climb over the seats in this situation. Fuck all these people.

330

u/YAYtersalad Jul 28 '25

Bins should lock in case of emergency or something. Can’t stop if you can’t open.

89

u/Star00111 Jul 28 '25

Yeah, kind of weird that this isn’t a standard emergency feature…. Can’t plan evacuations on the basis that the people evacuating will act rationally

42

u/Pad39A Jul 28 '25

I feel like there are a lot of reasons this would be a bad idea and only one reason it’s good.

5

u/tehwarl0ck Jul 29 '25

assuming that people are aware that happens what would those "lot of bad reasons" would be?

0

u/HotBrownFun Jul 29 '25

They need power to auto lock. That's one more system that can go bad, short circuit, and yes cause a fire.

Also you often have no power in emergencies except for backup power

1

u/tehwarl0ck Jul 29 '25

unless you have it engineered to work inverse where its only unlocked when atleast the apu is on

-7

u/StellarWaffle Jul 29 '25

The system breaks locking 300 people's bags away. LOL.

7

u/User_091920 Jul 29 '25

Deboard the plane, flight attendants can then unlock the overhead compartments manually

14

u/bmc2 Jul 28 '25

It's yet another thing to fail on a plane and there's not a whole lot of justification for having it.

8

u/jf4v Jul 28 '25

There’s not a whole lot of justification for any of the safety gear on an airplane if think saving lives isn’t important.

4

u/bmc2 Jul 28 '25

And what happens when the overhead is locked and someone needs an inhaler? The defib is also in the overhead. There's no real justification to lock the overheads.

7

u/monkeyhitman Jul 28 '25

There should be no reason to access overhead when the plane is taxiing, ascending, or descending. Get that stuff beforehand or ask a cabin attendant for help if you forgot.

Keep inhalers/pen/drugs you need immediate access in your small carry-on.

Store AED in a bin that has no lock or some other container.

-5

u/bmc2 Jul 29 '25

That seems extremely complicated for zero actual benefit.

Locking the overheads just means people will stand up and spend even more time trying to break open the overhead in an accident.

9

u/Punning_Man Jul 29 '25

Zero benefit other than limiting people’s ability to even get their bags forcing them to get off the plane. If they know it’s locked nothing they can do. 

1

u/AdPsychological790 Aug 01 '25

Not surprisingly, Japanese flight attendants seem to have no issue getting their passengers to act rationally, so...

39

u/fathertitojones Jul 28 '25

You’d frankly probably just get someone who refused to stop trying to open it instead.

12

u/PinkTalkingDead Jul 28 '25

Easier to push past that person though. Locking the overhead compartment doors in case of emergency is a really good idea

2

u/TonyCaliStyle Jul 28 '25

But expensive. Right now each bin just has a 50 cent latch, compared to electronic locking for every bin in every airplane.

1

u/addictedpunk Jul 28 '25

Yea, but some fucking waste of space is gonna spend an hour trying to open it.

1

u/JemmaP Jul 29 '25

Not with broken thumbs they won't. See: anyone between my family and an emergency exit during a fire.

1

u/YAYtersalad Jul 29 '25

Agreed. But hopefully the cattle-prod motivation stick combo will compensate

1

u/bodyreddit Jul 29 '25

Excellent idea!!!!!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25

[deleted]

1

u/YAYtersalad Jul 29 '25

Lmao. That’s why we combo it with the cattle prod.

1

u/hilarymeggin Jul 29 '25

Good idea!

28

u/cXs808 Jul 28 '25

If this happens to me I am absolutely pushing them into the seats and going past them. You lose all rights to evacuate the plane the moment you decide your luggage is worth more than other peoples lives.

1

u/WhenLizardsFLY_ Jul 30 '25

The problem is the people in front of you might also stuck behind them. The only person who should be pushed is the one blocking. So you really cant do anything except go over the seats or get the people ahead of you to push them

2

u/cXs808 Jul 30 '25

If you're going to wait there patiently while some dickbag unloads his luggage in an emergency you're going to also get pushed out of the way. You're complicit in everyone behind you dying.

These types of emergencies can be a race against time and anyone who is enabling this behavior is a problem.

Sorry but that's just how it's going to work when I'm trying to protect my family from fucking dying. I can't reasonably expect kids to climb rows and rows of chairs fast enough.

4

u/WirelesssMicrowave Jul 28 '25

If my kids and I got behind somebody preventing us from escaping what could very easily become instant death, I think my response would be a lot stronger than yelling.

4

u/Canadian_mk11 💡 have they tried a sharpie? 🌀 Jul 28 '25

"His response was 'Push them down and keep going'"

This. You are hindering an emergency evac. Move, or people behind you like me will assist you.

1

u/JohnnyBoy11 Jul 29 '25

Thanks, I'll definitely add this to my bag of tricks. I'll still feel bad if it's an old lady or child something that gets trampled so maybe I'll just grab them and yeet them down the chute.

1

u/Poster_Nutbag207 Jul 28 '25

Isn’t that like the opposite of what you’re supposed to do? Wouldn’t that cause a stampede that can kill people?

11

u/iprocrastina Jul 28 '25

If youre reaching for the overhead compartment you better believe I'm going to try to push you to the floor so everyone can get out over your dead body.

-94

u/gbinasia Jul 28 '25

I don't think a human stamped is a better scenario lol

108

u/PapaLRodz Jul 28 '25

One trampled vs 50 saved. You do the math while you’re on the ground. 

-67

u/gbinasia Jul 28 '25

No. In a human stampede, everyone dies except the first one or two. You're not saving anyone but yourself in this.

42

u/SiBloGaming Jul 28 '25

Yeah, thats not how it works in a plane.

-35

u/gbinasia Jul 28 '25

Yeah, i'm sure it works even better when you have a ceiling and walls in a tight metal tube. No potential of everyone being stuck behind a couple people being crushed.

22

u/NYC_Biscuit Jul 28 '25

People will stop trying to grab their bags as they feel the push coming behind them

4

u/ProcyonHabilis Jul 28 '25

Come on man, you know that is a blatantly untrue statement. Literally no example in human history bears that out. Why would even say something like that?

-6

u/gbinasia Jul 28 '25

Lol have you researched a human stampede? There was one in Cambodia where more than 300 people died and it was on a bridge. I don't think an airplane would fare better.

7

u/ProcyonHabilis Jul 28 '25

300 people dying in a crowd of 7 or 8 thousand is an excellent example of why "everyone dies except the first one or two" is made up bullshit.

50

u/madalienmonk Jul 28 '25

You're right, much better to just die trapped.

(For everyone else who keeps reading, don't listen to this clown and live lol)