7.2 Passenger Boarding & Pre-Take-Off Duties
Key Takeaways
- Nig. CARs 8.9.1.4 requires passengers to be made familiar with seat belts, emergency exits, life jackets, oxygen dispensing equipment where its use is anticipated, and other emergency equipment including briefing cards.
- Passengers must also be made aware of the locations and general manner of use of the principal emergency equipment carried for collective use.
- Carry-on baggage must never block access to emergency exits while the aircraft is moving on the surface, during take-off or landing, or while passengers remain on board on the ground.
- Boarding is the crew's best opportunity to observe passengers for intoxication, illness, agitation or unsuitability for an exit row, because no person may permit the boarding of a person who appears to be intoxicated.
- Before take-off each crew member conducts a silent review of their door, their equipment, their commands and their actions for an emergency in that phase.
Boarding is an assessment, not a greeting
Every passenger passes within a metre of a crew member exactly once. That moment is the operator's only systematic opportunity to assess the cabin's population before the doors close.
What crew members are looking for:
| Observation | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Signs of intoxication — smell, gait, speech, aggression | Nig. CARs 8.9.1.7 provides that no person may permit the boarding or serving of any person who appears to be intoxicated or who demonstrates by manner or physical indications that they are under the influence of drugs, except a medical patient under proper care |
| Signs of illness — pallor, sweating, breathlessness, obvious infection | A passenger who is unwell at the gate will be worse at cruise altitude |
| Agitation, distress or unusual behaviour | Early identification is the cheapest point at which to manage a disruptive passenger event |
| Mobility, age and capability at exit rows | Exit seat suitability under 8.9.2.11 |
| Oversized or heavy cabin baggage | Stowage capacity, bin load limits and loading |
| Unaccompanied minors, infants, PRMs, medical cases, escorted passengers | Handover and briefing requirements |
| Items of concern — leaking, smoking, strongly smelling or clearly hazardous articles | Dangerous goods in passenger baggage |
Report concerns to the SCCM while there is still time to act. Once the door is closed, every option becomes more expensive.
Stowage
The rule is stated as a prohibition rather than a preference. Nig. CARs 8.9.2.7 provides that no person may allow carry-on baggage or other items to block access to the emergency exits when the aircraft is moving on the surface, during take-off or landing, or while passengers remain on board on the ground.
Applied in the cabin:
- Nothing on the floor at an exit row, in the aisle, or in a doorway or vestibule.
- Under-seat items must fit fully within the marked area and must not intrude into the escape path.
- Overhead bins are loaded within the placarded maximum and latched positively. Heavy items go at the bottom of the stack and towards the hinge line.
- Bulky items — instruments, equipment cases, wheelchairs and pushchairs — go in the hold unless the operator has an approved cabin stowage for them.
- Nothing covers floor proximity escape path marking.
- Nig. CARs 8.9.2.10 additionally provides that no person may allow a person of reduced mobility to occupy seats where their presence could impede the crew in their duties, obstruct access to emergency equipment, or impede the emergency evacuation of the aircraft.
The passenger safety briefing
Nig. CARs 8.9.1.4 sets the mandatory content. The PIC shall ensure that crew members and passengers are made familiar, by oral briefing or other means, with the location and use of, where appropriate:
- Seat belts;
- Emergency exits;
- Life jackets;
- Oxygen dispensing equipment, if the use of oxygen is anticipated; and
- Other emergency equipment provided for individual use, including passenger emergency briefing cards.
The PIC shall also ensure all persons on board are aware of the locations and general manner of use of the principal emergency equipment carried for collective use, and are briefed on all subjects for the specific operations conducted and included in the operations manual as approved by the Authority.
Part 8 adds two further briefing obligations discussed elsewhere in this guide: cabin crew shall include in their briefings a request that passengers keep seat belts fastened while seated, and the exit row seating invitation and reference to the passenger information cards.
Delivery matters. Whether the briefing is a live demonstration or a video, cabin crew position themselves to observe the cabin, confirm passengers are attending, and give individual briefings where required — to passengers requiring special assistance, unaccompanied minors, passengers in exit rows and any passenger who could not follow the standard briefing.
Securing the cabin before pushback
The pre-departure secure check, in a fixed order so nothing is missed:
- Passengers seated, seat belts fastened and visible, infants secured per the operator's procedure.
- Seat backs upright, tables stowed and latched, armrests down, footrests stowed, window blinds up, personal electronic devices in the required mode.
- Baggage stowed — bins latched, nothing loose, nothing in aisles or exit areas.
- Exit rows and escape paths verified clear, exit seating suitability verified.
- Galleys secured — carts braked and latched into stowages, ovens latched, containers stowed, hot liquids secured.
- Lavatories checked and vacated, doors secured as required.
- Cabin lighting set for the phase; dimmed for a night departure.
- Slides armed and cross-checked on command; report to the SCCM.
- SCCM makes the cabin secure report to the flight deck.
Only then may pushback occur, and only when at least one required crew member has verified the exit row and escape path requirement in 8.9.2.11.
The silent review
Before take-off, each crew member conducts a silent review at their station — a deliberate, unspoken rehearsal of what they would do if the worst happened in the next ninety seconds:
- My door: type, operation, arming state, whether it is likely to be usable.
- My equipment: extinguisher, PBE, torch, life vest — exactly where they are.
- My commands: the brace shout, the evacuation commands, the words in the order I will use them.
- My brace position for this jumpseat, forward or aft facing.
- My able-bodied passengers: who in my area could help.
- My decisions: what would make me open, and what would make me redirect.
The review is repeated before landing. Its value is that it converts a rarely used procedure into a recently rehearsed one, at exactly the two points in the flight when accidents are most likely.
Which items must passengers be made familiar with under the Nig. CARs 8.9.1.4 passenger briefing requirement?
A passenger arrives at the aircraft door smelling strongly of alcohol, unsteady and slurring his words. What does Nig. CARs require?
What is the purpose of the silent review conducted at each crew station before take-off and before landing?
Where must an under-seat item be stowed to comply with Nig. CARs 8.9.2.7?