FAA Warns Fliers to Leave Bags Behind as 40-Plus Injuries Hit Evacuations Since 2023
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 15
FAA Warns Fliers to Leave Bags Behind as 40-Plus Injuries Hit Evacuations Since 2023
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 15
Summary
More than 40 people have been injured in aircraft evacuations since Jan. 1, 2023, as the FAA says passengers grabbing carry-ons are slowing escapes and endangering others.
The agency's warning—issued in an X post with viral evacuation clips—says bags can block aisles, damage emergency slides and waste critical seconds during evacuations designed to be completed within 90 seconds.
IATA's June "Save a Life, Not a Bag" campaign reflects broader concern: a trade-group study found 80% of passengers think they know what to do in an emergency, but only 61% said they should leave belongings behind.
Recent incidents have reinforced the message, including a May Frontier evacuation after a fatal runway strike and a 2025 American Airlines fire, while experts also cited passengers carrying bags after Aeroflot's 2019 crash that killed 41.
A 2024 Japan Airlines evacuation of 379 people after a runway collision showed the opposite outcome—everyone escaped safely, a result experts partly credited to passengers following instructions and leaving bags behind.