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A chunk of pre-departure time for each flight is dedicated to a safety briefing for passengers that few passengers seem to pay attention to. In the aftermath of accidents, it has been revealed at least a few times that passengers did not listen to or understand the briefing, or in the panic of the moment, forgot all about it.

A couple examples:

With this in mind, has any civil aviation jurisdiction ever considered or implemented mandatory passenger training for commercial flights? (In the form of a short annual/bi-annual course requiring a passing grade in order to be allowed to fly. Sort of like CPR training, but for airline emergency procedures.)

Curriculum could include:

  • Knowledge of oxygen mask usage
  • Ability to exit plane properly during emergency (closest exit, no belongings)
  • Emergency door operation
  • Wayfinding in smoke-filled cabin

I'm not advocating for this, or suggesting it would be effective, but curious if it was ever considered, especially in the 50s or 60s when air travel was still relatively new (and somewhat more dangerous).

In the context of this question, I'm asking if a regulatory agency has attempted the above, not an airline or airport operator. Regulatory authorities are the one who require the current safety briefing approach.

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    $\begingroup$ What is the difference between the "passenger training" that you described, and the passenger briefings that already happen? $\endgroup$ – Pondlife Mar 17 at 2:36
  • $\begingroup$ The crew is required by law to provide the passenger briefings today. Is your question whether anyone requires the passengers to actually pay attention? As a practical matter, I doubt that is possible... $\endgroup$ – StephenS Mar 17 at 2:45
  • $\begingroup$ Edited to be specific, let me know if not clear enough. $\endgroup$ – Dan1701 Mar 17 at 2:47
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    $\begingroup$ You can't force paying passengers to listen to or pay attention to anything the crew says. That is a conscious choice, and falls under the category of #YouCantFixStupid. $\endgroup$ – Juan Jimenez Mar 19 at 8:54
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    $\begingroup$ The offshore oil industry does require helicopter survival training for its employees. You actually get dunked in a cabin simulator completely underwater with rollovers. These are commercial flights, though you're probably thinking of air carrier flights. $\endgroup$ – user71659 Mar 19 at 16:38

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