00:00Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing some turbulence. Please keep your seatbelts
00:05fastened.
00:06Yeah, turbulence can be a bumpy ride, but it's totally normal. You might even find
00:10yourself bouncing around a bit. Don't worry, that's all part of the fun.
00:14Still, even if I say turbulence is not a big deal, it still costs US airlines about $500
00:21million every year.
00:23And then there are those people trying to play musical chairs with their flight seats,
00:28You paid for your spot, but suddenly, someone wants to swap because they think their seat's
00:33cooler. Newsflash, one seat does not hold the secrets of the universe.
00:39But before you judge too quickly, let me introduce you to Alan Ruchel, a Brazilian soccer player
00:45who knows a thing or two about seat luck.
00:48Back in 2016, Alan survived a horrific plane crash that claimed the lives of most on board.
00:55He switched seats at the last minute because a teammate just had to have him beside him.
01:00He moved forward, closer to the middle, and when the plane went down, it might have just
01:05saved his life.
01:07When Alan woke up in the hospital, he was met with devastating news. He lost teammates
01:12and might never play again.
01:14The flight was supposed to take them from Bolivia to Colombia for a big match. But things
01:19went south when the pilot reportedly miscalculated fuel, leading to disaster in the mountains
01:25near Medellin.
01:26The plane broke apart upon impact, and out of 77 people, only 6 survived, including Alan
01:33and the goalkeeper, who had convinced him to switch seats in the first place.
01:37Alright, let's get real. Reading these stories before hopping on a flight isn't exactly
01:43a mood booster. But seriously, was it pure luck for Alan, or are there actually safer
01:49seats on a plane?
01:51First off, no matter where you plop down, flying is still one of the safest ways to
01:56travel. Studies show that the middle seats in the back third of the plane are statistically
02:01your best bet if things go sideways.
02:04A 2015 Time magazine analysis of 35 years of FAA data found that the back third had
02:12a fatality rate of just 32%. The middle third were slightly worse at 39%, and the front
02:18third were at 38%. The middle seats in the back sit pretty well with a 28% fatality rate.
02:25Meanwhile, those aisle seats in the middle were out there with a shocking 44%.
02:32But there's no universal rule for choosing the right seat. For instance, during the infamous
02:37United Airlines Flight 232 crash in 1989, most survivors were sitting closer to the
02:43front part, behind the first class, and ahead of the wings. In the tragic Tenerife disaster
02:49of 1977, the lucky ones were mostly in the front too.
02:55If you want to dodge turbulence at all costs, aim for a seat closer to the middle of the
03:00plane. After all, turbulence is way more common than crashes, which are like unicorns – super
03:06rare.
03:07And if extra safety is your jam, consider snagging a seat near an exit row. FAA research
03:14says getting out within 90 seconds after a crash is crucial, and those seats near exits
03:20gives you a better shot at making it. You know, those extra legroom seats that can be
03:25extra expensive sometimes.
03:28But honestly, in the big picture, it doesn't really matter where you sit. Flying is super
03:33safe and even if you find yourself in an emergency, your odds of survival are pretty
03:38darn good. 98.2% of passengers in aviation accidents from 2001 to 2017 walked away with
03:47minor or no injuries.
03:51If picking the perfect seat isn't the most important thing, maybe you should think twice
03:55about which plane you hop on. The aviation game has leveled up with amazing tech and
04:01safety, but let's be real – every now and then, things can go wrong. Like that recent
04:06Alaska Airlines flight that took off from Portland but quickly turned back after losing
04:11a door plug panel mid-air. Luckily, no one got hurt, but it raised some eyebrows about
04:17Boeing's quality control.
04:19Now, while Boeing's been in the hot seat with the 737 MAX 9, let's not write it off
04:25– it's still cool. Take the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for example. It's not only sleek,
04:32it's also built with fancy materials for fuel efficiency and has a bag full of safety
04:37features. Manufacturers like Airbus are also doing great. Embraer, in turn, teams up with
04:43flight safety for pilot training, ensuring everyone's ready to take to the skies.
04:48So I tried to calm you down, but if you've watched this far, it's time to share some
04:53hardcore survival tips with you. Let's imagine the worst – you got into an actual
04:58plane crash. What should you do? Well, if you're sitting within 7 rows of an emergency
05:04exit, congratulations. Your odds of surviving an incident are actually better than your
05:09chances of getting into trouble. But if you're more than 7 rows away? Well, first off, buckle
05:15up for sure. And when the crew shows you how to do it, give it a try yourself. Why? Because
05:23aircraft seats can be a bit different from what you're used to in your car. Keep that
05:27seatbelt snug, low and tight across your hips, like a belt that really gets you.
05:33If you can't think positively and want to prepare for the worst before you take that
05:37flight, then practice the brace position. Just take a minute to see how it feels. Bend
05:42your body and place your hands over your head. It may not be that comfortable, but the reason
05:48why you need exactly this position is simple. This way, you significantly lower your chances
05:54of breaking your neck. Sometimes, very rarely, in emergency situations, pilots tell the passengers
06:00to take this position. Now, counting the seat rows to the exit is
06:05the key. In case of smoke or extremely low visibility, you can feel your way out. Just
06:11count those seatbacks like you're counting sheep. Except, you know, this is for escaping.
06:17Never ever inflate your life vest inside the plane. If you do, you'll be at risk
06:22of floating like a very confused balloon while everyone else is trying to exit. So keep it
06:28deflated until you're out, but I hope you'll never need it.
06:33During an evacuation, sticking together is great, but if you get separated, focus on
06:38getting out first. Trying to find your friends while everyone's making a mad dash looks
06:44like rush hour on a one-way street. Lots of confusion and blocked paths.
06:49Anyways, the trickiest part is not surviving the crash itself, bracing your head, or even
06:55inflating the life vest. Getting down the slide is the last thing you should do, and
07:00it's the hardest. Before you hop on, check for any sharp objects, like shoe heels or
07:06things in your pockets, not to become the reason the slide deflates. To slide down perfectly,
07:12keep your legs together, and jump down like you're going for a trampoline championship.
07:16Yep, even jumping down the slide isn't that easy, not to mention parachute jumps. And
07:22what about a non-parachute jump from the skies? Well, history knows someone who survived jumping
07:286.3 miles from the plane with no parachute on, and this person survived.
07:35It was Vesna Vulović, a Serbian flight attendant. On January 25, 1972, the crew for JAT Flight
07:43367 arrived in Denmark, where she was mistakenly assigned to the flight. Excited for her first
07:50trip to Denmark, she initially wanted to explore, but ended up shopping with her colleagues,
07:55who seemed unusually tense. The next day, Flight 367 left Copenhagen, but shortly after
08:02takeoff, the plane exploded, which caused it to break apart. Vesna was the sole survivor
08:08out of the 28 on board, found buried in the wreckage by a villager who kept her alive
08:13until help arrived. Investigators believe she survived because she had been trapped
08:19by a food trolley in a part of the fuselage, which had broken away from the rest of the
08:24aircraft, and thick snow and a favorable angle had cushioned her landing. She had serious
08:30injuries, including paralysis, so Vesna spent months recovering. She regained the ability
08:36to walk, but would always have a limp. When she recovered, she expressed the desire to
08:42go back to her flight attendant job. But the air company she worked for assigned her to
08:47office work, fearing media attention.
08:50That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like
08:55and share it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and
08:59stay on the Bright Side!
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