IATA urges passengers to leave bags behind in evacuations

Aviation officials are warning that passengers who stop to retrieve cabin baggage during emergency evacuations are putting lives at risk, prompting a new global safety campaign and discussions of potential stricter measures, including fines or locking overhead bins. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched the "Save a Life, Not a Bag" initiative this week during its annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with support from regulators including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The campaign responds to a growing trend documented in online videos where passengers are seen carrying luggage or filming during evacuations. Recent incidents cited include evacuations at Denver International Airport in July 2025, at Toronto in February 2025, and a Frontier Airlines event in Denver. In contrast, the safe and rapid evacuation of all 379 people from a Japan Airlines aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in January 2024, where no baggage was taken, is held up as the correct model.

Aircraft are certified to be fully evacuated within 90 seconds using only half the available exits. Industry officials stress...