June 10, 2026, 1:26 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Flying is considered one of the safest ways to travel. However, unexpected incidents can occur in air travel that require the immediate evacuation of passengers. In such situations, the safety of people always takes precedence over personal belongings. Reports of real evacuations and safety studies repeatedly show that passengers lose valuable time in emergencies because they try to take their carry-on luggage with them before leaving the plane. Against this backdrop, the aviation industry is increasingly discussing measures to address this problem in the future. One solution could be to lock the overhead compartments.
When traveling, many people do not want to or cannot do without important items. Particularly valuable things are often carried in hand luggage to have access to them at all times and to avoid the risk of them being lost in checked baggage. In an emergency, however, these items should be left behind. After all, attempting to retrieve luggage from the compartments during an evacuation can lead to dangerous delays.
The Dangers of Handling Carry-On Luggage in Emergencies
When passengers try to access the overhead compartments in an emergency, the aisles are logically already blocked by them. Bulky luggage can also get in the way and obstruct emergency exits. It can damage evacuation slides and, in the worst case, injure fellow passengers.
Various safety studies also demonstrate that the described behavior can lead to problems. These include scientific simulations from 2023. They show that even a few passengers retrieving their carry-on luggage from the compartments can noticeably delay an evacuation and further block escape routes.
It’s not really surprising. But in stressful situations, rational thinking may fail–many people reflexively reach for their personal belongings. This is likely why it is repeatedly emphasized in safety briefings by cabin crew that carry-on luggage must be left behind without exception in the event of an evacuation. Even more alarming is that passengers repeatedly ignore this directive. Such an incident occurred last May at Denver Airport when passengers left the plane with luggage via emergency slides despite smoke and an ongoing evacuation.
So far, relying on the reason or at least the compliance of travelers is not enough. Therefore, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched the campaign “Save a life, not a bag.”
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Raising Awareness for Greater Safety in Air Travel
The campaign aims to highlight the dangers, apparently underestimated by many, that arise when passengers try to access their luggage in emergencies. The goal is to create better awareness that any hesitation during an evacuation can be life-threatening. For this purpose, an illustrative video was also created for the campaign.
Overhead Compartments Are Not Yet Locked
Nick Careen, vice president of operations and safety at IATA, explained in an interview with “The Guardian” that airlines and manufacturers are currently not planning technical solutions such as automatic locking of overhead compartments. Instead, the focus is initially on targeted awareness-raising to sharpen travelers’ awareness of the dangers. The hope is that this will lead to a sustainable change in passenger behavior.
At the same time, Careen admitted that if success is not achieved, stricter measures could be considered in the future–such as fines or actual locking of the overhead compartments.