FAA emergency evacuation rules: leave carry-ons behind

Published on Sep 21, 2025, 1:26 pm CDT

6 min read

The Federal Aviation Administration is telling airlines to sharpen evacuation briefings so passengers leave all carry-on bags on board during an emergency. In a Safety Alert for Operators dated September 16, 2025, the agency warns that attempts to grab luggage have repeatedly slowed evacuations and increased risk of injury. The reminder follows several high-profile events this year, including an April engine fire that prompted an evacuation at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and a July evacuation at Denver International Airport (DEN) after a suspected tire issue. The FAA's alert stops short of new regulations but calls for clearer, firmer messaging.

Key Points

Why it matters: Seconds count. Bags in aisles can delay exits and put lives at risk.
Travel impact: Expect more direct preflight language and firmer crew commands about leaving belongings.
What's next: Airlines are reviewing scripts, exit-row briefings, and visual messaging under the FAA alert.
Certification context: Evacuation standards target about 90 seconds for all occupants to exit.
Recent examples: Evacuations at DEN in July and MCO in April highlighted real-world compliance gaps.

Snapshot

The FAA's Safety Alert for Operators 25003 tells carriers to re-evaluate evacuation procedures, crew training, and public-address scripts so passengers clearly understand that all carry-ons must be left behind, without exceptions. The agency also urges visual reminders in boarding areas, plus passenger-education campaigns that normalize the behavior. The advisory follows multiple evacuations where travelers were seen taking bags onto slides or blocking aisles, behavior that can damage slides, increase trip-and-fall hazards, and push total egress time past survivability thresholds. While the document does not add new rules, it signals closer scrutiny of how airlines brief and drill. Expect more standardized wording, stronger exit-row briefings, and firm enforcement from crews when time-critical emergencies unfold.

Background

Safety investigators have flagged carry-on retrieval during evacuations for years, and the FAA's new alert elevates those concerns to operators. The agency says operational data and post-event analyses show a recurring hazard when passengers stop to collect bags, which undermines evacuation efficiency, blocks exits, and raises injury risk. In April, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330 evacuated via slides at Orlando International Airport (MCO) after an engine fire at pushback. In July, an American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 evacuated at Denver International Airport (DEN) after a suspected landing-gear or tire problem on the takeoff roll, with video showing some travelers leaving with belongings. Industry reporting also notes prior calls for FAA action, including research and recommendations ranging from clearer briefings to cabin design or policy changes intended to reduce the incentive to carry large bags into the cabin.

Latest Developments

FAA issues SAFO 25003, urges stricter briefing language

On September 16, 2025, the FAA issued SAFO 25003 directing airlines to examine evacuation procedures, flight-crew training, and public-address commands to address passenger non-compliance specific to carry-on retrieval. Recommended steps include standardized, concise phrasing that instructs passengers to leave all belongings behind, reviews of exit-row briefings for effectiveness, and passenger-outreach campaigns that use recognizable pictograms and terminal signage. The agency also points operators to Safety Management Systems to identify hazards and mitigations, and it emphasizes that any delay caused by baggage retrieval can significantly affect survival in rapidly deteriorating conditions. The alert is guidance, not a new rule, but it is intended to be acted upon. Airlines are now aligning scripts and training material so crews can deliver clearer, firmer commands in the cabin during time-critical evacuations.

Recent evacuations highlight real-world risks

Evacuation videos from this summer's Denver incident show several passengers with bags on the slides as smoke rose near the main landing gear. In April, a Delta A330 at Orlando evacuated after an engine fire, with passengers exiting via slides on the ramp. These incidents illustrate how quickly conditions can deteriorate and why seconds matter. Industry coverage also references long-running safety-board concerns about luggage in evacuations, and previous FAA work studying mitigation ideas. As airlines refresh their briefings under SAFO 25003, travelers should expect more direct phrasing in safety videos and live demos, plus assertive reminders during any real evacuation that belongings stay on board.

Analysis

The FAA's move strikes a practical balance. Rather than launching a lengthy rulemaking, the agency is pushing operators to fix a human-factors problem that has persisted despite years of safety videos and demonstrations. The plain truth is that modern cabins are fuller, carry-ons are larger, and social-media muscle memory tells people to grab valuables. In a smoke-filled aisle, that impulse becomes dangerous. The alert smartly targets messaging, training, and visual cues passengers will see before adrenaline surges. Standardized wording and unambiguous commands remove wiggle room, especially in exit-row briefings where expectations must be crystal clear. Terminal signage and pictograms can reinforce the norm that "everyone leaves bags," a framing the FAA explicitly recommends to appeal to collective responsibility.

Airlines should also pressure-test their procedures in line with Safety Management Systems, for example by reviewing cabin-crew drills, timing door-arming sequences, and rehearsing assertive commands that cut through noise and confusion. While some industry voices have floated ideas like overhead-bin lockouts or policy changes that reduce cabin-bag volume, the fastest win is better communication and crew authority. For travelers, the takeaway is simple. In an evacuation, follow crew orders, move quickly to the nearest usable exit, and leave everything behind. Meds and passports can be replaced later if necessary, but a blocked aisle or torn slide can cost lives. The FAA has now put operators on notice to make that message unmistakable.

Final Thoughts

This alert is about behavior, not bureaucracy. The FAA wants every airline to make a simple instruction stick under stress, leave your bags and go. Expect clearer safety videos, stronger exit-row scripts, and firmer commands in the cabin when seconds count. If you ever face an evacuation, help the person ahead of you, keep your hands free, and head for the nearest exit. Slides and aisles are for people, not possessions. The industry can do its part with sharper briefings and drills, and travelers can do theirs by complying. Lives depend on it, which is the essence of the FAA emergency evacuation rules.