Concerns over safety item regularly taken from aircraft by passengers

Cabin crew in Europe have been told to be on the lookout for light-fingered passengers after reports of an increase in vital safety equipment being lifted from planes. Travellers taking souvenirs from aircraft is nothing new - cutlery, inflight magazines, travel rugs. Online auction listings are full of these. However, the mania for aeroplane memorabilia is being taken to new, dangerous heights. This week The Sun reported that there has been an increase in life vests being lifted from passenger jets. Pointing to eBay listings, unused plane life jackets are being flogged at $200 a pop. You can easily find unexpired life jackets and vests, with current ACS certificates for sale. While some of these are surplus sold to AV Geeks, there are plenty of objects apparently swiped from passenger seats. One exasperated former flight attendant said the issue of vests being taken by passengers is nothing new. It’s an item that has to be replaced with worrying frequency. “We had to check each seat after each flight to make sure each one had a vest,” they told the Washington Post.<br/>