KDHawaii

I m wondering if FAA bans deaf passenger(s) sitting in the emergency exit row?

djk7

They are not allowed, see para 5

alexthe5th

The specific rule is you can't seat someone in the exit row if...

FAR 121.585, 3.b. (5) The person lacks sufficient aural capacity to hear and understand instructions shouted by flight attendants, without assistance beyond a hearing aid.

Often1

OP - By "deaf" do you mean that the individual has no aural capacity at all or that the individual is hearing impaired, but still understands spoken language with or without a hearing aid?

KDHawaii

If the deaf passenger is traveling with a hearing person(friend or brother or sister), can the deaf passenger still sit in the emergency exit seat row??

Often1

No. Defeats the entire purpose. You are either qualified or not.

KDHawaii

source?

MSP-MN

Look at the FAR quoted up thread for your source, it's pretty clear.

tlott

Also, most airlines reference the FAA regulations on their sites:

http://www.southwest.com/html/custom...ency-exit.html
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/tra...-exit-row.aspx
http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Bookin...p&locale=es_ES

Often1

If you meant, "source, please...,

you can find the FAR quoted in post #3 above. Thank you.

KDHawaii

I am Deaf. I can read lips very well. My travel partner is a sign language interpreter. so that means I am allowed to sit in the emergency exit row seats.


Are you limited in your ability to read and understand printed/graphic instructions related to exist, an aircraft evacuation or the ability to understand crew members commands?
Let me answer the question for you:

I can read and understand printed/graphic instructions related to exist, an aircraft evacuation. I do have the ability to understand crew members commands.

felipegarcia

No it doesn't.

I would guess that since you travel with a hand signal interpreter, you cannot speak the language. You also cannot read lips if the information is being shouted or delivered over an intercom.

(3) The person lacks the ability to read and understand instructions required by this section and related to emergency evacuation provided by the certificate holder in printed or graphic form or the ability to understand oral crew commands.

(5) The person lacks sufficient aural capacity to hear and understand instructions shouted by flight attendants, without assistance beyond a hearing aid;

(6) The person lacks the ability adequately to impart information orally to other passengers; or,

(2) In each language used by the certificate holder for passenger information cards, a request that a passenger identify himself or herself to allow reseating if he or she lacks the ability to read, speak, or understand the language or the graphic form in which instructions required by this section and related to emergency evacuation are provided by the certificate holder, or the ability to understand the specified language in which crew commands will be given in an emergency.

Even if the airline website doesn't specifically mentioned, it would be up to the flight attendants, and 14 CFR supersedes company policy, so even if the website says it's ok, the flight attendant will still be forced to reseat you, or take you off the flight if you cannot be seated elsewhere -or refuse to be. If there happens to be an FAA inspector, or somebody files a complaint with the FAA, both the airline and the flight attendant who allowed it can get penalized.


14 CFR 121.585 defines all of the criteria for selection (feel free to read all of it), the FAA's version is terribly formatted (I'm used to dealing with a PDF version, from back when I was required to read all of Parts 23 and 25 -not fun), so sorry about not writing the sections in proper format, it's straight copy paste.

abmj-jr

No, it does not. If you, yourself, without assistance, cannot hear and respond to crew member instructions shouted through smoke or from behind or over the PA system, you do not qualify. What would you do if your partner were disabled in an emergency and you were left to deal with the responsibilities by yourself?

Wishing does not make it so. Sorry.

KDHawaii

Brilliant.

felipegarcia

[Unduly personalized comments deleted by Moderator.]

I apologize for calling the interpreter the wrong way. That was my mistake.

Can you understand oral crew commands, without an interpreter, without lip reading?

14 CFR 121 applies only to airlines operating under Part 121, ie. US based carriers and foreign companies who are authorized to operate Part 121 services to the US. Foreign companies are usually bound by their national equivalent of Part 121. I know for a fact that Colombian law requires that all passengers seated on an emergency exit on an airplane operated by a Colombian airline are required to speak and understand Spanish. No exceptions, no speak Spanish, no fly emergency exit, doesn't matter if the crew speaks English or if the flight is a BOG-MIA, the law is the law.

For US Carriers, if you do not speak or understand English you cannot sit on an emergency exit. Flight attendants are required to obtain verbal confirmation from the passengers that they are willing to perform the duties in case of an emergency and can understand, speak and read English. I have seen people get moved from emergency exits because they did not speak English, even if both the person in question AND the flight attendants spoke fluent Spanish and the flight was either to or from GDL. If the passenger does not speak the language of the flight (Say a person who only speaks Russian on a PHX-MEX flight), then the crew would try to bring a translator, or simply try to signal to the person that he/she has to move. How a person would be able to travel without understanding the language (and without a dictionary or translator gadget) at all is beyond me, when a travel group I was part of split 3 ways in France we made sure to have one native speaker in each group because otherwise we would have been lost.


If you are capable of opening an exit in case of an emergency, and do so if required, I would thank you for the effort, same if any other person with a condition that would exclude them from being qualified for emergency exit duty, however, if impossible to voice my concerns to the crew about their obvious inability to perform the duties (say, if I see you talking to the FAs using your interpreter, or an amputee sitting on an exit, or a child, or a 500lb person), I would not hesitate to file a complaint with the FAA. That said, FAA people do fly commercially and FAs would not risk their job over you saying that you are qualified to perform the duties. Ultimately it is up to them, and feel free to argue, chances are you're just going to get a (non-exit) seat on the next available flight.