I made a suggestion to a number of airlines over the years, including AA, that passengers asking for/assigned to exit row seats be tested before boarding to see if they can actually open a window exit in an emergency. As we all know from reading those instruction guides, there are a couple of steps involved in opening the exits which I, too, wouldn't mind trying in case I ever needed that actual knowledge in an emergency. I frequently suspect that many people assigned those seats couldn't open the exits if their lives, literally, depended on it due to their old age or infirmness. I suggested that the passengers be allowed to try opening a mock-up exit located somewhere in the terminal prior to boarding. If they couldn't perform the maneuver, they wouldn't get the exit row seat. That simple. Naturally, all of the airlines rejected the idea while not citing a reason. I even suggested it might be good PR for the airlines as a safety preparedness measure. Any thoughts on this?