irmster

Flying back from Gib on Tuesday in 12F, there were two elderly ladies in 11E,F. They appeared to be quite frail and I don't see how they would have been able to operate the exit in the event of an emergency. What surprised me the most is that they were not even asked (none of us in the exit rows were asked).

Given everyone was on board 20 minutes before scheduled take off, it's not as if the crew were in a rush.

BingBongBoy

What did the crew say when you raised your concerns about the 2 elderly passengers and also the lack of briefing at the over wing exits?

smokie36

Are you a fully qualified doctor then?

Can I help you

The customers would have been asked twice already, once if they checked in online and again when they dropped off their bags, as a crewmember if I felt that they were not suitable to sit in these seats I would have moved them after speaking to them.

Dover2Golf

They may have been former championship weightlifters!

Don't judge people by appearance.

wb1969

I think the OP has raised a perfectly reasonable issue. Lives could depend on the speed, agility and quick thinking of passengers in the exit rows, so if these seats are occupied by people who could potentially hinder rather than help, it is valid to alert the cabin crew.

Worcester

Not having witnesses this I think on the basis of what the OP has said it is a valid concern for a passenger to have. Trained crew may disagree, which is fair enough, but I don't think the OP deserves to be trolled for this.

tom139

I've raised this concern about two people heavily intoxicated and drinking alcohol from a bottle upon boarding. I mentioned it to cabin crew and they couldn't have cared less. Made me feel very uneasy.

Often1

Age alone isn't a consideration. There are people in their 90's who can easily perform the required functions and there are people in their 30's who can't.

Bottom line is that this is a safety issue which affects you as a passenger. Therefore, if it concerns you that a person in the exit row won't be able to lift the window exit out of its place, you should bring that concern to a member of the crew's attention. This would be true whether the person is frail, drunk or in any other way impaired. Perhaps you are seeing something which staff missed.

It's your life at stake, so you should make the choice. But, if you choose to let it go, then let it go. This isn't about the moral issue of whether you see someone pinch an extra something.

warakorn

This is a difficult and highly subjective topic.
If a flight attendant hears from a chap: "these people may not be strong enough to open the emergency doors", the flight attendant could believe: "this chap - telling me this- just wants to score an emergency exit seat for free. I am too busy or tired to open this fight."

irmster

It's OK, I've been on here long enough to know how it works (and I've learned to ignore anything that ex crew member says anyway).

The fact remains that these 2 passengers couldn't put their handbags in the overhead bins and took quite a long time getting into their seats. I would have expected the crew to at least ask them when they were seated.

I didn't say anything as I was in 11F - so I didn't need to rely on them opening the exit if needed. Every man for himself and all that.

T8191

Having very recently (and unusually!) occupied an EXIT seat as a 72-yo, I asked myself carefully how easy it would be to actually lift and throw the 'door' out of the aircraft. On the basis that I can still lift a 23kg suitcase into the back of a 4x4, I felt confident.

From irmster's last comment, I would indeed be concerned. Two old dears, if I may use such a phrase, are not ideal occupants. But then neither was the rather stout gent in 10C, who might have blocked the EXIT for everyone

Lost-in-Space

I find the crew interactiveness varies considerably. Most of my flights are on BA or IB, with a few on AA and AF.

I usually pick an emergency exit, aisle seat. I have seen very attentive crew - asking every person to read the seat-back instructions and asking them to individually confirm that they can act accordingly. I have twice seen pax say no and they were reseated. On the other hand I've twice pointed out to the crew items stored under the seats and asked for them to be put into the overheads.

I don't underestimate the need to be very serious here. As a retired oilfield hand I have had my HUET - Helicopter Underwater Escape Training. Step 1- simulator sits on water - you climb out - easy peasy. Step 2 - simulator goes underwater - you swim out - still fairly easy. Step 3 - simulator goes underwater and then rotates upside down. Now find the window and swim out - I have never been so disoriented in my life. And that was in a warmish, well-lit pool, with emergency divers monitoring.

I take these things seriously. As we're repeatedly told when doing our various safety training - if something goes wrong, it's too late then to start reading the instructions and thinking 'what do I do'!

BingBongBoy

But that is just the point... If the OP was that concerned about it, he/she should have spoken to the cabin crew and requested that they move the passengers in question out of the emergency exit row.

As far as indicated by the OP, they did not do that, and waited 36-48 hours to post about it on an internet forum instead.

Pointless post.

Oxon Flyer

Elderly ladies would be forgiven for wondering whether OP was fit to open the exit too, since he didn't appear to know where the hell he was ....