nufnuf77

You would be surprised how stupid people can be and when in shock do nothing unless shouted at exactly what to do. I can see sheep everyday (and that’s not a pun about New Zealand)

IAMORGAN

The self help exits are designed to be operable by anyone - hence pictoral instructions.

However, sometimes an evacuation command may be predicated by the side of the aircraft on which doors are to be opened, ie “left side only”. If the emergency landing is ‘pre-planned’, cabin crew will receive a NITS (Nature, Intentions, Time available, Special instructions) briefing from the flight deck. The crew will give a more detailed briefing to passengers at the exit which needs to be understood - ie if a water landing, what to do, and how to direct passengers (which they will ask for help with).

English language is, I believe, a regulatory requirement. Operators don’t get to pick & choose which safety regulations apply to them.

Worcester

Not racist just sometimes, ill mannered unpleasant and rude. I personally cannot abide rudeness especially to those who it might be considered are less fortunate.

I for one am flabbergasted to think that a reasonable level of English is required to operate a door. Or to interpret the diagrams around the door, on the seat back or the card handed to those sitting in the row.

I also wonder about the concern about English but not about overweight and/or drunk English speakers who I have seen in the exit row.

nancypants

To be fair the standard seems to be “official language of country of registration, or English” (being the aviation Lingua Franca that it is). Unfortunately for BA that really leads to “or English”.

I don’t find it surprising, I actually understand and agree with the reasons for it. And, some of you may or may not know but English is not my first language (not even close to)

agree there are other issues to consider which have mainly been covered in other threads. I tend to stay off the grog when I’m in an unmanned exit row personally but I know others don’t.

jerub

A few folks have made it clear the between pictorial instructions and reasonable intelligence: it should be completely reasonable to expect an emergency exit row passenger to open the door.

The vital requirement is that they do it at the right time, and even more: that they don't do it when instructed not to.

The over-wing exit might be undesirable, and opening it may be judged to risk spreading fire and fuel into the interior of the aircraft. In such a case it would be better that the person sitting there ignore the Latin roots for evacuate and the pictorial instructions, and instead stand and proceed to another exit, because they heard and understood the clear instructions to do so, given in a clear voice speaking English.

fripperies

Race is a complete herring here. The issue is competencies. Some individuals qua individuals will lack the physical or communicative competence to carry out a safety critical task. it seems desirable to identify them and not entrust the task to them.

Having said that, I live in dread of being judged too ancient to sit in an exit row. I've got away with it so far but if/when the day comes it'll feel like having my driving licence taken away.

CarefreeBA

I'm always finding myself in exit row seats on short haul flights. Most recently, the computer at Gatwick (when I have my boarding pass scanned) had made some weird noise to inform the gate agent that I was in an exit row. At other times, they'd just take a blind eye at you and then a quick briefing on the plane.

I look about Chinese as a Chinese-person gets but I was born/raised in the UK. I've never found that a 'problem' when being briefed by crew regarding exit rows, and I'd imagine that is the case with most places that BA operate from/to.

hfly

I tend to find that when one sees elderly people in the Emergency Exit seats, that these people have often not requested them, and they seem as surprised/perplexed as anyone that they have them, and it is usually down to not-interested third party check-in workers. Similarly, when I witness people get into the EE seats, and then try and jam a bag into the space in front of them, and keep their laptop on them, etc, that these people were also randomly assigned them, whether they spoke English or not, and again this is often due to uncaring 3rd party workers, or simply because these were the only seats left. What I can say is that concerning BA, once upon a time when they had a lot more actual BA employees at outstations, that this happened far less then it does today.

flyslow

Goes the other way too. I was slapped some kind of sticker on my bag at the gate, followed by "This goes under the seat in front of you!" I said I was in exit row and now bags are allowed on the floor to which she said "I don't care where you sit, this bag goes under the seat in front of you, end of story!"
No more arguments from me, but sticker accidentally fell off of course before boarding. But had it been less frequent flyer who obey the orders of gate staff and then get told off by cabin crew, must be confusing fro them.

RoyalSwazi

Three data points from other airlines:
Norwegian - PA’d by gate staff prior to boarding and told I had emergency exit.
Avianca - as above
A third airline I can’t recall - a beep at boarding, told it was emergency exit and asked if willing to accept (I had picked seat myself, so yes)

I’m not sure if this is standard procedure at these airlines or not.

Bohinjska Bistrica

If you can't understand the language that the commands will be given in, you should be moved. All good and well having instructions, but if the issue was for example an engine fire on the left hand side, the cabin crew might request that only the doors on the right hand side be opened. If you were looking over the aisle, saw the door opening and hadn't understood, you might just open the door and make things worse.

Appreciate this will possibly put crew in a difficult position. If the passenger doesn't understand what they're asked RE the exit door, they probably also won't understand why they're being moved seats.

KARFA

I seem to recall the instructions for the self help exit do include checking outside first?

Greenpen

If health and safety were really taken seriously everyone on the aeroplane would need to attend an appropriate course prior to flying. The ability to follow instructions, operate escape doors, use oxygen masks, stay strapped in or not and respond to other possible in-flight issues all need more than a few words.

Without actually doing an activity, such as operating an emergency door, you cannot understand what is needed and be effective. But we do not require that so either the airlines are either being grossly irresponsible or they don't matter. I suspect the latter.

hfly

All is dependent on airline. When in an EE seat on BA short haul, the scanner at the gate beeps 100% of the time. 98% of the time,when departing London, the agent will point out that its an EE seat, or ask if I know that it is one. When leaving outstations, I find that they only ask at the beep maybe half the time........if that. On the plane, they always do the talk, take a look at the pax and ask if one speaks English. I have seen them answer half nods, and I have also seen them insist on short conversations to see if the pax speaks English. This is the way it is supposed to be. As I mentioned above, I have on many times brought up issues and had people moved when the FA's are not doing their jobs properly.

Unlike some above, this is not a ridiculous policy to have, and as said by some above, the requirement on non-English speaking airlines the requirement is the language of the airline or English. I don't care if such exits have only been utilized twice in 20 years, I feel safer knowing that the people at those rows can understand instructions and at least seem physically capable of performing the unlikely task if need be. A 90 year old non speaker with a cane does not fit that description.

:D!

On BA I have only been asked if I speak English once.

The other passengers in the exit row were white, and they were not asked.

Two of the other passengers didn't speak English particularly well (as evidenced by their later conversation with the FAs during BOB) and nodded blankly at the exit row briefing. They also left their bags under the seat in front during takeoff and landing, despite being told to move them.