Paki81

I am just curious to know if this is an Okay thing or not but yesterday from SFO-MSP, the FA stored her back next to the exit row for full flight. While the bag sort of impeded me from stretching legs, I was fine but this really begs the question. Is that an Okay thing to do?

kchoya

Do you think you could've stored your bag(s) there? I think that answers your question.

Paki81

I dont think I could have or would have done that. In her defense, she put it after we took off but it was there all flight. She only put it back up 15 minutes before landing.

jdrtravel

Absolutely not OK. For two reasons:

1) First and foremost it totally violates important federal safety regulations.

2) It was impeding on the space you paid for. That is likely a C+ seat that was more expensive (or an upgrade) because of that space. I would have said something. Please send a picture to Delta.

davie355

Just pick up the bag and put it in the aisle (or hand it to an FA). If you're confronted, follow @jdrtravel's lead and say you wanted to use the legroom because you paid for an extra legroom seat.

jdrtravel

Ah, I missed this. In this case it does not violate safety regulations, but it does still impede on your space.

Paki81

Maybe I am a chicken but on a WN flight BWI-MSP on 5/4, the flight got diverted to PIT. It was a little panicky cause we were dropping pretty fast (see attached chart). It ended up being nothing but just a diversion because the FA smelled something that felt like a fire. We were met with fire fighters on the runway but things were Okay that we went to the gate and got off using a jetway. The reason why I am pointing this out is keeping that in mind, I just think it be not cool to have FA luggage just chilling in an exit row. I understand she took it down to put something but it should have gone up once she was done. Had there been an emergency, I saw alot of folks with young children that would have found it a bit difficult to come out. Do you think I should report this to Delta or am I being a little too much of a chicken?

jrl767

from a literal compliance standpoint, yes OP should report this

from a pragmatic standpoint, access to the emergency exit doors in flight isn’t critical; from a customer-facing standpoint, the fact that the FA left her bag where OP expected to have extra leg room is exceptionally tacky

flyerCO

The space shown is next to the jumpseat. It's not part of passenger area. Just because there happens to be no bulkhead between passenger seat and jumpseat, doesn't mean it's passenger's area. In fact if they wanted they could sit there during flight.

Jeff767

You should send the picture to Delta along with the flight number and details. That is not acceptable.

defrosted

THIS.

I was on HNL-ATL a few months ago and the FA did the same thing, I don't think it was for the entire flight but her bags were there for some portion of the flight. A330, exit row in economy. I still had plenty of room and I could have cared less. She was actually one of my favorite FAs.

People have their junk in exit rows during the flight all the time, it's not against the rules. It looks tidy and out of the way. Better that then them disturbing passengers to grab stuff from the overhead bins. They are people with stuff too, it has to go somewhere.

Yes it is ok.
No don't report it.

FN-GM

As passengers when in an exit row they make you store bags etc for take off and landing. During flight it is ok to have them out. So I can't see how there would be a different safety rule for the FA.

jdrtravel

Absolutely. And on an A330 there is ample storage space, including 4 cabin closets plus a whole crew rest area that was probably not even in use on a flight to Hawaii.

defrosted

The cabin closets were probably filled with passenger's items that didn't fit in the overhead bins, yet they insist on bringing them onboard anyway. I see this all the time, the last one was some lady's wedding dress. Out of Nashville I often see guitars. Often times no bin space for zone 3 so they throw the extra bags in the closets. Don't see people complaining when the FA stores pax stuff where it shouldn't be to accommodate them.

I do see your point, but all I am saying is no harm no foul. Who knows why FA did that, we don't know the whole story. OP said he wasn't inconvenienced, it isn't a safety issue, so no problem.

jdrtravel

The FA could not have left it there to make room for pax storage, because it can't be there during take off and landing (and it wasn't).