Ever seen an FA boot someone from an exit row?
 

I haven't - but last week I seriously wondered if I should have!

I had a "front row" seat for the following - being seated with my family across the entire aisle behind the exit row.

CRJ200 COS-DEN so *short* flight and small plane. Mom with 2 tweens gets on, has 3 seats - 2 in exit row, one of which conflicts with a seated passenger. Exit row passenger shuffles seats, FA shuffles seats, we end up with mom and kids in non-exit rows, and an empty seat in the exit row. All looks good until the elderly woman laboriously makes her way down the aisle and attempts to take a seat now occupied by mom. Mom/FA explain and after several repeats for obviously hard-of-hearing woman, newcomer takes exit row seat.

At this point I'm thinking "No way is this woman capable of operating the exit or even clearing out of it in time! Me and mine are going out the LEFT side of the aircraft if it all goes to pot!!!"

FA comes by to get the verbal "Yes" from the exit row pax, asks the usual "Are you willing and able to blah blah blah..." 3 pax all say yes, newcomer looks puzzled. FA repeats loudly "Are you willing to blah blah blah..." - conspicuously (to me at least) omitting the ABLE portion of the speech. Newcomer smiles and says something affirmative.

Needless to say the 15 minute flight was uneventful, but I spent a good portion of it questioning my own decision not to intervene.

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced a situation like this and how it got resolved?

Richard

UAX flight attendant here, and I've booted many a person from the exit row. Grandmothers, seat poachers, elites that won't get off their phones (post door closure) long enough to pay attention to my briefing. It's my cabin, and should something go down, I want to make sure my exits are covered with the most willing and able people possible. I have no qualms about reseating someone.

And for the record, no one has ever complained about me reseating them.

Yes, many times. For instance:

- Passenger in row 9 on ps with a lap child
- Seat poacher from E-
- An unaccompanied minor
- Passenger who did not understand English

Many years ago on a domestic flight in India my friend's elderly dad was asked not to sit in his assigned exit row seat. He objected, and I think they relented.

Yup. Seen it too. Everything hmy1 saw plus a parent traveling with a number of pre-teens sitting nearby and a passenger who refused to place her bag in the overhead bin.

Have seen it happen a couple of times but, like the OP, I am more amused when it *should* have happened but didn't. For example, some time ago I was on an LAX-LAS flight with a two-seater parked in the exit row. Given their size and impaired mobility, there was no way they should've been left there.

No, I haven't, but wish they'd do it more especially in the ME routes. Seen many pax that clearly should not have been in the emergency row, but left there.

I saw a group of adults who did not speak English booted before getting on the plane on a US domestic flight. Glad the gate attendants caught it and resolved it.

Per policy, customers of size are permitted in exit rows.

I've seen it on occasion.. for safety reasons..

Gotta be able to handle the safety requirements.. Exit Row isn't just for leg room.. it's meant for individuals who can carry the responsibility and meets the FAA and airline criteria

FWIW - Understanding of English is not a requirement but rather "Understanding of the Flight Attendant". I say this as I once had to go to another seat after the Spanish speaking flight attendant talked to me on a ACES Colombia flight. I didnt speak Spanish so I had to move. No worries!

Curious. Whose policy? Is it set by the FAA or by each airline?

And regardless of who sets the policy, the pax in question wasn't just large, he had, as I stated, impaired mobility. Not to mention the fact that had he be injured it would have been very difficult/virtually impossible to move him out of the way. Ever tried moving a few hundred dead-weight pounds in a burning environment? No way he should have been seated in an EER.

As recently as last week on WN leaving HOU. A family group with a couple of young teenagers sat down in the exit row. The FA came over, sized up the teens, and diplomatically arranged for them to swap with the folks sitting behind them.

It was probably easier than some of the other examples, since the kids were clearly too young to meet the rules (though they were the sort of suburban-looking, athletic boys who could have easily hefted half the passengers out the door if needed).

A few years ago on a DL regional jet...very fat dude gets on and sits in the exit row aisle seat across from me. Reaches into his briefcase and pulls out his personal seat belt extender and buckles up. I was going to rat him out, but the FA caught it on her own and booted him out of the exit row.

My wife and I were seated in an exit row and she got booted (served her right) :D

The FA stand in these rows as we boarded and and she complained about her bad shoulder lifting her bag into the overhead and would they help?

They certainly did. Of course I just stayed out of it as there was no appeal allowed and sat by myself in the exit row. Now the wife knows not to whinge about a heavy bag when sitting in the exit row.

and the FAs are especially leery about early boarders sitting in exit rows as they suspect that the early boarder probably claimed a handicap reason like a cane.

They need the fit and the alert sitting in these rows to open the hatch and assist others. My wife was always fit and now is more alert to the watchful eyes of the FA :)

when I read the title of this thread, all I could think of was
female flight attendantswearing boots.... :D :D :D

as for passengers who don't belong in emergency exit row
seats.... whenever I'm in one of those seats, I always see
flight attendants asking if everyone in that row is willing
to help and can understand English. there was this one
time when someone next to me in the emergency row nearly
got relocated because she refused to put down her smartphone.
the flight attendant became more angry than the Angry Birds
on the young woman's smartphone!

Sitting in the exit row.. you are the FA's special safety coordinator.. although nothing rarely ever happens..

You get the privelege of more leg room.:)

It's infrequent that I've seen someone moved out of an exit row, but I've almost always seen FAs do it when necessary. Examples include younger children, people who don't understand English (on a domestic USA flight), and those with visible handicaps. I've never witnessed someone moved for ignoring the safety briefing... the FA's typical warning of, "If you don't pay attention I'm going to have to reseat you," has always worked.

I've seen a Father booted from the exit row on an ERJ because his son was seated elsewhere on the plane and they decided he'd have his priorities wrong in the event of an emergency. The FA had a point.

We had this happen to us. I thought since we were the only people on the flight, my wife and I could sit in 9 B/C on a EMB-120, while the kids sat 9/10 A. No hurt feelings on our part, the FA was just doing her job.

I've actually avoided this situation because I wasn't sure I could honestly answer that I wasn't "pre-occupied with other whatsitnots" if my kids were in the row ahead. Sucks though 'cuz I'd *REALLY* like that extra legroom when we fly together :(

Richard

A few years ago I was on AA from JFK to LAS 757 and as an elite I always book an emergency exit row seat whenever I can for the extra leg room.

On this flight I had booked an aisle seat and nobody had taken the 2 other seats next to me when the boarding door was closed. Once the door was closed from the row behind me a couple moved up and took the middle and window seats next to me

When the FA came over to us to ask their normal emergency exit row questions, I and the husband seated by the window replied, but his wife did not. When the FA again asked the woman her questions, her husband answered for her, but the FA would not accept his answer and asked directly the woman again the questions.

When it was apparent the woman did not understand English, the FA told the husband his wife would have to take her original assigned seat and she was not to change her seat during the flight. He told his wife to move back to her seat and she remained there for the entire flight while her husband stayed at his emergency exit row window seat.

Mr. Elliott

Saw someone pre-emptively 'booted' from an exit row seat, to my benefit. ;)

Approaching the gate, most people on board, and one GA said to the other, whilst looking at me approaching, "Here comes one". I was a little alarmed at that comment till I noticed a lady leaning against the desk with a pair of crutches by her side.

Was asked would I mind swapping to the lady's exit row seat. I didn't (mind, that is).

Kudos..

Very charitable.;)

I have to admit I have done it too on an China Eastern flight the FA allowed an elderly lady with less than 50 Kg and smaller than 1,50 m to sit in the exit row on her own. Since this particualr door weighs about 26 - 30 Kg and physically needs to be brought into the cabin - turned around - and then jettisoned out I asked the FA just how in the world this lady was do do this???? See looked at me as if to say mide your own business but when I pointed to the 2 young - chinese- men in the row ahead of us she figured my point might have soem validation after all and moved the 3 around. That however caused the old lady to ..... and complain and probably call me a dozen names in chinese.

Once the flight got to Hong Kong a gentleman coming from the seat row behind the exit came up to me and told me I had beaten him to it he too was going to opose the FA on that choice for the door.

Several times - the one I remember was on a KQ 767, when I was seated in the row behind the exit row - and the two youngish children in it. CC noticed and swapped them for myself and the stranger who I was sitting next to who had also noticed.

We were pleased to help the crew out ;)

I have
A man that was given that exit row obviously on check in and when the FA came over and asked if they were happy to be seated in the exit row and assist should there be an emergency...he cracked it at the FA, said he had no intention of helping anyone in an emergency and only wanted the seat for the extra leg room.
The FA was very calm and told him he had to move or he could be charged with an offence should passengers need assistance and he has refused in the prior legal message.
He moved.

As seen on TV: " You have the right to remain silent, anything you say......."