eng3

Not sure if this belongs in another thread.

I was on SFO-EWR in Row 21 (exit row) yesterday. I think this was the first time where no FA did an exit row briefing (where they ask if we're ok in the exit row). Isn't this a requirement? I just got off a 13hr flight and was pretty tired. I suppose it is possible she came by while I was asleep and was talking in my sleep and the FA took that as a verbal acknowledgement but I think I managed to stay awake for the boarding process.

drewguy

If you were asleep you were paying as much attention as the awake passengers.

They need the seating charts to show pax who have previously sat in the exit row, so know the drill.

mahasamatman

Yes, and the airline can be seriously fined for omitting it.

It doens't matter it you've been there 100 times. They are still required by law to give the briefing.

WineCountryUA

Were you asked at boarding? When your BP beeped?
Generally the same question is asked at that time also.

eng3

Exactly what I thought.
I will give the crew the benefit of the doubt and assume I had severe jet lag/sleep deprivation and either was sleep talking or some how didn't remember.

Although another thing gave me the idea the crew was a little lazy. On a long flight, I always ask for a whole can of soda and it sat on my tray table the whole flight. Since I was asleep, I didnt actually drink much of it and probably missed the garbage pickup rounds a few times. I definitely missed the mid-flight KIND bar unless they skipped it. Anyways, I am pretty sure I was awake from the initial decent down and for that entire time no one came by to collect garbage. Around 5000ft, an FA came by to do a safety check. She had no garbage bag with her. I handed my can to her and she said "you can just leave it in your seat pocket, the cleaners will get it". I've never heard that before and was confused and tried handing it to her again. She was like "is it full?" and I was like "sort of". And then she ended up taking it. I do recall she and the rest of the crew was very nice but young. No dirty looks or anything like that.

emcampbe

drewguy

1) The briefing is barely a "briefing" - it is confirmation you know you're in an exit row
2) If you've sat in an exit row before, and selected it again, chances are very good you realize you're in an exit row
3) I was in part being tongue-in-cheek. How many people watch the safety video? Many FTers probably have it memorized.

eng3

Ah, good point. I'll say "sort of".
Out of habit, I'll usually say "exit row" when it beeps to save the GA time.
The 3 people in front of me all got the beep and did not get asked. They all were sitting in the exit row.

JBord

Yes, it SHOULD be, but sometimes people (the FA) just make a mistake once and it never happens again. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt for one infraction rather than potentially put them at risk of discipline or job loss. If the OP were to report it, I wouldn't argue or fault him, just noting that it's something to think about. And as others have said, most people don't really listen so it likely has very little safety impact in reality.

Honestly, as a frequent exit-rower, I'd say the most important safety announcement I hear on every flight, if there were only one to make people acknowledge, is where they say "in case of an emergency, please follow all crew instructions" or something like that.

mahasamatman

Not even that. I've had FAs read their briefing, and when they don't get a response, they just tell the person to "say yes".

If it involves the safety of hundreds of people, I vehemently disagree. And how do you know it's only one infraction? Maybe this FA never gives a briefing.

JBord

First, "benefit of the doubt" implies that you don't know. And it's why I don't have a problem if someone feels they need to report it.

I believe in following rules. The FAA set a rule, and FA's should do it. I'm not sure I believe it actually impacts the safety of hundreds of people, unless the person seated in the exit row doesn't understand the primary language of the flight crew, which is part of the reason they ask the question. I'm not debating if the FA was wrong to skip it, just not sure I'd put someone's job (rent, mortgage, family, etc.) at risk if all other rules were followed on the flight. I've forgotten to do something that I've realized and regretted later. It happens to most of us once in a while. I'm not required to report the FA as a passenger, it's my choice. The same way I don't report every driver who does a rolling stop at a stop sign or turns on a red light when there's a sign prohibiting it, both of which are safety issues impacting other people.

mahasamatman

Or has a disability, or insufficient strength, or any of a number of reasons they can't perform the appropriate actions.

Sykes

It amazes me how much people become invested in these kinds of lip-service requirements that are implemented. I imagine that in a given year the number of people worldwide that decline an exit row only after receiving an exit briefing can be counted on two hands. Not even all airlines do exit row briefings (they're not required by FAR, but once implemented by an airline the airline can be fined for not doing them).

Yes, they should do it, but it's not the end of the world if they miss it every once-in-a-while.

mahasamatman

It amazes me how many people don't care about flight safety. I agree the implementation is poor, but it's still critical for everyone.

Please read FAR 121.585 before making false statements.

chermorg

Given that not everyone who flies knows what an "exit row" is necessarily, and may very well have been randomly assigned the seat, or picked it a long time ago, it makes perfect sense to ask "right here, right now, are you willing and able to help us if we need you".

Take the 60 year old man who normally would have no trouble opening the hatch. He booked his seat 3 months ago. He's come down with a stomach virus and isn't feeling well today, so he probably couldn't actually help. The GA (as they do sometimes, as it's not required for them) waves him on through, assuming he knows what he's doing. He gets in his seat, hears "are you willing and able to assist us in the event of an emergency" and voluntarily moves. Very well could make the difference between that exit being operational in an emergency and not.

The second you start saying "let it go, it was only once" is the second we stop caring about people in an exit row being willing/able to assist.