vt2k

On a Mesa flight IAD-ROA, I was dumbfounded with the FA told the guy in 12B (exit row on the E45s) that he could not have his water bottle in the seatback pocket. That was a new one to me.

robb

Wow. I'm surprised they didn't move him right then--they should have. However, just like the tray tables and ability to block the aisles during flight, I wonder if it's ok to sit in the exit row while you're in the air, just not for takeoff/landing.

Drzava

IAD-LHR last week. Was rather surprised to see a rather obese lady in the exit row who had been wheeled to the gate in a wheelchair!

Miles Ahead

I wish I were.

I was in 17A, passing through. He was in 30B.

I didn't say anything, as I was still picking my jaw up off the floor.

It was pretty clear from the exchange that he knew the rules, and just didn't care.

chris_denver

I once got the same request from a FA not to have it on my lap. Once I offered to put it under the seat in front of me, I was advised that this is not allowed either. So, different experience on every flight.

flygirl94

He's lucky I wasn't the fa in question, I would have moved him right then and there. If you are not "able-bodied" enough to get through the terminal (wheelchair), IMO you are not "able-bodied" enough to sit in an exit row.

No. The thinking is that if we were to have an emergency inflight, we have enough to worry about in prepping the cabin for an evacuation, and we might not have the time to rearrange pax.

In fact, if the captain declares an emergency and asks the fa's to "prep the cabin", one of the five things we are to ask is "time remaining".

Just as an example, let's say we are at cruise altitude, and we have an explosive decompression (like Aloha-or was it Hawaiian?), we don't want anyone unbuckled, let alone doing a seat-swap.

Also, during an emergency, the captain may ask the fa's to prep the cabin from their jumpseats. What if we have severe turbulence due to the emergency? How are we supposed to move pax in either scenario?

workflyer

Good post flygirl.

The reason my company doesnt allow jackets or personal items in the exit rows is the passenger my instinctively attempt to take the items with them in an evacuation delaying the process, the reason for hand luggage items incluing bags im sure is obvious to you all. The passengers in those seats in an emergency where the aircraft sustains reasonably little structural damage but could potentially blow up need to be the first out to allow others the same opportunity. The same reason applies to having your shoes on for take off and landing (except in a prepared ditching - although the chances of survival are low, lets give everyone the best chance instead of assuming).

Window shades open for critical phases of flight didnt become a regulation until quite recently (late 90s I believe), as some crew reported being unaware of things happening outside the aircraft while they are in their jumpseats preparing for landing and studies carried out showed how disorientated people can become even if they arent injured in an aircraft accident. Natural light will help you get your bearings (even if its night time) and an understanding of your surroundings outside the aircraft are essential to assist you to work out where your nearest exit and/or evacuation path may be.

Liz

The guy sounds like a jerk to me. Plenty of other able-bodied passengers would like the seat.

Just saw flygirl94's comments, I do agree that people who aren't able shouldn't be sitting in the exit row. However, it is not always possible to police the cabin and keep it from happening.

ajc1970

i saw this same thing happen once on a domestic Ted flight, but it was a solo male pax who didn't speak english and couldn't answer the flight attendant's questions before takeoff (including when she asked him if he spoke english).

she said something similar about how much trouble it'd be to move him.

there were 2 exit rows of 6 seats each (ted config). there were 2 off-duty UA pilots in my row, and 2 off-duty UA FAs in the row ahead of us, where the non-english speaking man was sitting. i could see both pilots smirk and kind of roll their eyes. couldn't see the looks on the faces of the off-duty FAs.

nigam

Another reason is that loose cloth on the floor, esp. layers of cloth, can be very slippery...

JC5280

You really must be careful of this. When airlines take it upon themselves to decide who deserves a wheelchair and who does not, you open yourself up for litigation. There are folks who use wheelchairs who can walk fine, they may have an unseen disability such as a weaker heart, or who have had recent (even minor) surgery.

There are cases where this has happened, and the big corporation often loses. There was once a passenger who was denied boarding because the GA accused them of being intoxicated - turns out that they had a mental disability.

GlobeCycle

Very interesting to hear your insights regarding safety training, workflyer and flygirl.

You two should start a Q&A thread regarding FA emergency safety training. It is so fascinating, because it is an element of air travel that us passengers will likely never encounter.

cepheid

Being able to walk is not the only criterion for sitting in the exit row. Exit row passengers must be able-bodied in general. In the examples you gave above, those passengers would likely not be considered sufficiently able-bodied to sit in the exit row, because they would not be able to assist in case of emergency (which may require significant physical exertion, such as opening the emergency exit).

Note that flygirl94 was not insinuating that a passenger does or does not deserve a wheelchair... she was explaining that anyone who requires a wheelchair therefore should not be placed in an exit row, which is not the same thing.

You're saying the court decided that passengers with mental disabilities may sit in an exit row? Maybe if the disability still allows them to comply with FA instructions, but this seems suspect. Exit row criteria mandated by the FAA are one place where discrimination is legal, and indeed, required.

JC5280

I didnt mention anything about an exit row in that second example. It was just the point that the airline decided on someone's capacity and was way off - resulting in litigation. I am not saying these rules are wrong, my point is that any big company needs to be careful of its blanket rules, i.e. wheelchair = no exit row.

flygirl94

I don't "decide" if a pax needs a wheelchair, they usually request one themselves.

If you have an unseen disability that doesn't require a wheelchair, I just expect a pax to use their judgement and be honest w/ me. After all, I am only asking you "Have you read the safety card and are you willing and able to open the exit in an emergency?"

I'm not asking for your medical records.

Last year I had a pax board w/ a wheelchair and sit in the exit row (757). Before I could notify the purser, he stated that he was retired FAA, knew the reg's, and stated that he should be able to stay in his seat. Fortunately, the captain was there greeting pax and overheard this and disagreed. While the captain made a phone call (prob to our legal dept ), the pax approached me and tried to argue his case. I simply told him it was now out of my hands now that the captain was going looking into it and would make the final decision.

He was moved.

As for the second part of your post, we never say that a pax is intoxicated, the pax "appears to be intoxicated". We understand that there are medical conditions that can mimic intoxication.

Can you cite a case where a pax won a settlement in your scenario? I don't mean settled by the airline to avoid costly litigation, where a judge or jury awarded damages.

It is against federal law for a GA to board a pax who "appears to be intoxicated". (forgive me, I'll see if I can find the FAR later)