Exit row seats?

[Princess Dot]

Does anyone know if the exit row seats are only for adults? I seem to recall being told once on the plane that if you were seated in the exit row you need to be physically able to help others out the exit and to be able to open the emergency door. I think they also said that children should not be seated in these rows.

But with internet bookings that let you choose your own seat, what happens if you book your child (with you) in an exit row, if in fact this is the "rule?"

Anyone know the answer?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Does anyone know if the exit row seats are only for adults?

Only for adults and older teens.

Children under the age of 15 may not be seated in an exit row. This also applies to adults traveling with someone under 15 (even if the child is seated in a different row).

Passengers with disabilities, passengers needing therapeutic oxygen, and anyone who does not have the strength to handle a 45-50 pound exit door can not be assigned to exit row seats.

To sit in an exit row, you must be willing and able to assist in the evacuation of the aircraft. This means you need to read and understand the instructions for removing the exit door and placing it across the seats.

 

[CarolA]

Most web sites that allow you to book exit row will require you to respond to questions indicating you meet the criteria so the only way a child could get the seat is for the parent to respond that they did mee the criteria.

I did see a case where the parent had said their 4 year old was qualified. Delta was not very symphathetic to them when reseating. They did finally get the child with one parent, but not both to Mom's dismay!

 

[goofy4tink]

We saw this happen on a Song flight also. Mom and dad and a little one, probably about 10-11 or so. When they were questioned by the attendent, they said their child would be fine in an emergency and would be able to help others just as well as any adult! Attendent really didn't care what they thought. And since there were only 2 seats together on the plane, one parent had to sit by themselves. People were asked if they would give up their seat so the family could sit together, but everyone seemed to feel that it was just tough cookies for that family since they had tried to 'get away with it'!!!

 

[Ted and Holly]

The airlines may own the plane, but the FAA owns the exit row seats. Check out section 135.129 starting on page 723 of this document: http://www.dgtraining.com/Enforcement/Regulations/14cfr_135(2002).pdf

I would post it here, but the criteria is actually pretty long.

Ted

 

[Princess Dot]

Thanks everyone! That would be my fear, booking the exit row then having to move and have no seats together! I have not actually tried to book these seats,but they showed availability and I was thinking the extra leg room would be nice for tall DH. But, I thought it was the case that children could not sit there.

Actually, I now that I think about it, I remember one trip where my DH volunteered to switch seats with a family that was sitting in the exit row. LOL! He had this nice relaxing flight while I ended up entertaining our 3 and 4 year olds for the whole flight! (This was pre-jetblue and song so no TVs, just lots of crayons that kept dropping on the floor!LOL!)

 

[n2mm]

My husband and I love sitting in the exit row. With United, they will not let you book it until they see you in person. We always try to get to the airport early and always ask to be moved to the exit row. We figure everytime we do that, it frees up 2 coach seats to help move others around. We actually had a man come up to us while waitig for our flight and thank us for giving up our seats so that his family could now sit together. We do this when we are not traveling with our 11 year old grandson because we know the rules and know that it's 15 and older, and physically able.

 

[my3kids]

Honestly though....in a crash situation how many people who sit in the exit row are going to hang around and help out the strangers on the plane? Open the door...yes....hang around to help out?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Honestly though....in a crash situation how many people who sit in the exit row are going to hang around and help out the strangers on the plane? Open the door...yes....hang around to help out?

It's not just a matter of having to "open the door." An over-wing exit panel is not on hinges. The panel weighs 45-50 pounds. In an evacuation situation, the exit row passengers need to act quickly and correctly. The exit row passenger in the seat adjacent to the panel needs to remove the panel and (with the assistance of the other exit row passengers) place it, on its edge, across the arm rests of the seats. Done improperly, the panel could impede access to the over-wing exit, and people could die (especially if there is a fire).

After that, the exit row passengers should be the first ones to exit. By example, they should get the passengers behind them as far way away from the aircraft as possible, to be safe if there is an explosion.

So, it is a big responsibilty.

Neither the airlines nor the FAA expect exit row passengers to "hang around and help out the strangers on the plane."

 

[ducklite]

On a lot of the planes now they are telling you to chuck the door out, not lay it on the seat (duh--at that point to h@@@ with denting the wing!).

At any rate, we've seen families moved out of those rows, we often try to GET those rows for the little extra legroom! About six months ago we were in the row in front of the exit row, and this family got on, car seat and infant in tow. As they were moving into the exit row I told them not to bother setting up the car seat, because they wouldn't be able to sit there. Sure enough a minute later a FA told them they'd have to switch, and we immediately volunteered to move back a row.

We've also seen a husband and wife moved, she didn't speak English, and when the FA told the husband that the wife couldn't sit in the exit aisle, he said "I'll translate for her" and was very nasty to the FA, and refused to move. I was sitting across the aisle and verbally "smacked him across the head" by saying "Not if you're DEAD you won't". He gave me this look that if he could have killed me on the spot with his bare hands he would have. At any rate, he got really beligerent, and the captain had to come back--basically told him to MOVE OR GET OFF THE PLANE. Turns out part of the problem was the wife was in an aisle seat and he wouldn't let her sit anywhere but an aisle seat less she come in physical proximately with an "infidel". Sorry if this isn't PC--he was a jerk. In all honesty, this was before September 11, I'm convinced that if it happened now, he would have been off the plane, period.

I've also seen a very frail elderly woman reseated--handled quite gracefully, they took her to first class!

Anne

 

[inkkognito]

With all the flying we do, we've seen all manner of "exit row rage." The parents whose children cannot sit with them, and who then get really nasty, are the most common. But my favorite was the extremely obese man who was sitting in the exit row across the aisle from us. There had been a gate change, and for the whole time the other passengers boarded and for the whole time the plane taxied to the runway, all he did was complained to the flight attendants about how ATA had inconvenienced him because he can barely walk and cannot stand for any length of time (the jump seats were right across from him). He felt that ATA should "compensate" him for the gate change; finally, they told him to write a letter. Frankly, I was surprised they didn't make him move, since he certainly wouldn't have been able to assist if all his complaints were true. This same rocket scientist overheard me joking with my husband and said, in all seriousness, "NEVER open the exit door when the plane is in flight. I flew fighter planes in the army, so I know that you shouldn't." Well, duh! Thanks for clearing that up for me! Then he spent the rest of the flight hitting on the chick next to him, telling her stories of his fighter pilot days and about all the houses that he owns on the beach. He was way better than the in-flight entertainment!
Barb

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

On a lot of the planes now they are telling you to chuck the door out, not lay it on the seat (duh--at that point to h@@@ with denting the wing!).

That's interesting. I fly a lot (primarily on American), and I'm in the exit row most of the time. I've never been presented with the option of chucking the exit panel out.

I've assumed that there's a fear that chucking the exit panel could damage the exit slide. So, I'm "programmed" to put the exit panel across the arm rests on its long edge, just like the pictures on the exit panel and on the emegency card.

I wonder if ducklite was on a different airline and aircraft type than the AA MD-80s, 757s, and 767s on which I most commonly fly.

In any case, I would follow the instructions that are given on the particular flight.

 

[ducklite]

Horace--

On the equipment you mention, yes, you are supposed to put it on the seat (in reality, I'm not sure how well that would work..although in REAL reality it probably wouldn't matter.)

On Airbus equipment the card shows tossing it out. Also want to think on one of the newer regional jets it shows the same thing.

Anne

 

[Ted and Holly]

Horace--

On the equipment you mention, yes, you are supposed to put it on the seat (in reality, I'm not sure how well that would work..although in REAL reality it probably wouldn't matter.)

On Airbus equipment the card shows tossing it out. Also want to think on one of the newer regional jets it shows the same thing.

Anne

I don't care what the card says, if I am in the seat and I am in the position to open that door, it will be thrown out the door. FAR.

Ted

 

[murcor]

Check this out...Ive used this many times, great choosing your seats

http://www.seatguru.com

the ultimate source for airplane seating and in-flight services information.


Angela

 

[NotUrsula]

Ducklite, you shouldn't have been able to switch w/ that exit row family if you were sitting in the row immediately forward, not if they had a carseat. Carseats are actually not supposed to be in that row, because a carseat would prevent the seatback from collapsing forward to widen the path of egress. Carseats are not allowed in the row behind the exit, either, presumably because the door needs to land there. The FA should have had them switch with the folks two rows up or back.

Also, a parent who is travelling with a child is not supposed to sit in the exit row, even though the kid or kids are in another row. The reason is that if there is an emergency, no parent who is separated from his/her child is going to worrying about properly opening the door; that person would be going against the tide to get to his kid. SWA is the only airline that I have ever known to consistently enforce this part of the exit seating rules; they *will* force a parent to leave the exit row if they become aware that the person has a child on board.

BTW, Don't you have to open the door and then pull a ripcord to inflate the slide? How could an ejected door damage the slide if the slide was still in the canister?

FYI, when flying intra-continental flights in Europe, I've noticed that they enforce exit-row rules on the front bulkhead seats, too. I was sitting next to an elderly lady in that row once, and the FA moved her back to the second row, explaining that only someone who could lift the door could sit in a row nearest the door.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

It's not just a matter of having to "open the door." An over-wing exit panel is not on hinges. The panel weighs 45-50 pounds.

I recently sat in the exit row on my last Southwest flight. We had a Boeing 737-500 aircraft. According to the brochure, the Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 series have the removable door, and the diagram showed the stick figure chucking it out on the wing. I guess this way, it's out of the way.

But it also showed that the Boeing 737-700 series aircraft had a hinged door... the door I guess is on hydraulic hinges, and will open upwards, and remain in that position.

 

[Pinnie]

I try and get those exit row seats on SWA, too, Tyler and have seen the card with the "chuck the door". SWA is taking delivery of new planes, so maybe those are the ones with the hinged doors???

SWA usually has a FA stationed in the Exit Rows during boarding and makes sure the pax are able to handle the responsibilities. I do note that whenever there are deadheading pilots, they are the ones that get that row first!

pinnie

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Yeah, the 737-700's are the new planes with the hinged doors.

On my flight, I was so excited. It was just me, and another man in the row, so that the middle seat was empty. Extra leg room, AND space to spread out. Then of course, the last person to board was a deadheading flight attendant, and of course she chose the seat next to me. It was okay though, because she was really friendly.

 

[lajones81]

AA.com has seating arrangements for their flights, but I see someone already posted a website that lists all the airlines. Thanks!