Exit row responsibilities include judicious alcohol use
 

I felt privileged after many years of flying with Qantas domestic to finally secure an (albeit middle of three) exit row seat with the amply long leg room. I duly read instructions for, and listened carefully to the crew briefing, as it related to opening the exit door in an emergency. The business man sitting at the window seat had had more than enough beer to drink during evening dinner service. Should alcohol consumption (complimentary in this case) be restricted for exit row passengers to allow them to responsibly serve their important role in case of emergency aircraft exit operations?

Joseph Ting

Nope - you have no idea what is responsible for another person and let's face it, if you're flying domestic in Australia you're probably not going to have a landing that would require someone in the exit to do anything - ie a water landing.

Hez - Right on.

I, personally, have been in exit rows too many times to count.

I have never seen an FA restrict alcohol content of any single passenger in an exit row, that is, with someone who is relatively sober. My take is that the FAs know what they're doing, so let them do it.

Maybe JosephTing wants his fellow passengers to have sing-a-longs in lieu of alcohol.

Joseph, You have posted 3 times on Fodors and each has been a sort of whiny complaint . . . one topped a <u>13 year old</u> thread (!).

Do you want resolution or just a soap box?

Nah, I say if the plane is going down, let everyone be drunk!

suze: I <i>know</i> I would be ((D))

"Nah, I say if the plane is going down, let everyone be drunk!"

Amen

You need to fly United's Economy Plus to Europe. They charge $6 for a beer and $7 for a small little bottle of wine. Everyone in economy is broke before they get drunk.

That's what I was thinking wally

I don't know what "more than enough beer" is.

Everybody knows that the drunk guy is going to survive a crash, so really you want him next to the door.

I am one of the few people on this board who has actually done an evacuation due to an emergency on an airplane. I wish I had been drunk beforehand, but the fire started just as we took off so I didn't have the chance to indulge in British Airways' free drinks in coach. I did drink quite a bit after the fact, especially when British Airways opened the bar for us when we returned to the airport terminal.

The odds of doing an evacuation are so slim I don't think this s/b an issue.

This reminds me of people who say not to where synthetic clothing when you fly, because it catches fire more easily.

wear (not where) sheez, but you get the idea.

if you're aerial calm in Australia you're apparently not traveling to accept a landing that would crave anyone in the avenue to do anything

"<i>if you're aerial calm in Australia you're apparently not traveling to accept a landing that would crave anyone in the avenue to do anything</i>"

Couldn't have said it better myself! :D >)

At least in the United States, it's illegal to place an intoxicated passenger in an exit row, just as it is illegal to serve him enough alcohol to affect his capacity to assist in an evacuation (and it's illegal to serve anyone enough alcohol to make him drunk). I assume that air regulations in Australia are similar, so the cabin crew is probably in violation.

There is a tendency for people to dismiss safety procedures until there's a crash and people die, at which point the people who cared nothing about safety invariably attempt to convince investigators that they "didn't know."

As an international flight attendant, I am more concerned about the people who pop an Ambien in the extra row and are out like a light before we take off!

Make that EXIT row?

Good point dutyfree.

What about people who have panic attacks? Or someone who would just freeze when faced with an emergency? There's only so much screening we can do for people who can sit in an exit row seat.

Last year my wife and I were returning from our Caribbean vacation. On our connecting flight from Toronto we were seated one row behind the exit row. A gentleman and his 2 sons boarded and took there seats in the exit row. The FA came along and gave the usual presentation on the responsiblities of exit row passengers. The 3 gentleman watched but said nothing. As the flight progressed it became clear to us that neither of these individuals spoke English. We also became aware that 1 of the 3 was a developmentally limited adult. As the plane commenced its decent the usual announcements were made concerning seatbelts, raise your table, etc. None of the 3 understood the notification. The FA had did instruct them more than once on what they were do. When the plane was taxiing toward the arrival gate again the FA gave the usual announcements about remaining seated. The father immediately got up and started emptying their belongings from the overhead bin. The FA instructed him to sit down....he didn't understand.

As I exited the plane I informed both the 'lead' flight attendant and the co-pilot of what had transpired.

I thought the least an attendant at the check-in counter should have done was confirm that passengers seated in the exit row could understand English.