The reporter has raised a safety concern in relation to the inability of passengers seated in an emergency exit row to follow emergency procedures if required.
The reporter recently travelled on an international flight with [Operator] and was seated in close proximity to an emergency exit row. The reporter states the passengers in the emergency exit row consisted of a family of three adults.
The reporter states, during boarding the family were very slow to stow their cabin baggage and take their assigned seats. During the flight, two of the passengers appeared to become ill and audibly anxious during periods of turbulence. The reporter questioned the ability of the passengers to carry out emergency functions and follow directions from cabin crew in the event of an emergency.
The reporter acknowledges that in-flight emergencies are rare, and cabin crew are there to assist. However, the reporter feels that the airline is choosing to make a profit from leg room seating rather than having a more able-bodied person in that role. The reporter states, in the event of an emergency, the people seated in that emergency exit row would most likely have created more issues through their inability to act.
The reporter queries why the suitability of passengers assigned to an emergency exit row is not checked during the check-in and boarding process. The reporter further queries the effectiveness of the emergency exit briefing carried out by the cabin crew on board the aircraft.
We would like to thank the reporter for raising their concerns. Based on the limited information provided by the reporter, we would like to provide you with an overview of the policies, processes, and procedures in place to ensure our passengers are eligible to be seated in an emergency exit.
Pertaining to your request, we are confident on [Operator] documented policies, processes, and procedures in place for emergency exit row seating requirements and eligibility (Abled Body Passenger [ABP]). [Operator] operate [various type] aircraft on international services. There are multiple seating configurations across our fleet. There are two types of emergency exit rows, passenger-operated and cabin-crew operated exit rows. There are some exceptions for cabin-crew operated exits, which differ from passenger-operated exits. All passengers seated at an emergency exit on [Operator] aircraft must meet the ABP criteria. The information provided by the reporter was limited and subjective and this makes it difficult to determine if there were any issues with these controls.
We have a series of controls designed to ensure exit row compliance:
- Declaration of competency or acceptance of the passenger during check-in (online and face-to-face).
- System controls in place only allowing ABP seats to be allocated to adults.
- During boarding, the boarding system alerts the boarding agent of the exit row seating requiring them to challenge and make an assessment against the eligibility requirements.
- On-board, Cabin Crew visually assess the passenger, brief them on the passenger operated exit and require verbal confirmation from the passenger that they are willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency.
Based on the contents of the report available to us, we believe our policies, processes and procedures are robust and effective.
Once again, we thank the reporter for bringing this to our attention and appreciate their time and effort in raising their concerns as we strive to continuously improve safety.
After review of the REPCON and the Operator’s response, CASA conducted a desktop review of [Operator]’s procedures. CASA is satisfied the controls outlined in the report are accurate and compliant with regulatory requirements related to passengers seated at exit rows. Previous audit activity did not identify any findings in relation to this matter.
CASA will consider the management of passengers seated at exit rows as part of scoping future surveillance activities with the operator.