Relocation of Jump Seat on QANTAS Airways Ltd Boeing 747-438, VH-OJF

Following representations by the Australian Flight Attendants' Association concerning a newly installed seating configuration on VH-OJF, a Qantas Boeing 747-400, a special investigation was undertaken to determine if safety standards had been compromised. The upper deck seating configuration on VH-OJF was compared to the previous exit configuration utilised on Qantas 747-400s. Further comparisons were made between the Boeing 747-200 and SPs operated by Qantas. The investigation determined that while the new seating configuration did meet the regulatory requirements, the previously installed standard did provide a far superior emergency exit facility.

Introduction

This special investigation was initiated after a letter was sent to the Minister for Transport and Communications by the Australian Flight Attendants' Association (AFAA). This communication detailed a number of objections to a seating configuration which had been installed on the upper deck of VH-OJF, a Qantas Boeing 747-400. 

The Association's objections to the new seating configuration are: 

(1) the downgrading of the upper deck emergency exits from Type A to Type I; 

(2) the jump seat protrudes fully into the exit; 

(3) no assist space is available; 

(4) insufficient recess for the flight attendant to direct the evacuation; 

(5) the reversal of the jump seat to a forward facing seat; and 

(6) emergency procedures are not applicable to the exit. 

The following report details the background to the investigation and addresses the issues raised by the flight attendant's union. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the safety deficiencies, if any, of the new configuration in relation to the previous configuration and those in situ on other 747 series.