Information please. If there are pax on board, do you have to have someone seated in each emergency exit row to be responsible for the door or is it sufficient (as a blue and gold LOCC are currently doing) to keep the rows empty and to ask someone in the rows immediately before/behind to be responsible for the door in the event of an evacuation?

Ta

You should have at least one passenger per self help exit seated next to, or in the same row as the exit.

at least that was the SOP in the 4 uk airlines I have worked at

Are you saying that if nobody pays extra for the exit row and some extra leg room .. it stays empty ?

That'd be really mean

That's right. Very strange then to watch pax in adjacent rows being asked to accept responsibility for the doors.

As an Irish air carrier with routes to the U.K. and other EU countries, Ryanair is subject to Irish and EU regulation, which is implemented primarily by the Department of Transport, the IAA, the European Commission, and the EASA.

European regulations do not mandate that overwing exit rows on a 737 are occupied by either pax or crew.

Juud - thanks for that.

In the US also, there is no requirement that the exit rows be occupied, nor do we assign responsibility to nearby passengers when exit rows are unoccupied. Flight attendants are responsible for making sure that exit rows are occupied by passengers who are willing and able to help in an emergency and meet the qualification on the front of the safety card.

Noticed recently when travelling with AA last year a couple of times, that they don't seem to be bothered too much if there are items under the seats or on the exit row floor itself. Thought this was contary to regulations??

We, in the US, allow stowage under the seats at window exit rows, but, all items have to be completely under the seats & not blocking the paths to the window exits. I noticed when flying Spanair & Air Europa that nothing was allowed under the seats at exit rows.

Not sure about other European Airlines but in Scandinavia at airlines I've worked for it's "if it don't fit in the seat pocket, up it goes". Nothing under seats or the such. Have to mention I flew with BA on several occasions to Australia and noticed bags under legs at EMC exits! Is this OK at BA?

Not sure about other European Airlines but in Scandinavia at airlines I've worked for it's "if it don't fit in the seat pocket, up it goes". Nothing under seats or the such. Have to mention I flew with BA on several occasions to Australia and noticed bags under legs at EMC exits! Is this OK at BA?

Nope, all items should be up. and one pax per exit

AT one operator I worked at, the requirement for the exit rows (o/wing B737) to be occupied changed during my employment.

IIRC, min 2 in each row (so 8 total) whereas previously they were not required to be occupied at all.

On B767 however, there was no such requirement. The logic being B737 are 'self help' exits and as such crew are not seated by them for takeoff/landing but on B767 having crew sitting between the o/wing exits meant the pax became... excuse the term- irrelevant on that point.

Probably also because the o/wing on the 767 is slightly more complicated- though if the crew were down & pax opened it, they're not necessarily going to worry if the slide's deployed or not, as they'd go off the back of the wing anyway....

F100 (at the time I flew on it) had no requirement as crew were assigned to those exits in an emergency (no rear doors to man)

Wanted to add- the airline allowing bags in exits so long as they "fit under the seat in front" is missing the point of the rule of no bags on the floor- in a sudden deceleration/unusual g forces/impact bags are likely to move and become obstructions on the floor.

Just exactly what they think this achieves is beyond me...?

I fly the B717, and we require at least 2 per row at the overwing exits, if the total pax numbers exceed 31 (if less than 31 we don't need the minimum 8). Nothing is to be on the floor or under the seat in front and we've even recently added a rule that they must keep their shoes on for take off and landing too (as for some reason many of my dirty smelly passengers love to take off their shoes the moment they sit down...even using the toilet in bare feet *shudder*)

Please be aware that any requirement for seats to be occupied (or not) will be driven by the relevant legislation of the aviation authority of the nation where the aircraft/airline is registered. There is no 'Global' answer to this question. Therefore, when posting, it helps if you include the country of origin of the airline that you are discussing.

When I was working in Getafe, Travelling back to Germany (Iberia), I often used to sit by the overwing exit, when asked once by a stewardess "Do you know how to open it" my reply "Yes, my problem is throwing it out, if I did that in the hangar, my boss would be peed off with me" sadly comment fell on stony ground, she just huffed and walked off.

We usually require a passenger in each overwing exit row but we do have the discretion, if the pax load is low, to leave the exits free.

As mentioned by others, laws are different from country to country and from aircraft to aircraft, and also dependant on each airlines agreement with their governing body, as total passenger numbers per aircraft and therefore, per exit, can also alter between different airlines operating the same aircraft type.

Rules for the Irish registered airline mentioned are often less strict than CAA registered airlines for all sorts of things.

Hi Judd regarding the requirements to have passengers seated at overwing exits you should note the recent advisory memorandum issued by the Irish Aviation Authority in January of this year. It is now IAA policy that these seats are occupied for take off and landing (obviously loads permitting) and that passengers receive an 'awareness briefing' on their responsibilities and operation of the exit. For full info check their website - iaa.ie -NOTAMS - Advisory Memoranda -issue 1/12

However, that is an Irish rule, not European legislation.

Are the Irish permitted to have their "own" rule? Now that we are changing over to EASA everything should be based upon EU law.

If it's not a law, its not a rule... So it would be upto each operator.

Hi Denti,

this is now a requirement under the new EASA regulations. Checkout part CC.TRA.225 -

"4. Passenger handling and cabin surveillance:

4.1 the importance of correct seat allocation with reference to aeroplane mass and balance, special categories of passengers and the necessity of seating able-bodied passengers adjacent to unsupervised exits;"

Several years ago my family were allocated emergency row seats at check in. My youngest who was about 7 at the time was understandably a bit young to be sat there and the cabi crew got us to swap seats (wouldnt let him move by himself) for take off and landing.

the supprising bit was my 13 year old (rugby playing) son was also moved away from the emergency exit row yet they allowed a VERY old man who needed a stick to even stand up to remain right next to the exit. Now I am not a betting man but I would have put money on my son opening and being out that exit before the old git even got his seat belt off.

Onur air was the airline involved.