Oxygen masks per row?

[TotalBeginner]

Quick question,

I'm guessing that this is probably type specific, but are there normally 4 OXY masks either side of the aisle on aircraft with a 6 abreast config? And would there be any problem seating 2 infants on the same row, provided that they were either side of the aisle?

Thanks in advance!

[sinala1]

Gday TotalBeginner,

You are right, it is dependant on type - but the airlines I have worked for have never had an issue with having one infant per block of seats - so 2 across the aisle should be fine.

If, as your name suggests, you are a TotalBeginner travelling with infants (especially 2 at once!), This Thread (entitled 'Travelling alone with a 3 month old') (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=262749) is a great read - it was a Dad's first time travelling with the little one without Mum being present. :ok:

If, of course, you are a seasoned infant transporter then feel free to disregard :O

[VS-LHRCSA]

It is completely dependant on the airline and what it decides when ordering the aircraft. I've flown on aircraft that only had the extra mask at bulkheads. I've flown on others that only had it on the left hand side. Other aircraft had it on alternative rows, while others had extras in every row.

When you work for companies that inherit aircraft from a variety of legacy carriers (eg Air Atlanta who have aircraft from Cathay, JAL, KLM, BA, Varig, etc) you have to keep up with the specifics, especially with aircraft swaps.

[DJCCGuy]

At our airline, it is allowed to have 2 infants in the same row, so long as there is no infant seated in the row behind or infront so they are able to use the extra mask if required

[sinala1]

it is allowed to have 2 infants in the same row
To clarify, DJCCGuy is referring to 2 infants in the same seat block (ie block of 3 seats) - rather than across the entire row.

:ok:

[Rwy in Sight]

DJCCGuy,

How can a normal size adult holding an infant can reach an oxygen mask (in the event of a sudden decompression) while wearing a seatbelt? I am not sure I understand the situation involved - shouldn't the mask be easily accessible.

Rwy in Sight

[TightSlot]

Rwy in Sight - You can reach the O2 masks easily as as they hang low enough, and the tubes (although initially partly coiled)are long enough to be reached,

Each block of seats - on a typical Boeing narrow-body say a triple each side of the aisle - will usually have one more mask than there are seats: Therefore, a triple seat block will have four masks in the unit above the seats. This permits the carriage of one additional person in each triple i.e. a baby. The provision of the one extra mask determines the restriction of only one infant per block of three seats.

DJCCGuy mentions that at his/her company the restriction has been eased, as described. This surprises me slightly as the additional mask has a further function beyond the provision for infants. In a decompression, some people, (usually crew) may be standing in the aisle, and the additional mask is required for their use. If a crew member is standing next to you during a rapid decompression, then they will use the nearest mask and stay in that position while the aircraft descends rapidly. If movement through the cabin is required for some reason, the additional masks enable crew to do so.

[Wouldyoucarefor]

I've worked on B737's and all rows had 7 oxygen masks. The layout was 3 and 4 then in the next row 4 and 3 and so on. We were able to seat 2 in fants in the row as our decompression drill stated "share mask with and infant". As VH-LHRCSA mentioned all airlines will be different. I was quite lucky and got to see what the inside of the PSU looks like when an engineer was fixing some emergency lights. :)