Overwing Exit rows / Emergency exit rows

[Kanoknuahaha]

Hello - eloo,

I'm interested in finding out different procedures regarding OW exit rows/ emer exit rows in other companys.

The one that I work for, sells those seats as "extra legroom", so, in case we don't have any seats sold on emer rows, the procedure states that we need at least 4 pax ( for every exit ) that should be possible ABP's. They must recieve a short briefing regarding operation of the exit...
What I want to find out if this is a international requirment and those exits must always be assigned to pax, or some companys are ok to leave them unattended throughout the flight.

Thanks for sharing!!
K.

[ozangel]

It depends on the airline, the number of crew, and the laws under which they operate.

On the 737-800 i've worked with a company that requires 2 in each block of 3 as they operate with minimum crew of 4 and thats what their 'exemption requires (its 1:36 ratio here still, however on the 738 they have an exemption).

At another company, that operated with minimum crew of 5 on the 738 (no exemption except in disruption/or unusual circumstances), this was not the case.

On the Embraer at the first airline, the exit rows need to be fully occupied from memory, as do the 767 exit rows at the second airline.

On the other hand, i've operated 2 (with exemption) and 3 crew ops on the F100 with no legal restriction (that was a few years ago).

As for charging pax - they're not really paying for much, beyond the guarantee that if they are assessed as able bodied and appropriate, they will have first priority for those seats. That said, more often than not, they are seated with others lucky enough to score the exit row without paying (usually frequent fliers or people who charm the check in agent).

So - it varies, from aircraft to aircraft, airline to airline, and jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

[Oldsarbouy]

As an ex RAF Loadmaster, fixed and rotary wing, I always ask for a seat by an emergency exit both from a comfort point of view but also from a flight safety viewpoint. I know most airlines now charge a premium for such seats so I was very surprised on a recent A330-300 US Airways night flight from Philadelphia to Manchester to see all four seats, next to the mid aircraft emergency doors, reserved for Crew Rest Seats. This was only a 6.5 hour flight so some of the cabin crew only worked just over 3 hours but deprived 4 passengers from a little bit of comfort. Cushy or what?
:confused: