It's quite straightforward. Most carriers, even those where you think "the planes are all the same" have a range of seating configurations, maybe differing by just 1. A Seat row may have been removed as unserviceable, or the fleet may be halfway through a reconfiguration. So you can't do this without checking the configuration. Then you can get arithmetic errors, and a range of other issues.

It is also appropriate to have just one method of doing the headcount. If you have 150 seats and only 30 passengers today do you still count the empty seats ? What if you have 90 passengers, where do you draw the line?

There is less scope for error if you have just one procedure, done the same every time. Count the passengers, look at the manifest and compare.

Which Vegetable?
 

My mum and dad, taking the NCL-LHR shuttle en-route to NYC on approach into LHR enjoying the view over Central London.

MUM: (Exclaims excitedley) Look Stephen, I can see the courgette!!!
DAD: (Leans over and looks out the window) Deb, im quite sure that it is actually called the gerkhin!

Apparentley the rows around them were in tears!!

You can't pick your parents :O

Not exactly thick passenger 'comment' but I always have a silent laugh when some wally takes a photo of 'Paris/Buenos aires/London by night' from 41,000 feet and wonder why all they get is a reflection of their own camera in the glass.

The head count question is easily answered. You are counting passengers, not seats. Ok, by the powers of deduction most of us could easily ascertain the passenger count but at the end of the day, can you say that you have counted the people? No. So what happens if you are counting the empty seats.... 1, 2, 3, 4 and then you get to the back to find someone in the toilet and someone waiting to go in? Quite literally it adds another equation to the process and this could ultimately lead to a wrong headcount.

Also, as someone else has mentioned some crews operate on 1 type of a/c with multiple config or operate on 3 different types before you even go into sub types. (i,e 757-200/757-300). Whilst the crew member should know what a/c they on................and they will do, a momentary lapse or confusion just makes things more complex.

So as you can see, simply counting seats is not quite as easy as some clever cloggs make out.

Coming back from AMS to Teesside the flight was cancelled so we were put on a flight to Newcastle and bussed to Teesside. Approaching the airport there was a huge plume of smoke - Teesside have a fire training school, and it is a regular occurrence. The bus driver worriedly said 'whats that', a passenger quickly remarked 'Oh that's the Teesside flight'. ...

That's not a thick passenger comment, it's a bloody excellent passenger comment!! :}

simply counting seats is not quite as easy as some clever cloggs make out
 

I don't feel so clever now :(

Gotta love the elderly...
 

While checking a load sheet at LHR a few years back before departure to Singapore, an elderly lady poked her head through to the flight deck during boarding and asked the cabin crew member if she could ask the pilots a couple of questions - she seemed too polite and lovely to decine so was cleared to ask away:

I'd just like to know - did the three of you all sleep well last night?
Yes madam.
And have you all had a good breakfast.
Yes madam.
Well that's marvellous, i brought you all a sandwich each as it's a long flight... I have ham and cheese, egg and bacon and salad in case any of you are vegetarian.
Well thank you very much indeed, how thoughtful of you.
See that you drink plenty of water won't you, it can get awfully dry up there.
We will.

A later report from the cabin crew confirmed that she was rather surprised to find we had "kitchens" on board and our own supply of water.

Her last flight had been on a DC3! How lovely... :D

Being ground staff for a couple of years.... :

We were boarding pax through the front and rear doors of a BAE146. As pax left the terminal we checked their boarding cards and advised them on which end of the aircraft to board for their convenience.. One particular passenger was advised to board through the rear door, to which he replied "Is that also going to Cape Town" ?? ...

Many years ago, at a small airport with many restrictions, we had to delay a flight for boarding due to a strong wind component. Since the restrictions (runway slope, etc) only allowed take off in a certain direction, the wind on this day was blowing in the "wrong" direction for take off and thus the flight was grounded until it either calmed down or changed. One particular loud American lady was making herself know throughout the event and eventually piped up with the most seriously demanding question - almost shouting:
"So WHEN is the wind gonna change direciton??" ..

Needless to say some pax burst out laughing at her and we just stood there and smiled with the obvious answer on our faces. She sat in the corner for the rest of the 30 minutes until we finally boarded.

Frequent flyers:
One particular frequent flyer with Gold status (2nd highest) was late for his flight and missed it... the aircraft had started up as he arrived at the counter huffing and puffing. The usual appologies from the ground staff and offers to rebook him only made it worse for him and as the aircraft gave power to taxi, he glanced at the ground staff and threw himself onto the baggage converyor belt going through the wall to the outside shouting:
"STOP that plane - I'm a GOLD CARD HOLDER" !!!! hahaha

He later tried to claim his injuries from the airline but was laughed off by the legal guys for his stupidity!

... I'll try think of some more....

See bizdev? I told you so.

After a recent night flight I was chatting with pax just after landing, discussing what a beautiful night-sky we have just seen, full moon and planet Venus shining beautifully, etc. I was telling then about storms, the Noethern Lights etc that I have seen in the past from the cockpit when flying at night. So I asked them if there is any natural pheniomena they have seen. After thinking about it for a moment, the lady said "Well, yes, the Taj Mahal" !

Capetonian is amused when pax take photos of passing night scenery, not realising that all will turn out is the reflection of the flash on the window.

Reminds me of sitting on the clifftop in Devon a few years ago, waiting for a full eclipse of the sun. And there came the shadow, rushing toward us over the sea, a moment of dread and exaltation. It became night, stars came out, birds went quiet, cows lay down to sleep.

And all around the coastline, from Plymouth to Torquay, cameras flashed!

How on earth did they think that photograph would turn out?

Reminds me of a "call the expert" radio phone-in show (LBC in London) some years ago. This particular evening it was a photographer. Guy phones in, says he has invested in new flash kit but results are all black. Expert starts on "is the flash actually going off", and "what is your filmspeed", then asks "what is your subject matter". Reply is that he is using tripod and telephoto lens as well, and taking photographs of the full moon .......

Surprisingly the "expert" just started to explain straightforwardly about flash not being the thing here, and discussed time exposure. It was the co-host "professional" radio presenter who cracked up and couldn't stop laughing.

Reminds me too ... a bit sad.

The BA Concordes, in the front of both cabins, had a nice display showing Mach, altitude, ground speed, etc.
Of course, once at Mach 2, everybody wanted their photo taken next to the Machmeter.
Unfortunately, the display was a pale yellow (backlit LCD, IIRC) with a protective plastic cover.

You can guess the rest.
An untold number came home, from what for many was a once-in-a-lifetime never-to-be-repeated flight, with a nice photo of themselves .... next to a brilliant reflection of the flash, which had totally washed out the coveted "Mach 2.00"....

CJ

PS : the French Concordes had an old-style Mach-number-only display (EL or plasma, not sure) but much brighter, so the problem didn't occur there.

Reminds me of sitting on the clifftop in Devon a few years ago, waiting for a full eclipse of the sun

Thread drift I know, but .... Reminds me of discussing the same eclipse with an acquaintance. He told me that he had been very unimpressed by the whole thing, then, when I asked how anyone could be unimpressed by a total eclipse, he added, "Well, to be fair, I was listening to it on the radio" .....:ugh:

Jack

I have to tell you that on my own once-only trip, I understood enough to turn the flash off - and the thing still doesn't come out (I still have it on my PC right here and am looking at it).

Whoever specified those rather than a good old analogue dial then ?

Union Jack,
I wouldn't call that thread drift... as "thick comments" go, it can probably compete for the 'top twenty'....

WHBM,
That's awful... without flash it usually came out OK. What happened?

CJ

A lot of these "thick" comments seems to be the result of an instinctive response ratherthan being tick, I'm sure we all have said something thick at some time or other. My brother in law was telling me that his wife (she's English so understandable) was in the local ASDA store waiting on the lift (escalator)and after a considrable wait she remarked "all that lift does is go up and down".

Posted by Solar
Think you mean ELEVATOR. Talk about TICK English woman.

Quite literally, it doesn't. It may however add another variable to the equation: total seats - empty seats + pax not in seats = pax on board