Virgin Airlines : Pre Flight Briefing. Emergency exit position.
 

MEMO :

TO : Brett Godfrey, CEO, Virgin Blue Airlines.

Brett,

I was a recent passenger on a VB flight and flew on a B737-800.

By chance I was seated at 15A, the window position at one of the two emergency exit locations on the Port side. These positions are viewed with some pleasure by passengers because of the much extended seat pitching and thus additional leg room.

After start up one of the flight attendents came along and advised the three passengers at 15A,B & C (at least) that it was an emergency exit location and that no baggage was to obstruct the floor.

I am of the view that, like the US Airline flights I have experienced, the flight attendant should have been a bit more positive and stated, in a friendly manner, that :
(1) it was an emergency exit location hence the extra leg room and
(2) asked if we were fit and willing to open the emergency hatch in the unlikely event of an emergency requiring the hatch to be opened and
(3) further state that if this was not the case then she would have to reseat us and put someone else, fit and able to carry out the hatch opening actions, in those seats.

The flight attendant would also have to make a judgement that the passengers seated at the emergency location were not ill, infirm, children or mentally not up to the task. Any of these conditions would dictate a re-seating requirement.

VB is a young airline and thus is still maturing. I am of the view that the above will not harm the VB image but, delivered in a tactful and friendly manner, would only enhance the VB image.

Yours etc.

A world traveller and CPL holder

PS : Could a VB cabin crew member please ensure that Brett sights the above.

PPS : It was a nice flight.

I have NO problem with what you said, however could it be that the check in staff had already made sure they only seated appropriate people in those seats?

However having said that, on one of many flights I travelled on some years agao with AN Australian Airline, I was amazed to see a Lady with a broken leg sitting at the E/E. I quietly queried it with the Purser, and she said check in had purposely put her there to give her plenty of leg room. :rolleyes:

A very nice thought, but hardly in the interests of safety. :eek:

And yes, they left her there. :(

I have travelled with DJ on probably 12 sectors as a pax and have been seated in an emergency exit every time (no I'm not a large lad). At check-in on every one of those occasions the desk bod informed me that the seat was an exit and asked whether I would be willing to assist the F/A's in an emergency. Once onboard the F/A's have always briefed the exit operation.

I have (had) travelled extensively with AN/QF and have never been asked either at check-in or briefed onboard the A/C.

Well done DJ I say!

What about Qantas international and domestic (Impulse excluded). I have never heard any F/A's give any pax sitting in the emergency exit seats any breifing what so ever, other than the usual P/A breifing that everyone else gets.

Get on a B717 and sit in an emergency exit seat, you are asked all the questions and breifed correctly. What's the go with Qantas mainline.

At overwing exits it is now mandatory for pax to be briefed. QF have been doing this since the requirement came in some months ago.

All Australian carriers began doing this at about the same time, not just VB, Impulse etc.

Bell man, not sure how often you fly with QF but we have been doing this for a fair while now on mainline. The point to be made here is not at normal emergency exits, just the overwing ones (on the 767 200s and GE powered 300s) that don't have F/As immediately near the door- they are tucked around the corner slightly.

Hope the info helps. Sorry if that dispels some of the myths.

Agreed there, have also been on numerous DJ trips ML-BN and have got exit aisle most times. The FAs have briefed on EVERY flight regarding exit ops. Sorry Keg but the pretty young things were doing it before the big rat started.

Regards

Most of the QantasLink regionals have been doing such EE briefings for some years, one for at least six. The Dash8 ops all have specific briefing cards for those rows as well. It does not apply to the 146 as the exits are manned.
At QF check-in there is a prompt to the person allocating the seat if it is an exit row and a judgement has to be made on specific questions and the pax advised that it is an Exit row.
This has been an FAA requirement for many years and has only just got up here. There was some resistance from the commercial world as you might expect who wanted those rows available for Freq Flyers etc, even with broken legs & pregnant..!
The AsiaPacific Cabin Safety Working Group has been on this for some years as well. The other issue that has raised its head is that of discrimination against those that might "think" they are suitable for and exit row. On the other hand there is reverse discrimination against the other pax in the a/c if an unsuitable person is seated in those rows.

I hope the reply memo mentions that the world traveling, CPL holder should get a life!!!

Keg,

Sat in an E/E aisle seat a week or so ago on a 734. No special briefing to me or any of the other pax in those seats.

Was that an overwing one Capt....?

Cheers

;)

I often sit in the EE row. I have always been briefed in a professional manner by VB crews. I have never been briefed by a QF crew (including 2 legs last week)!
I think the VB cabin crews are exceptional whereas the QF cabin crews are their weakest link.

I know that most regionals do it. Airnorth, ****** and Flight West all breif their pax so i think that it should become mandatory for all airlines to do it. As far as I know QF dont do it... Why????

Sir Shiraz,

Certainly was, row 11 if I remember correctly.

While on this topic I'm reminded of asking an F/A why the seatbelt sign was still illuminated during a tech stop for fuel. It was interesting to watch F/A speak to purser, both looked at me, purser goes into Flt Deck for another pow-wow, looks at me, then all of a sudden a PA followed by 100+ seatbelts being unlatched. :p

We should discuss the merits of Shiraz v Claret one of these days. ;)

Reminds me of asking why the seatbelt sign was not on as we turned final.

I am an Impulse FA. I pax quite a bit on Mainline and have never been briefed by crew when sitting at an exit row on 737s. The only exit rows I have sat at on the 767 is on the ACE a/c where a briefing would not be required. I am of the understanding that Mainline are going to implement some sort of briefing (it was to be in April?) but nothing has come from this yet.

To the best of my knowledge briefing of exit row pax is not a CASA reg yet. I have had CASA on my trip once and they said it was yet to be introduced.

Having said that... I hate briefing the overwing pax! (grrr...) Yes it saves lives and only good comes from it..... I just don't like the attitude from some (very few, admittly) pax when you do it (mostly from middle aged women)! I wish you could move those pax just for having attitude! :-)

I am amazed that Mainline are yet to implement it. It is a really good idea and can only prove useful in an evacuation. It is good to know that you can rely on the people you have briefed in an emergency.


Ditzy no names attributing opinion, without their express permission or from the public domain please. W

Qantas mainline are yet to implement onboard briefings of o/wing exit pax. QF is still awaiting new instruction cards for the seat pockets of those rows affected. Keg, it is not yet happening. It has been a contentious issue since QF cut to minimum crew on short haul a/c, as there is no longer an F/A to operate those exits, and the pax are not aware. CASA has been helpful, but as yet not a legal requirement.

Sit in Business class and avoid the question....

Keg, youre sorta right !

Originally, we were told the onboard briefings for o/wing pax would start a couple of months ago.... but there was a delay in fitting new signage to the exits and printing new special briefing safety cards... so the implementation of the new procedure has been delayed till all 767's are re-fitted.

But on the 767 300, we still have primary cabin crew at each o/wing exit (mid-cabin crossover)... the Rolls Royce ( ACE/ BA leased 767's ) dont have o/wing exits ... they have 8 door exits, and a primary crew member at each door. The 767-200's still have overwing primaries at the o/wing crossover as well... not too sure about the 737's - dont fly em !!

It's all about to happen in the next few weeks.... I agree its a great idea ! :)

obnoxious pax
 

Being an FA with VB i can REASSURE you that it has been drilled into us that we brief all people seated in the Exits rows.

Its become second nature, and i have never heard of an incident when a FA has forgotten. We all remind and ask each other whether it has been done.

What you may be refering to is maybe another FA walking down the aisle, asking the Exit row pax to remove any luggage from the ground, as not to obstruct the passage.

If she remembered to do that, then im sure she wouldnt have forgotten to brief the exit proceedures.

On the other hand, many obnoxious pax sit there and dont like to pay attention to the FA who is briefing, acting as though they know everything. And i bet in an emergency they would be the first to panic....this is the one thing that annoys me.

Despite the obnoxious attitudes i face, i make sure they make eye contact before i continue. We are here for their safety and not to be ignored.

I got the exit row on Virgin during their first week of operation and the FAs did come down and ask if I was willing and went thru the operation of it, then asked if I was happy and willing to do it. I just said i'll be more than happy to be first out :)