"Free seating" arrangements and the loadsheet?

[airsquare]

This is something that's always bugged me: airlines like Easyjet which don't allocate seating and allow pax to wander on and seat themselves wherever they want. How the does that work when it comes to the weight and balance situation? And how do they ensure only "appropriate" passengers sit in the exit rows?

Any enlightenment is welcome...

[757manipulator]

The loadsheet is accomplished using the term "standard loading" in my airline.
As for the exit-rows, the CC take care of that

[Icarus]

From a weight & balance perspective (trim sheet) free-seating will encompass the use of the cabin centroid for a balance arm/index and the operational envelope will be (should be!) smaller, i.e. more restrictive for FWD & AFT limits than if checked seating & seat row trim was in effect.

[stator vane]

seating restrictions applied

our airline, the one with the slight blue tint in STN, have open seating as well.

on the load sheet, there are rules 1 and 2, that are used depending upon number of passengers at gate. they will block some rows up front and in back if light load, but if getting close to full, open all rows.

it keeps the weight and balance within certain limits that have been examined by the respective CAA, (island to the west of here).

don't ask what the exact numbers of pax and rows to be blocked are, since i don't have a form here at hand, but do so whenever on the aircraft and the number ones know it by heart.

it is true that once airborne, one can feel guite a variation of flight characteristics. but we are assured that all will be fine and i haven't lost an aircraft yet!!!

[MD80rookie]

Cabin Crew gives us number of pax seated in each section of the tube. For every amount of passengers, there is a corresponding arm to be summed up on the trim part of the loadsheet.

Above 100 pax, we may use "full cabin" and the corresponding arm for the trim.

[WHBM]

Do bear in mind that prior to about 1970 there were no seating reservations and all pax would sit where they chose. LCCs have just gone back to that.

Regarding "appropriate pax" in the exit rows (like me ) a CC member is allocated to stand at the overwings during boarding and will guide away any pax (eg with infants) attempting to sit there. When boarding is complete they will then give the exit row supplementary briefing. These rows are the most popular among LCC frequent flyer business travellers because of the extra legroom so often fill up first.

[freightdoggy dog]

As Icarus has pointed out, take the Boeing/Airbus envelope and make it more restrictive at the front and aft and make it your operators envelope based on worse case senarios.

We trim ours by using the baggage in hold 3. Ryanair by blocking the front row of seats by putting the tables down. As for the peeps in emerg exits, the CC move them if they are not able bodied. We do have assigned seating at check-in, but you'll be amazed what scams are pulled at check-in.

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by freightdoggy dog

..... you'll be amazed what scams are pulled at check-in.

Oh go on, amaze us ..... !

[airsquare]

Interesting.

Well, from my checkin days, passengers don't listen anyway. Passengers think allocated seating is another part of every airline's big scam to inconvenience them in any way possible. Another "passenger knows best" headache. ONE OF MANY...