I was coming back from Sint Maartin (SXM) airport the other day, flying to Charlotte on an American Airlines A319. Unfortunately, my upgrade didn’t clear as Business Class was oversold due to a previous flight cancellation, so I has pre-assigned an aisle seat in the exit row, the next best option to an upgrade.
I was one of the first to board the aircraft, and about mid-way through boarding, an elderly gentleman took his seat in my row, on the window. He was probably in his mid 70’s and on the more feeble side, as he asked me to get up to take his seat, while heavy-handed grabbing the seat backs on either sides for support.
It got me thinking — when the flight attendants do to the usual safety announcement and ask are passengers “willing and able to assist in in emergency,” I don’t think the elderly gentleman in my row would be capable of assisting in an emergency. While I’m sure he’d be willing, the chances he’d be able to lift the door over the wing without any trouble is slim, and I think it would honestly cause more confusion and chaos God forbid we had to make an emergency landing.
There really doesn’t appear to be a restriction of those who sit in an exit row, other than with small children, and it’s tough for a gate agent or flight attendant to have to make an on the spot call of someone being capable or not, as I’m sure that would lead to passengers being frustrated and/or discriminated against for one reason or another, in their mind. But…on the flip side…I’d really like to know that the person at the exit row truly is capable. I’m not saying every person needs to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, because I certainly am not, but I think a line needs to be drawn at elderly folks who sit here, who clearly have trouble getting in and out, without some sort of assistance.
So, I’d like to hear you guys chime in here…
Do you feel their should be an age restriction to sit in an exit row? Or some sort of requirement to truly be capable of assisting without difficulty? Or something else? Chime in with your thoughts.
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Don’t start. I like sitting in the exit row and my hair is white.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is 69. And he’s your optimal choice for exit row? There are feeble younger people and robust older people. I agree that if an individual has difficulty walking or lifting he’s no candidate for exit row. But my late father, at 97, would have been quite appropriate. He was strong, agile, fast and responsible. I’ve sat next to young people on planes who could literally sleep through an airborne crisis. Let’s not discriminate by age. Let’s just say that one should be capable of doing what is required. Period. By the way, I’m 77 and felt comfortable indeed sitting in an exit row last week.
I was a Flight Attendant for 33 years. The rule is that each person must state out loud that they are willing and able to assist if sitting in that row. I have had elderly people asked to be moved from the row after being asked that question.
Out of curiosity (this is me just wondering not knowing)… What happens if an elderly person verbally says they’re willing to assist, but it’s clear that they’re weak and or too frail enough to actually help?
The Flight Attendant can voice her concern to the Captain and to the gate agent. They will make a decision as a team.
I should not have used ‘her’ concern. There are male Flight Attendants, too. Sorry, guys.
age has nothing to do with it.. physical ability should be the deciding factor..and of course willingness.
The FAA outlines specific criteria passengers must meet in order to sit in an Exit Seat. All US Airlines are required to abide by the FAA rule governing exit row seating.
I think the question is If a person is to young to understand the rules To be able to quickly exet.
I flew recently with my 79 year old father. I looking into the rules and was surprised there really aren’t any. I know he has back problems, so I chose to seat him in front of me rather than next to me in an exit row. Ditto with me flying recently with a broken arm – no emergency exit for me.
It’s an interesting question. I’m not allowed to sit in an exit row because I’m blind. One of the big blindness advocacy organizations, I think the NFB, believes that a visual impairment shouldn’t be a disqualifying factor. They argue that a blind person would be better equipped to handle those duties in a smoke-filled cabin than a sighted person, something I’m inclined to agree with, based on my own experience. The individualized safety briefing that I’m supposed to get before every flight (which doesn’t always happen in reality) could be added to to cover what I’d need to do in an emergency quite easily, I’d think. As far as this situation, I don’t think an age limit would be appropriate since age is a poor measurement of ability.
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I was once seated in an exit row with a frail elderly women with a cane. I understand seating her there for comfort and ease of mobility in flight. But, not only would she have been physically unable to deal with the door, I felt that her cane could have been a dangerous obstruction in an emergency. I feel she should not have been seated in the exit row
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My girlfriend only speaks Spanish. They wouldn’t let her fly in the emergency seat from Medellin to Ft Lauderdale because she doesn’t speak English fluently (we lost our upgrade fee as the gate agent never asked us when we picked up our boarding passes) They did let her fly the emergency seat from Ft Lauderdale to Medellin because she speaks Spanish fluently. Go figure!
I’m on a domestic flight and seeing an elderly couple in the exit row lead me here on my search. The lady was under 100 lbs, very petite and her husband had a cane. There really should be some additional restrictions outside of over 15 and can speak English.
Signed an Army veteran
I am short and would be embarassed to take an exit seat. I would imagine how frustrating it would be for a tall person to see me in the exit seat. I think they should set a minimum height for booking an exit seat. Exit seats should be for tall people who are in good shape. It was better when stewards or people at the check-in could assign exit seats, because many people are not honest about their condition. It’ s just about their comfort, and even for comfort, a neutral person would be better at giving the seat to those who really need it.
I am short and would be embarassed to take an exit seat. I would imagine how frustrating it would be for a tall person to see me in it. I think they should set a minimum height for booking exit seats, as they should be for tall people who are in good shape. It was better when stewards or people at the check-in could assign exit seats, because many people are not honest about their condition. It’ s just about their comfort, and even for comfort, a neutral person would be better at giving the seat to those who really need it.
I am short and would be embarassed. I would feel how frustrating it would be for a tall person to see me in it. I think they should set a minimum height for booking exit seats, as they should be for tall people who are in good shape. It was better when stewards or people at the check-in could assign exit seats, because many people are not honest about their condition. It’ s just about their comfort, and even for comfort, a neutral person would be better at giving the seat to those who really need it.