Plane Exit Row Seat Is a Responsibility

May 17, 2005 — -- "Of course I can open that hatch if needed!"

It's the battle cry of the long-legged coach passenger who's figured out that even a middle seat in the emergency exit row of most single-aisle airliners has as much leg room as first class. There are even small turf battles among the highest-level members of different frequent-flier plans as they try to jockey for priority seating in the emergency exit row. And experienced travelers know how to sidle up to the agent at the departure gate and request to be one of the defenders of passenger safety, in the unlikely event of an emergency evacuation.

Because that's exactly what you're asking for when you accept or request an exit row seat: The responsibility to move fast and efficiently to open the hatch in the it-almost-never-happens-but-could event that your jetliner has slid to a stop on the ground and the flight attendants relay an order to get out of the airplane fast.

That moment -- as utterly rare as it is these days -- is not the time for realizing your shoulder won't handle 40 to 50 pounds of unhinged door.

Yes, it's true that our human capabilities are greatly boosted in a dire emergency because of the rush of adrenaline (among other biochemical changes), but physical limitations can still cause major problems. We've all seen someone in one of the exit rows we just know couldn't really move fast or with much physical strength if called on to pull open one of those hatches.

And some of us have smiled and nodded and said "yes" to a flight attendant asking if we're ready, willing and able -- even though we know we're really not. That extra leg room, after all, comes as a welcome relief from the ridiculously tight seat "pitch" most coach customers these days are subjected to.

But here's the reality: If you can't do the job, not only could you get yourself trampled and seriously hurt by other passengers trying to get to and through that hatch in an emergency evacuation, you'd be imperiling the lives of many or all on board with any delays or substantial mistakes.