When Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in 1955, she made history. When Randall Ulrich and his wife were instructed to move 11 rows back by a JetBlue flight attendant, did they have a similar case?
Maybe. Ulrich was on a recent flight from Sacramento, Calif., to New York. He had been assigned seats 11E and 11F.
Once my wife and I were seated in our seats, one of the flight attendants came up to us and told us that we would be required to move to different seats, at the back of the plane. I asked the flight attendant why this was so, and she responded that it was because I was deaf.
I am not deaf.
I told her that I was not deaf, and that I have normal hearing. She then proceeded to argue with me about whether or not I was deaf, and I assured her that I was not deaf and did not have any hearing problems whatsoever.
She then told me that I was seen signing with my wife in the waiting area before boarding, so I must be deaf. I told her again that I wasn’t deaf. She then asked me (quoting here): “So, what, you sign for fun? Is it a hobby?”
She then turned to my wife and her about her hearing, and my wife responded: “I’m hard of hearing.” The flight attendant responded: “Close enough. You’ll have to move to the back of the plane.”
Why on earth would JetBlue force two passengers to move to the back of the plane?
Because they were seated in an emergency exit row.
Under the Code of Federal Regulations, title 14, chapter I, part 121, subpart T, section 121.585, passengers are not permitted to sit in an exit row if …
(5) The person lacks sufficient aural capacity to hear and understand instructions shouted by flight attendants, without assistance beyond a hearing aid.
Here’s how JetBlue responded to Ulrich’s written complaint:
Dear Mr. Ulrich,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your first JetBlue experience. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your comments and regret the delay in our reply.
JetBlue was founded on five Core Values including: Safety, Caring, Integrity, Passion and Fun. As crewmembers, we strive to embrace those values in all that we do as representatives of JetBlue. We regret that our Inflight crewmember failed to demonstrate her commitment to these values in her service to you.
By way of clarification it is up to the discretion of the Inflight crewmembers to determine whether or not an individual seated in the Emergency Exit Row is capable of responding in an emergency. However, these determinations ought to be made with sensitivity, respecting all diversities.
We have forwarded your comments to our Inflight Leadership Team who will internally address any retraining or disciplinary actions with our crewmembers.
Although we are unable to compensate you for your inconvenience, we have issued each of you an electronic voucher. Your voucher information is as follows: (deleted)
Randall, we value your feedback and hope that you and Lisa will afford us a future opportunity to welcome you onboard JetBlue.
Sincerely,
Jenny
Customer Commitment Crew
JetBlue Airways
Crewmember 52341
I think this could have been handled better by JetBlue. Specifically, the airline could have screened the passengers before they boarded to avoid this awkward situation. They didn’t, says Ulrich.
When I made the online reservations, I answered the questions that accompany being assigned to Exit Row seats. When I checked in at the airport by having my itinerary printout scanned (no complaints), I again answered the questions that accompany being assigned to those seats. When I boarded the plane, my boarding pass was checked off in the box marked “EXIT ROW”. No mention was made about sitting in this row, nor of the responsibilities of sitting in these seats.
But ultimately, JetBlue was correct in asking the couple to move. You don’t want someone who is hard of hearing seated in an emergency exit row. If something should happen, and a passenger were unable to follow instructions, it could put a lot of lives in danger.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
If Randall’s wife could hear the flight attendant asking him the questions then asking her, how does the flight attendant jump to being an octologist? I can see it now: “Peanuts?….Peanuts, sir? SIR, I SAID DO YOU WANT PEANUTS?!?!?! I am sorry but my years of medical study allow me to conclude that you are deaf and must switch places with the man in 16B (with a bum knee) and his wife (with the bad back)” Perhaps Jet Blue should take mid-air surveys and move all the passengers who ears have “stopped up” during takeoff. Countless times, I have suffered some hearing loss during a flight. We’d really be in trouble if there was a fire and someone just whispered “fire”. Thank God most people SHOUT “FIRE!!!! so everyone who can hear CAN hear it”. Thank God the person being “hard of hearing” is not contagious so the others can hear just as well as they always do (and who knows how well that is). Thank God that after most planes crash, if you are blessed enough to survive that, MOST people know to get the h*ll out of the plane. Not sit there waiting for someone to write you a note because you are hard of hearing! Jet Blue should be ashamed and embarrassed. That 6′5″ physically fit guy who looks like he could tear the emergency door off if needed and proceed to save the day like Jack Bauer, may be too busy praying to the Eternal Overlord God of Strawberry Kool Aid to help in a emergency. If Jet Blue’s hit or miss method is legal, ALL passengers in the emergency row should have to provide or submit to a full physical and mental evaluation.
I agree that the flight attendant needs some lessons in customer relations, they were correct in requesting that the couple move from the exit row, that being a well-established part of FAA regulations, and a sensible one.
It is quite important to be able to listen to the crew during an emergency, as an emergency evacuation may involve NOT opening some of the exits. (Water landings, damage on that side of the plane, etc.)
SirWired
Personally, this is all for the best of all the travelers on board. A few years ago, I was able to witness a flight attendant pleasantly remove an unpleasant disabled person from the emergency exit row. The elderly, severly overweight woman (who put up quite a fuss upon removal), came in on crutches and then kept her leg (which was in a brace of some sort) extended out into the aisle. Both big no-nos, but the FA kept to her guns (even though the woman “needed” to have her leg extended) and the woman was reseated elsewhere on the plane (and not upgraded).
I’m afraid that seat assignments are not guaranteed by an airline, but the title “Disabled To The Back” did stand out.
My only comment is that particularly a disabled person should not feel compelled to hustle. Let the flight attendant help carry stuff if s/he wants things to move faster. If something is already in the overhead bin, leave it there.
Wow, I am encouraged by Jet Blue’s response. I think it was right on target. There are so many seats on the plane that sitting in a non-exit row shouldn’t be that big of a problem. I know that I am more concerned about my safety than my leg room. They list on their website, when you purchase your ticket, the amount of room between seats. I always pick the rows that say 34″.
I believe the flight attendants do have discretion in moving passengers from an exit row, and I think hearing impairment is a legitimate reason, but this particular case was very poorly handled.
She could have said: “Hi, I noticed you were using sign language earlier. Unfortunately, hearing impairment disqualifies you from sitting in an exit row. I can move both of you to seats x and y in row z.”
JetBlue was spot on in asking them to move. Coulda maybe been a little nicer about it, but it was the right call to make.
I was relocated once on a Southwest flight – I had asked a flight attendant to help me put my bag in the overhead bin because I was recovering from surgery to my shoulder and couldn’t get my arm up past my ear. She was real nice about it, even though I was the idiot who picked that seat knowing what was required of folks who sit there.
What happened to common courtesy?