Comments on: Are Airline Fees Making Us Less Safe

By: The GypsyNesters

The GypsyNesters — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:44:50 +0000

Food for thought indeed. Didn’t know those seats cost extra – BUT I’ve been on many flights where they ask for volunteers for those seats – for safety reasons. Now that you bring it up though, it’s been several years since this has happened…hmmmmm. -Veronica

By: James - Ouroyster.com

James - Ouroyster.com — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:10:55 +0000

I noticed that there was an emergancy exit row seat vacant on the flight I took a couple of days ago. I though they would have been snapped up.

By: Stephanie - The Travel Chica

Stephanie - The Travel Chica — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:59:23 +0000

You make a good point. The airlines are running so inefficiently, you wonder what shortcuts they are taking (training, maintenance) to save money.

By: rob

rob — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:58:20 +0000

Presumably any adult with minimal intelligence and strength would take 10 seconds to open the emergency exit if necessary, even if they had to *gasp* walk 6 feet to get to the door.

But… what is this freaky obsession with being “safe”? Do you ever drive? Take a bath or shower? The death risk of driving to the airport is one to three orders of magnitude greater than the risk of death from flying. Perhaps even 4 or 5 orders of magnitude. For the mathematically challenged that’s 10-100000 times, BTW.

40000 – 50000 people a year die in the USA in car accidents. How many die in air accidents? What percentage of air crashes have empty exit row seats? Exactly. The additional death risk of that row being empty is immeasurably small. There’s a far, far better chance (statistically) that all the people on that plane will kill themselves than that their livespan will be influenced by an empty exit row.

Worry about things worth worrying about. You’ll decrease your risk of accidental death far more by being more careful when you bathe than you ever could by making sure the exit row is staffed.

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:53:09 +0000

Interesting food for thought

By: NLM

NLM — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:19:41 +0000

I never thought of this. My son, who is 6’5″ asked to move to an empty exit row (rather than share his full 3 seat row) and was denied. American Airlines, of course. On Southwest, though, he was invited to do so…another reason I love SWA

By: Cailin

Cailin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:51:23 +0000

If I think about it every flight that I have been on when there has been an exit row like this they always get people to fill the seats ( at least one or two people per row per side) and they make sure you are old enough and responsible yadda yadda but I have never seen it empty!
Are their thoughts that if a couple people have paid the extra fee its not fair to let other people sit there? But honestly you are right I would rather someone be offended then have my safety obstructed by no one knowing what to do. hmmmmmm

By: Nancy Sathre-Vogel from Family on Bikes

Nancy Sathre-Vogel from Family on Bikes — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:41:00 +0000

Good questions. I’ve also wondered about all the carry-on luggage people are hauling on board these days. Since they are charging for checking luggage, more people are carrying on the max – and stashing it all over. Will that go flying around the plane in an accident?