I’ve flown a few times with Ryanair in and out of the UK and Italy recently. Every time I board the plane, the flight attendants have rows three and four blocked off, and tell people to sit elsewhere if they attempt to sit in those rows. It doesn’t matter how many people are on the plane, the rows are always out of service. My girlfriend has also noticed the same phenomenon on Ryanair flights.
Strangely, I have never seen this happen with any other airline. Why do they do it?
Are they where the flight attendants sit?
I saw this on AirAsia flights. Apparently it was something to do with balance on not-quite-full flights (something to do with not a complete fuel payload - speculation). Then again with RyanAir it’s probably because they wanted to sell those rows at a premium but failed.
This, of course, is the root of the problem.
No, the flight attendants have the usual rear facing seats next to the door at the front of the plane.
It must be to do with balance, then, as Ryanair does not allocate individual seats. But why do only certain airlines do this? I have flown the same route with British Airways on the same type of plane (Boeing 737) but I have never seen them do this. Can any pilot speculate what the problem with balance is, and why rows three and four are important? It’s not even right at the front of the plane. I could understand the first two rows, or the last two. But the third and fourth?
They’re the only airline flying direct to where I want to go. I can use British Airways, but it means me changing in London Gatwick. I think I prefer Ryanair. :eek:
Are the rows kept empty for the entire flight? I fly easyjet regularly (unfortunately) and have seen those rows blocked off. I’ve seen them then used by a disabled person and whoever was travelling with them (once it was a man in a wheelchair, another time it was a boy who appeared to have severe mental disability and used crutches travelling with who I assume were his parents).
They were placed near the end of boarding, don’t know if they were running late or this was planned. I assume they are near the front for easy entry and exit/help from staff. But not at the very front as there may be safety concerns by blocking exit?
Also, they entered the plane from the front righthand side rather than the left like everyone else. Perhaps they have a lift there?
I think I’d change at Vladivostok to avoid using them… I regularly pay up to £100 extra for a ticket that doesn’t involve the %&^$s.
They were empty the entire flight. Recently, a couple of disabled people were flying on a flight back from Italy that I was on. The staff at the gate had them board first, and they were taken out to the plane in a special van with a lift (like the ones they use to restock the food on a plane with) before the other passengers boarded, so I don’t think it’s related to disabled passengers.
Am I the only one worried that the balance of the plane may be thrown off depending on whether or not people sit in 2 rows?
Great website: http://www.ihateryanair.org
Anyway… I’m far from an aeronautics expert but the size of the planes that Ryanair operate mean that doing this would surely make no difference to the balance of the plane whatsoever. It could instead be something to do with the particular plane you’re travelling on (if you’re travelling on the same route you may be getting the same plane), a fault or perhaps some oddity I haven’t thought of.
I fly commuter flights (Bombardier Q400 now, used to be CRJ-700) on Horizon Air, and very frequently they move passengers around to balance the plane. If there is little luggage and most passengers are in the front, they’ll have anywhere from 2 to 5 people in the front 5 rows move to somewhere in the back 5 rows.
Yes, with smaller planes, the position of a couple people really can make a difference. Nothing to be worried about, though.
Well, BA would have control and visibility of seat assignation, wouldn’t they? The reservation software would try to stick everyone over the wings, and if by some coincidence too many of the passengers shift the auto-assigned seats to be too far front or back, the software or the cabin crew chief will take a look at the manifest and go “uh-oh”, then shuffle everyone around. I’ve flown a lot, but I can’t honestly remember whether on half-empty planes most of the pax are huddled in the middle, or at the ends. I know I’m usually as far forward as I can get without paying extra, but lots of people just settle for what they are given.
I have never seen rows 2-3 done like this on their own, but back when I used to have to suffer Ryanair flights to-from Eindhoven at 6AM or midnight (the things we do for love!) it would not be unusual to see 3-4 rows at the front and back blocked off so that us bleary-eyed victims had to trudge closer to the centre of the plane.
Maybe the crews why fly to/from Italy are even more bonkers than the Ryanair norm?
As mentioned it is apparently a C.G. issue.
Read through this short thread to get an answer - and some witty remarks.
Any aeroplane, no matter the size, that is on the forward limit of the C of G will be put over the limit if even a light additional weight is placed forward of the C of G.
Airlines that allocate seating also need to concern themselves with this but the process is invisible to passengers.
With Ryan Air, unless you pay a premium you may well find yourself dusting the overhead lockers or cooking the in flight meals.
Or “sitting” on one of these new chairs.