Narrative:

Brazilian teenagers were boarded on this flight. No portuguese speakers were provided. The teenagers were loud, unruly, and seemed to enjoy breaking the few rules that they understood. The flight operated at a reduced level of safety and was extremely unpleasant for anyone that was not part of the tour group. This flight also had supervisor for the dallas FSDO on board. He was on a full fare ticket traveling on FAA business. Most of the problems discussed here were brought to my attention by FSDO after we were in the cruise phase of flight. My recommendations come from talking to the flight attendant after my debrief with FSDO. He pointed out 2 specific violations: 1) non english speaking students were assigned seats in the exit rows. This was discovered and corrected by the flight attendant in the last 5-10 mins prior to departure. 2) emergency exit row passenger had carry-on bags out and on the floor in front of them, but not under the seat in front of them during the power back. Flight attendant had the items stowed initially, but they were pulled out after they started doing their demonstration. It was rptedly stowed correctly prior to takeoff. Although not specifically stated by FSDO, there was a reduced level of compliance with the seatbelt sign in all phases of flight. Once the conduct of the group became known to me, I talked to their chaperones and informed them that if there was not an immediate improvement, I would have the entire group's tickets revoked for their remaining travel on air carrier. While this may have exceeded what I could have done, it did seem to result in improved behavior. During this entire flight, the flight attendants worked very hard and professionally to establish control. It was a case of 3 against 82, and I do not think any 3 flight attendants could have done better. Recommendations: 1) flts of very large groups of non english speaking teenagers need to be idented and manning for both agents and cabin crews should be at the maximum with speakers for the appropriate language. 2) in this case, the station staff made little observed attempt to control the amount of carry-on bags. This should be strictly controled on flts that are both full and contain large groups with reduced levels of rule compliance. 3) the tour operators should be required to educate their groups as to the rules and their seriousness prior to flying. They need to know that their business is not welcome without a dramatic improvement in the conduct of their groups. They should provide more chaperones and their chaperones should be more forceful and proactive. 4) more vigorous efforts to identify non english speakers need to be made prior to seating them in exit rows. The response of 'si' to the question, 'do you speak english' should be a disqualifier, rather than a qualifier for exit row seating. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter clarified what he meant when he wrote about identifying english speakers prior to seating them in exit rows by asking, 'do you speak english?' if the answer to the question is a yes in another language, then this should be a disqualifier, not a qualifier, for sitting in an exit row.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT RPT, MD11, MCO-DFW, 82 NON ENGLISH SPEAKING BRAZILIAN TEENAGERS VIOLATED FARS -- BAGGAGE AND SEATING AT EXIT ROWS.

Narrative: BRAZILIAN TEENAGERS WERE BOARDED ON THIS FLT. NO PORTUGUESE SPEAKERS WERE PROVIDED. THE TEENAGERS WERE LOUD, UNRULY, AND SEEMED TO ENJOY BREAKING THE FEW RULES THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD. THE FLT OPERATED AT A REDUCED LEVEL OF SAFETY AND WAS EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT FOR ANYONE THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE TOUR GROUP. THIS FLT ALSO HAD SUPVR FOR THE DALLAS FSDO ON BOARD. HE WAS ON A FULL FARE TICKET TRAVELING ON FAA BUSINESS. MOST OF THE PROBS DISCUSSED HERE WERE BROUGHT TO MY ATTN BY FSDO AFTER WE WERE IN THE CRUISE PHASE OF FLT. MY RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM TALKING TO THE FLT ATTENDANT AFTER MY DEBRIEF WITH FSDO. HE POINTED OUT 2 SPECIFIC VIOLATIONS: 1) NON ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED SEATS IN THE EXIT ROWS. THIS WAS DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED BY THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE LAST 5-10 MINS PRIOR TO DEP. 2) EMER EXIT ROW PAX HAD CARRY-ON BAGS OUT AND ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THEM, BUT NOT UNDER THE SEAT IN FRONT OF THEM DURING THE PWR BACK. FLT ATTENDANT HAD THE ITEMS STOWED INITIALLY, BUT THEY WERE PULLED OUT AFTER THEY STARTED DOING THEIR DEMO. IT WAS RPTEDLY STOWED CORRECTLY PRIOR TO TKOF. ALTHOUGH NOT SPECIFICALLY STATED BY FSDO, THERE WAS A REDUCED LEVEL OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE SEATBELT SIGN IN ALL PHASES OF FLT. ONCE THE CONDUCT OF THE GROUP BECAME KNOWN TO ME, I TALKED TO THEIR CHAPERONES AND INFORMED THEM THAT IF THERE WAS NOT AN IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT, I WOULD HAVE THE ENTIRE GROUP'S TICKETS REVOKED FOR THEIR REMAINING TRAVEL ON ACR. WHILE THIS MAY HAVE EXCEEDED WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE, IT DID SEEM TO RESULT IN IMPROVED BEHAVIOR. DURING THIS ENTIRE FLT, THE FLT ATTENDANTS WORKED VERY HARD AND PROFESSIONALLY TO ESTABLISH CTL. IT WAS A CASE OF 3 AGAINST 82, AND I DO NOT THINK ANY 3 FLT ATTENDANTS COULD HAVE DONE BETTER. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) FLTS OF VERY LARGE GROUPS OF NON ENGLISH SPEAKING TEENAGERS NEED TO BE IDENTED AND MANNING FOR BOTH AGENTS AND CABIN CREWS SHOULD BE AT THE MAX WITH SPEAKERS FOR THE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE. 2) IN THIS CASE, THE STATION STAFF MADE LITTLE OBSERVED ATTEMPT TO CTL THE AMOUNT OF CARRY-ON BAGS. THIS SHOULD BE STRICTLY CTLED ON FLTS THAT ARE BOTH FULL AND CONTAIN LARGE GROUPS WITH REDUCED LEVELS OF RULE COMPLIANCE. 3) THE TOUR OPERATORS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO EDUCATE THEIR GROUPS AS TO THE RULES AND THEIR SERIOUSNESS PRIOR TO FLYING. THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THEIR BUSINESS IS NOT WELCOME WITHOUT A DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONDUCT OF THEIR GROUPS. THEY SHOULD PROVIDE MORE CHAPERONES AND THEIR CHAPERONES SHOULD BE MORE FORCEFUL AND PROACTIVE. 4) MORE VIGOROUS EFFORTS TO IDENT NON ENGLISH SPEAKERS NEED TO BE MADE PRIOR TO SEATING THEM IN EXIT ROWS. THE RESPONSE OF 'SI' TO THE QUESTION, 'DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH' SHOULD BE A DISQUALIFIER, RATHER THAN A QUALIFIER FOR EXIT ROW SEATING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR CLARIFIED WHAT HE MEANT WHEN HE WROTE ABOUT IDENTIFYING ENGLISH SPEAKERS PRIOR TO SEATING THEM IN EXIT ROWS BY ASKING, 'DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?' IF THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS A YES IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE, THEN THIS SHOULD BE A DISQUALIFIER, NOT A QUALIFIER, FOR SITTING IN AN EXIT ROW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.