Narrative:

Because of the lack of space in the first class galley for serving purposes, 3 heavy duty free carts plus one liquor cart were stationed next to doors 1L and 1R. I strongly feel that if the first class galley had been initially designed with at least twice as much work space, allowing the carts to remain stowed instead of being used as work space, my fellow workers and I would have been out of danger of falling carts. However, because the turbulence hit so fast, we were unable to stow all the catering equipment on top of all the carts, one cart did turn over. Additionally, a 5TH cart (a 3 tiered serving cart) was also out, but it is light weight and posed no danger. I was literally trying to hold onto 2 heavy carts, plus the 3 tiered cart while strapped in my jumpseat at door 1R. Being forced to pull all those carts out and station them outside of their protected galley position poses a great danger to the flight attendant's. (The business class and coach galleys have enough space so moving carts is not necessary). Because there are only two jumpseats (1 each at doors 1L and 1R), a 3RD working flight attendant in first class had no seat. All the first class seats were full, so the flight attendant had to take a seat in the cockpit. I strongly feel a jumpseat should be located in the galley area for each of the working flight attendant's in that area. In closing, this aircraft is brand new. It is unfortunate that xyz airlines did not incorporate more safety features in the design of the first class galley for the flight attendant's. (There is a swinging closet door that when in use, swings into the galley and can be very dangerous. This was a marketing decision in order to display an emblan on the wall where the closet should have been!) callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the galleys in business and economy class have room to store all the carts, without any carts being 'buried' behind the outside carts in the corners of the galley, like the duty free carts are stowed in the first class galley. The galley person has to move 6 carts in order to get the duty free carts out, or back into their slots. There are no tie downs on the floor in the cabin area for the carts to lock into, like there are on other wide-body aircraft. The reporter was quite concerned about how marketing had moved the first class closet from next to the entry door at door 1L to diagonally across the aisle next to the galley. The door swings into the galley and is supposed to be secured by a magnet, none of which seem to work. The most unsafe feature of the B777 is the lack of a jumpseat for the third person working in first class. Their seat is all the way back at door 3R, so if turbulance hits, they have no chance to get in their seat in time. She believes that the first class galley design space could be improved without a substantial cost to the airline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAB RPT, B777, NRT-ORD. SUDDEN TURBULENCE, NOWHERE TO PUT CARTS IN FIRST CLASS. NO SEAT FOR THIRD CAB TO SIT. COMPLAINT OF UNSAFE DESIGN OF FIRST CLASS GALLEY AND CLOSET.

Narrative: BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF SPACE IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY FOR SERVING PURPOSES, 3 HEAVY DUTY FREE CARTS PLUS ONE LIQUOR CART WERE STATIONED NEXT TO DOORS 1L AND 1R. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT IF THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY HAD BEEN INITIALLY DESIGNED WITH AT LEAST TWICE AS MUCH WORK SPACE, ALLOWING THE CARTS TO REMAIN STOWED INSTEAD OF BEING USED AS WORK SPACE, MY FELLOW WORKERS AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT OF DANGER OF FALLING CARTS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE TURB HIT SO FAST, WE WERE UNABLE TO STOW ALL THE CATERING EQUIP ON TOP OF ALL THE CARTS, ONE CART DID TURN OVER. ADDITIONALLY, A 5TH CART (A 3 TIERED SERVING CART) WAS ALSO OUT, BUT IT IS LIGHT WEIGHT AND POSED NO DANGER. I WAS LITERALLY TRYING TO HOLD ONTO 2 HEAVY CARTS, PLUS THE 3 TIERED CART WHILE STRAPPED IN MY JUMPSEAT AT DOOR 1R. BEING FORCED TO PULL ALL THOSE CARTS OUT AND STATION THEM OUTSIDE OF THEIR PROTECTED GALLEY POS POSES A GREAT DANGER TO THE FA'S. (THE BUSINESS CLASS AND COACH GALLEYS HAVE ENOUGH SPACE SO MOVING CARTS IS NOT NECESSARY). BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY TWO JUMPSEATS (1 EACH AT DOORS 1L AND 1R), A 3RD WORKING FA IN FIRST CLASS HAD NO SEAT. ALL THE FIRST CLASS SEATS WERE FULL, SO THE FA HAD TO TAKE A SEAT IN THE COCKPIT. I STRONGLY FEEL A JUMPSEAT SHOULD BE LOCATED IN THE GALLEY AREA FOR EACH OF THE WORKING FA'S IN THAT AREA. IN CLOSING, THIS ACFT IS BRAND NEW. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT XYZ AIRLINES DID NOT INCORPORATE MORE SAFETY FEATURES IN THE DESIGN OF THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY FOR THE FA'S. (THERE IS A SWINGING CLOSET DOOR THAT WHEN IN USE, SWINGS INTO THE GALLEY AND CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. THIS WAS A MARKETING DECISION IN ORDER TO DISPLAY AN EMBLAN ON THE WALL WHERE THE CLOSET SHOULD HAVE BEEN!) CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE GALLEYS IN BUSINESS AND ECONOMY CLASS HAVE ROOM TO STORE ALL THE CARTS, WITHOUT ANY CARTS BEING 'BURIED' BEHIND THE OUTSIDE CARTS IN THE CORNERS OF THE GALLEY, LIKE THE DUTY FREE CARTS ARE STOWED IN THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY. THE GALLEY PERSON HAS TO MOVE 6 CARTS IN ORDER TO GET THE DUTY FREE CARTS OUT, OR BACK INTO THEIR SLOTS. THERE ARE NO TIE DOWNS ON THE FLOOR IN THE CABIN AREA FOR THE CARTS TO LOCK INTO, LIKE THERE ARE ON OTHER WIDE-BODY ACFT. THE RPTR WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MARKETING HAD MOVED THE FIRST CLASS CLOSET FROM NEXT TO THE ENTRY DOOR AT DOOR 1L TO DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE AISLE NEXT TO THE GALLEY. THE DOOR SWINGS INTO THE GALLEY AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE SECURED BY A MAGNET, NONE OF WHICH SEEM TO WORK. THE MOST UNSAFE FEATURE OF THE B777 IS THE LACK OF A JUMPSEAT FOR THE THIRD PERSON WORKING IN FIRST CLASS. THEIR SEAT IS ALL THE WAY BACK AT DOOR 3R, SO IF TURBULANCE HITS, THEY HAVE NO CHANCE TO GET IN THEIR SEAT IN TIME. SHE BELIEVES THAT THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY DESIGN SPACE COULD BE IMPROVED WITHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL COST TO THE AIRLINE.

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.