Flight Attendant Current
Communication Breakdown; Distraction
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct
General None Reported / Taken
Chart Or Publication; Company Policy; Human Factors
The flight was slightly delayed for maintenance at gate when ready for push. When door reclosed and announcements repeated was doing compliance check for cabin secure. Passenger was in emergency exit row. You would think exit row passenger of all passenger would be willing and able to comply with crew instructions. This man should never be allowed to sit in an exit seat again! At the time of walk through his seatbelt was undone was under his feet in aisle and newspaper was under his feet. I requested he stow bag and laptop and fasten seatbelt and asked if newspaper was trash could I take it for him. He said no he was reading it so I asked him to remove it from floor in exit row so no one would get hurt if we actually had to use exit; then I continued down aisle. On passing him on my way back he still had not complied with one thing I said. I seriously thought about removing him from exit seat; but did not want to escalate situation. So I made the same request AGAIN. He told me he was keeping his laptop on his lap because he could. I was wrong. I then informed him that I was not wrong and that it was in my manual as such and I would be happy to show him. Finally he said I will put it away but you are wrong and then told to LEAVE HIM ALONE. I talked to the CA of the situation. CA told me to show him in magazine where it is required to stow laptops. I didn't because as I said it would have escalated. This sort of behavior is unacceptable in exit row passenger. This man was of course one of the airline's [high] mile passenger. It is a shame because they hold a status that we cannot do our jobs. Something truly needs to be done. Our hands seemed to be tied and I have a plane full of passenger to protect. When these passenger disobey federal regulations there should be repercussions.
CRJ-200 Flight Attendant reported a passenger in an emergency exit row was defiant and non-compliant when asked to stow his laptop and remove newspapers from the exit row floor beneath his feet.