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A320 captain reported a passenger who wants to bring an electric scooter in the cabin rather than the cargo hold.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1684030 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201909 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 218 Flight Crew Total 3123 Flight Crew Type 2284 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
Passenger a; seat 7C; boarded the AC (aircraft) after arriving on a collapsible electric scooter. He insisted the scooter be accommodated in a passenger seat as [the company] had destroyed previous scooter and had not only agreed to this process but had purchased him his current scooter. Flight attendant (flight attendant) expressed her concern and stated it was not allowed in the [flight attendant manual]. After searching the fom (flight operations manual); I could find no guidance. The [flight manager] was contacted and after a search of the fom and shares; determined the [scooter] was not allowed in the cabin but asked for time to confer with the [operations control manager]. After a short time I received an ACARS explaining the [scooter] would have to go into the cargo area. I contacted the [flight manager] by phone to ensure that 'the [scooter] in the pit' was the desired outcome and was asked to standby. The [flight manager] again contacted me via ACARS stating it was ok to place the scooter in a passenger seat. After another phone conversation; I was told that 'social media' was involved and was directed to take the scooter in the cabin… regardless of [company] policy and procedures dictating otherwise.the fas did their best to secure the scooter into seat 7B with the use of the regular seat belt and seat belt extenders.upon landing; even after their best efforts; the scooter slid forward; falling partially out of the seat.a placard on the scooter stated it weighed 200 pounds.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A320 Captain reported a passenger who wants to bring an electric scooter in the cabin rather than the cargo hold.
Narrative: Passenger A; seat 7C; boarded the AC (Aircraft) after arriving on a collapsible electric scooter. He insisted the scooter be accommodated in a passenger seat as [the company] had destroyed previous scooter and had not only agreed to this process but had purchased him his current scooter. FA (Flight Attendant) expressed her concern and stated it was not allowed in the [Flight Attendant Manual]. After searching the FOM (Flight Operations Manual); I could find no guidance. The [Flight Manager] was contacted and after a search of the FOM and shares; determined the [scooter] was not allowed in the cabin but asked for time to confer with the [Operations Control Manager]. After a short time I received an ACARS explaining the [scooter] would have to go into the cargo area. I contacted the [Flight Manager] by phone to ensure that 'the [scooter] in the pit' was the desired outcome and was asked to standby. The [Flight Manager] again contacted me via ACARS stating it was OK to place the scooter in a passenger seat. After another phone conversation; I was told that 'Social Media' was involved and was directed to take the scooter in the cabin… regardless of [company] Policy and Procedures dictating otherwise.The FAs did their best to secure the scooter into seat 7B with the use of the regular seat belt and seat belt extenders.Upon landing; even after their best efforts; the scooter slid forward; falling partially out of the seat.A placard on the scooter stated it weighed 200 pounds.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.