Narrative:

This flight consisted of 12 first class and 119 coach passenger, 5 flight attendants and 1 jumpseat pilot. Just prior to our scheduled push (about 5 mins), the flight attendants and gate agents were handling some problems with seat assignments, plus there were a couple of passenger the gate agents were considering pulling off the flight due to alcohol. I thought the problems were solved when the gate agent asked us if we were ready to go and the flight attendant closed the forward entry door. We started our pre-pushback checklists and the engineer said on the PA 'flight attendants, prepare for departure and xchk.' the engineer looked down the aisle and told the captain everyone's seated. I also glanced back and could only see flight attendants in the aisle. I called ground and received clearance to push and we pushed back on schedule. As we were coming to a stop on our push. We started engine #1. Engine start and taxi to runway 32 were normal. Our taxi speed was below normal as there were no aircraft behind us. Approaching runway 32, as we were crossing the parallel taxiway, tower cleared us for takeoff. The captain called for the before takeoff check. The engineer replied he still had 15 seconds left for fuel heat. I volunteered to make the engineer's PA announcement for 'flight attendants, please be seated' to help the engineer out. He said okay so I made the PA announcement. I did not have the PA button on my interphone panel depressed, but the cockpit door was open and I didn't hear any PA announcements being made in the backgnd. After the engineer finished his fuel heat, he asked the flight attendant at the doorway to close the cockpit door. She did close the door but communicated no problems to us. The engineer then read the before takeoff check and we did a normal departure. The time from when I made the PA announcement for 'flight attendants, please be seated' to the time we started to push up the power was a min of 30 seconds. At no time during the push, or taxi did we hear any communication from any of the flight attendants that there was any problems in the passenger cabin. As far as we knew, everything was normal. All 3 pilots were totally unaware of any problems on the ground until just prior to descent into seattle (about 2 hours after we departed) when the flight attendant working first class told us the senior flight attendant working in the back was upset with us for taking off before she was finished with her pre departure briefing. After we landed at seattle we were informed by an FAA inspector riding as a passenger that we had pushed back with people standing up and changing seats. At no time prior to this had any of the flight attendants voiced any concern to us about this problem. I feel this whole situation could have been avoided if just 1 flight attendant had spoken and communicated to us that there were problems in the cabin and they needed some extra time before departure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF ACR LGT ACFT PUSHED-BACK FROM THE GATE WHILE PAX WERE STANDING AND NOT SEATED.

Narrative: THIS FLT CONSISTED OF 12 FIRST CLASS AND 119 COACH PAX, 5 FLT ATTENDANTS AND 1 JUMPSEAT PLT. JUST PRIOR TO OUR SCHEDULED PUSH (ABOUT 5 MINS), THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND GATE AGENTS WERE HANDLING SOME PROBLEMS WITH SEAT ASSIGNMENTS, PLUS THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PAX THE GATE AGENTS WERE CONSIDERING PULLING OFF THE FLT DUE TO ALCOHOL. I THOUGHT THE PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED WHEN THE GATE AGENT ASKED US IF WE WERE READY TO GO AND THE FLT ATTENDANT CLOSED THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. WE STARTED OUR PRE-PUSHBACK CHKLISTS AND THE ENGINEER SAID ON THE PA 'FLT ATTENDANTS, PREPARE FOR DEP AND XCHK.' THE ENGINEER LOOKED DOWN THE AISLE AND TOLD THE CAPT EVERYONE'S SEATED. I ALSO GLANCED BACK AND COULD ONLY SEE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE AISLE. I CALLED GND AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO PUSH AND WE PUSHED BACK ON SCHEDULE. AS WE WERE COMING TO A STOP ON OUR PUSH. WE STARTED ENG #1. ENG START AND TAXI TO RWY 32 WERE NORMAL. OUR TAXI SPD WAS BELOW NORMAL AS THERE WERE NO ACFT BEHIND US. APCHING RWY 32, AS WE WERE XING THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY, TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF. THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TKOF CHK. THE ENGINEER REPLIED HE STILL HAD 15 SECONDS LEFT FOR FUEL HEAT. I VOLUNTEERED TO MAKE THE ENGINEER'S PA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 'FLT ATTENDANTS, PLEASE BE SEATED' TO HELP THE ENGINEER OUT. HE SAID OKAY SO I MADE THE PA ANNOUNCEMENT. I DID NOT HAVE THE PA BUTTON ON MY INTERPHONE PANEL DEPRESSED, BUT THE COCKPIT DOOR WAS OPEN AND I DIDN'T HEAR ANY PA ANNOUNCEMENTS BEING MADE IN THE BACKGND. AFTER THE ENGINEER FINISHED HIS FUEL HEAT, HE ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT AT THE DOORWAY TO CLOSE THE COCKPIT DOOR. SHE DID CLOSE THE DOOR BUT COMMUNICATED NO PROBLEMS TO US. THE ENGINEER THEN READ THE BEFORE TKOF CHK AND WE DID A NORMAL DEP. THE TIME FROM WHEN I MADE THE PA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 'FLT ATTENDANTS, PLEASE BE SEATED' TO THE TIME WE STARTED TO PUSH UP THE PWR WAS A MIN OF 30 SECONDS. AT NO TIME DURING THE PUSH, OR TAXI DID WE HEAR ANY COM FROM ANY OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THERE WAS ANY PROBLEMS IN THE PAX CABIN. AS FAR AS WE KNEW, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. ALL 3 PLTS WERE TOTALLY UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS ON THE GND UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO DSCNT INTO SEATTLE (ABOUT 2 HRS AFTER WE DEPARTED) WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANT WORKING FIRST CLASS TOLD US THE SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT WORKING IN THE BACK WAS UPSET WITH US FOR TAKING OFF BEFORE SHE WAS FINISHED WITH HER PRE DEP BRIEFING. AFTER WE LANDED AT SEATTLE WE WERE INFORMED BY AN FAA INSPECTOR RIDING AS A PAX THAT WE HAD PUSHED BACK WITH PEOPLE STANDING UP AND CHANGING SEATS. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO THIS HAD ANY OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS VOICED ANY CONCERN TO US ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS WHOLE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF JUST 1 FLT ATTENDANT HAD SPOKEN AND COMMUNICATED TO US THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS IN THE CABIN AND THEY NEEDED SOME EXTRA TIME BEFORE DEP.

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.