Narrative:

We picked up aircraft in phl for our flight to dfw. About the time we reached cruise altitude, one of the flight attendants in the back of the plane called me and informed me that some passenger pointed out to her that the safety demonstration cards in their seatbacks were for B757's, not the B737. She checked and found several instances of this, predominantly on the left side of the aircraft. We sent a data link message to dispatch to have the word passed to maintenance in dfw so they could meet us with replacement cards. When we landed, we learned that the message was never passed. We then asked ramp control to have maintenance meet us at the gate to debrief what we needed, as we felt this could possibly lead to some action against the company if the FAA happened to have access to our ramp frequency and knew what had happened. I was also reluctant to put this in the logbook for the same reason. Maintenance wasn't able to get to the gate by the time we arrived, so I called them on the phone and explained the situation. I also went back and confirmed that there were mostly B757 cards on the entire left side of the cabin. Maintenance sent someone out who told me to put it into the book. I explained why we'd prefer not to do that and he didn't care, so I did. We also debriefed the oncoming crew that this needed to be taken care of before the plane departed dfw. My first officer and I then went out to the ticket counter and made sure the agents knew what was going on so they didn't board until the demonstration cards had been replaced. They told me that the maintenance guy we'd just dealt with on the plane had just told them to go ahead and board. We recommended that they not do it, as someone was going to have to go through the cabin and check every seatback. But, they said they had no choice. The oncoming captain was there and heard all of this but said nothing. At that point, I just threw up my arms in frustration and left. I don't know how the situation was resolved. At the point I left the gate, no new demonstration cards had arrived and they were preparing to board passenger with the wrong cards still in the seatback pockets.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 CAPT AND FO BECAME FRUSTRATED WITH THEIR COMPANY AFTER RPTING TO NUMEROUS DEPTS THAT THE WRONG SAFETY CARDS WERE FOUND IN A NUMBER OF SEATBACKS DURING THEIR FLT FROM PHL TO DFW.

Narrative: WE PICKED UP ACFT IN PHL FOR OUR FLT TO DFW. ABOUT THE TIME WE REACHED CRUISE ALT, ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE CALLED ME AND INFORMED ME THAT SOME PAX POINTED OUT TO HER THAT THE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION CARDS IN THEIR SEATBACKS WERE FOR B757'S, NOT THE B737. SHE CHKED AND FOUND SEVERAL INSTANCES OF THIS, PREDOMINANTLY ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT. WE SENT A DATA LINK MESSAGE TO DISPATCH TO HAVE THE WORD PASSED TO MAINT IN DFW SO THEY COULD MEET US WITH REPLACEMENT CARDS. WHEN WE LANDED, WE LEARNED THAT THE MESSAGE WAS NEVER PASSED. WE THEN ASKED RAMP CTL TO HAVE MAINT MEET US AT THE GATE TO DEBRIEF WHAT WE NEEDED, AS WE FELT THIS COULD POSSIBLY LEAD TO SOME ACTION AGAINST THE COMPANY IF THE FAA HAPPENED TO HAVE ACCESS TO OUR RAMP FREQ AND KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS ALSO RELUCTANT TO PUT THIS IN THE LOGBOOK FOR THE SAME REASON. MAINT WASN'T ABLE TO GET TO THE GATE BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED, SO I CALLED THEM ON THE PHONE AND EXPLAINED THE SIT. I ALSO WENT BACK AND CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE MOSTLY B757 CARDS ON THE ENTIRE L SIDE OF THE CABIN. MAINT SENT SOMEONE OUT WHO TOLD ME TO PUT IT INTO THE BOOK. I EXPLAINED WHY WE'D PREFER NOT TO DO THAT AND HE DIDN'T CARE, SO I DID. WE ALSO DEBRIEFED THE ONCOMING CREW THAT THIS NEEDED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE THE PLANE DEPARTED DFW. MY FO AND I THEN WENT OUT TO THE TICKET COUNTER AND MADE SURE THE AGENTS KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON SO THEY DIDN'T BOARD UNTIL THE DEMONSTRATION CARDS HAD BEEN REPLACED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MAINT GUY WE'D JUST DEALT WITH ON THE PLANE HAD JUST TOLD THEM TO GO AHEAD AND BOARD. WE RECOMMENDED THAT THEY NOT DO IT, AS SOMEONE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CABIN AND CHK EVERY SEATBACK. BUT, THEY SAID THEY HAD NO CHOICE. THE ONCOMING CAPT WAS THERE AND HEARD ALL OF THIS BUT SAID NOTHING. AT THAT POINT, I JUST THREW UP MY ARMS IN FRUSTRATION AND LEFT. I DON'T KNOW HOW THE SIT WAS RESOLVED. AT THE POINT I LEFT THE GATE, NO NEW DEMONSTRATION CARDS HAD ARRIVED AND THEY WERE PREPARING TO BOARD PAX WITH THE WRONG CARDS STILL IN THE SEATBACK POCKETS.

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.