Narrative:

During cruise flight; my second flight attendant informed the flight deck that seats 4A-C were no longer secured to the hold down RAIL on the outboard end of the seat assembly. After discussing the situation with my first officer and our flight attendant staff; I had my first officer go back to assess the condition of the detached seats. My first officer reported that the seats were indeed detached from the outboard seat track. Maintenance control was contacted and apprised of the situation. We all concurred that we would not be able to make the seats svcable while in-flight. I then briefed the flight attendant crew on the plan that my first officer and I had agreed would transport our passenger safely until repairs could be made. Every seat was occupied and there was only 1 infant listed on the sheet. I had signed no jumpseat auths so moving people to the flight deck was not an option. I asked my flight attendants to ask for male volunteers to give up their seats for the female passenger that were impacted. Our plan was to have the male volunteers situation in the available jumpseats during cruise flight while we worked on a final plan to either continue to phoenix or to divert if that was a better option. No males volunteered. So we seated the female passenger in the forward and aft jumpseats. We contacted dispatch using the ACARS system and had them get in touch with the duty officer so we could let them know our status and confer with them on the plan of action. It was decided that since we only had 1 jumpseat available for landing; that it would be best if we could free up 2 more seats by looking for any company employees that were qualified to situation in the flight deck or to find any lap children that were sitting in a seat so that they could be moved to their parent's lap to free up a seat. There were no company employees that met the criteria and we found only 1 child that could be moved to free up a seat. We still had 1 passenger to deal with for landing. It was decided that we should make use of the least bomb risk procedures located in the in-flight manual to secure the remaining passenger for the eventual landing. All parties agreed that this was a plan that would work and that would be safe. Turbulence was not a factor during the flight. No significant turbulence was forecast nor were there any turbulence reports from other aircraft along our route. Phoenix WX indicated mild conditions could be expected. We landed in phoenix. I had requested that corporate personnel be on hand to debrief the affected passenger and to provide them with some form of compensation for the inconvenience.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 FLT CREW IS ADVISED BY THE CABIN CREW THAT A ROW OF SEATS HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE HOLD DOWN RAIL.

Narrative: DURING CRUISE FLT; MY SECOND FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED THE FLT DECK THAT SEATS 4A-C WERE NO LONGER SECURED TO THE HOLD DOWN RAIL ON THE OUTBOARD END OF THE SEAT ASSEMBLY. AFTER DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH MY FO AND OUR FLT ATTENDANT STAFF; I HAD MY FO GO BACK TO ASSESS THE CONDITION OF THE DETACHED SEATS. MY FO RPTED THAT THE SEATS WERE INDEED DETACHED FROM THE OUTBOARD SEAT TRACK. MAINT CTL WAS CONTACTED AND APPRISED OF THE SITUATION. WE ALL CONCURRED THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE SEATS SVCABLE WHILE INFLT. I THEN BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANT CREW ON THE PLAN THAT MY FO AND I HAD AGREED WOULD TRANSPORT OUR PAX SAFELY UNTIL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. EVERY SEAT WAS OCCUPIED AND THERE WAS ONLY 1 INFANT LISTED ON THE SHEET. I HAD SIGNED NO JUMPSEAT AUTHS SO MOVING PEOPLE TO THE FLT DECK WAS NOT AN OPTION. I ASKED MY FLT ATTENDANTS TO ASK FOR MALE VOLUNTEERS TO GIVE UP THEIR SEATS FOR THE FEMALE PAX THAT WERE IMPACTED. OUR PLAN WAS TO HAVE THE MALE VOLUNTEERS SIT IN THE AVAILABLE JUMPSEATS DURING CRUISE FLT WHILE WE WORKED ON A FINAL PLAN TO EITHER CONTINUE TO PHOENIX OR TO DIVERT IF THAT WAS A BETTER OPTION. NO MALES VOLUNTEERED. SO WE SEATED THE FEMALE PAX IN THE FORWARD AND AFT JUMPSEATS. WE CONTACTED DISPATCH USING THE ACARS SYS AND HAD THEM GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DUTY OFFICER SO WE COULD LET THEM KNOW OUR STATUS AND CONFER WITH THEM ON THE PLAN OF ACTION. IT WAS DECIDED THAT SINCE WE ONLY HAD 1 JUMPSEAT AVAILABLE FOR LNDG; THAT IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE COULD FREE UP 2 MORE SEATS BY LOOKING FOR ANY COMPANY EMPLOYEES THAT WERE QUALIFIED TO SIT IN THE FLT DECK OR TO FIND ANY LAP CHILDREN THAT WERE SITTING IN A SEAT SO THAT THEY COULD BE MOVED TO THEIR PARENT'S LAP TO FREE UP A SEAT. THERE WERE NO COMPANY EMPLOYEES THAT MET THE CRITERIA AND WE FOUND ONLY 1 CHILD THAT COULD BE MOVED TO FREE UP A SEAT. WE STILL HAD 1 PAX TO DEAL WITH FOR LNDG. IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD MAKE USE OF THE LEAST BOMB RISK PROCS LOCATED IN THE INFLT MANUAL TO SECURE THE REMAINING PAX FOR THE EVENTUAL LNDG. ALL PARTIES AGREED THAT THIS WAS A PLAN THAT WOULD WORK AND THAT WOULD BE SAFE. TURB WAS NOT A FACTOR DURING THE FLT. NO SIGNIFICANT TURB WAS FORECAST NOR WERE THERE ANY TURB RPTS FROM OTHER ACFT ALONG OUR RTE. PHOENIX WX INDICATED MILD CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPECTED. WE LANDED IN PHOENIX. I HAD REQUESTED THAT CORPORATE PERSONNEL BE ON HAND TO DEBRIEF THE AFFECTED PAX AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.