Narrative:

During boarding passenger call button at row 10DEF. Passenger advised me that entire row of seats was loose. The passenger then demonstrated by rocking the row with their body weight while sitting down. I observed the entire row rocking off the floor; both front and back floor mounts. I immediately reported this to the captain. Maintenance immediately came to the aircraft. We were at departure time and the decision was made by dispatch to MEL the seats and depart on time. The passenger were reseated to row 11DEF. This is directly behind the MEL row of 10 def. How could this be allowable? The company placed passenger in a row aft of the MEL row and there were passenger sitting in the row forward of the MEL row 9DEF! As a flight attendant; I am shocked that an exit row of seats; not bolted to the floor; could be safe. It would seem that in the event of an accident/evacuate/evacuation the stress limits would not be met and the row would shift and block egress. The actions of passenger egressing would also shift the row of seats to become a safety hazard. The aircraft was dispatched with the above described condition. It was also dispatched from zzz with the same MEL.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A320 CABIN ATTENDANT RPTS MAINT MEL'ING THE ACFT WITH THE ENTIRE EMER EXIT ROW OF SEATS NOT BOLTED TO THE FLOOR.

Narrative: DURING BOARDING PAX CALL BUTTON AT ROW 10DEF. PAX ADVISED ME THAT ENTIRE ROW OF SEATS WAS LOOSE. THE PAX THEN DEMONSTRATED BY ROCKING THE ROW WITH THEIR BODY WT WHILE SITTING DOWN. I OBSERVED THE ENTIRE ROW ROCKING OFF THE FLOOR; BOTH FRONT AND BACK FLOOR MOUNTS. I IMMEDIATELY RPTED THIS TO THE CAPT. MAINT IMMEDIATELY CAME TO THE ACFT. WE WERE AT DEP TIME AND THE DECISION WAS MADE BY DISPATCH TO MEL THE SEATS AND DEPART ON TIME. THE PAX WERE RESEATED TO ROW 11DEF. THIS IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE MEL ROW OF 10 DEF. HOW COULD THIS BE ALLOWABLE? THE COMPANY PLACED PAX IN A ROW AFT OF THE MEL ROW AND THERE WERE PAX SITTING IN THE ROW FORWARD OF THE MEL ROW 9DEF! AS A FLT ATTENDANT; I AM SHOCKED THAT AN EXIT ROW OF SEATS; NOT BOLTED TO THE FLOOR; COULD BE SAFE. IT WOULD SEEM THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT/EVAC THE STRESS LIMITS WOULD NOT BE MET AND THE ROW WOULD SHIFT AND BLOCK EGRESS. THE ACTIONS OF PAX EGRESSING WOULD ALSO SHIFT THE ROW OF SEATS TO BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD. THE ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITH THE ABOVE DESCRIBED CONDITION. IT WAS ALSO DISPATCHED FROM zzz WITH THE SAME MEL.

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.