“Next thing I know a flight attendant supervisor wakes me up and tells me I have to get off the plane for not complying with the question,” he told Fox 11 on Monday.
In a video exchange recorded by another passenger, obtained by the TV station, showed Graves and the flight’s purser debating why he should have to disembark.
Having a nap on the commute home was not the same as being unable to help in the event of an emergency, he argued.
After the air crew threatened to call Los Angeles airport police, Graves said he decided not to resist, fearing it would reflect on his passenger record.
Eventually he was rebooked on a much later flight to a different Florida airport, which required him to drive to recover his checked luggage. The delay meant that he did not get home until the following day.
The passenger who recorded the video described the incident as a “power trip”, telling Fox that the interaction was “rude” and disrespectful to Graves.
US civil air regulations require cabin crew to assess whether a passenger sitting in an exit row would be able to assist in an emergency, but must do so in a “a non-discriminatory manner”.
Who can sit in an exit seat on a plane?
According to US civil aviation law, passengers sitting in an exit row must be at least 16 years of age and able to understand instructions from cabin crew and not be visually or audibly impaired.
You cannot sit in an exit row if you are travelling with a child in your care.
If the crew determine “... a passenger assigned to an exit seat would be unable to perform the functions [ required in an emergency] or a passenger requests a non-exit seat, the [crew ] shall expeditiously relocate the passenger to a non-exit seat.”
If the plane is full or is not possible to relocate the passenger, crew are required to look for an able passenger who is willing to swap with the exit row seat.
