Reseating of passenger was due to safety reasons: Asiana

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday its decision to reseat a passenger with a physical disability was to protect the safety of its passengers after he took issue with the matter on Youtube. Tim Seward, a 31-year-old industrial designer, was heading to Hawaii from Beijing via Incheon. A Chinese airline staff noticed his prosthetic leg before the plane took off in Beijing on Sunday and asked him to move from an exit row seat to another seat. "As an airline operator responsible of protecting the safety of its passengers, it was an inevitable decision to request the reseating of the passenger after careful review to determine if the passenger is capable of helping the crew carry out its emergency duties," Asiana said. Prosthetic limbs are not specified as criteria in the FAA regulation to restrict assigning passengers to the exit row. However, the regulation states that it is the airlines' decision to judge whether the passenger is fit to be seated in certain seats. Airlines require passengers in exit row seats to physically help passengers exit from an airplane in the event of a crash landing or other emergency situations.<br/>