Denied Exit Row on Avianca Airlines

Ironically, Avianca really impressed me yesterday when they refused to seat me in the exit row on my flight from Lima to Bogota. During check-in with Latin airlines, I can usually use my *very* limited Spanish to state my name, where I am traveling to, and that I am not checking any bags (thus avoiding speaking in English). Any further questions, though, will likely be returned by a blank stare.

I asked, in English, if I could be seated in the exit row. The agent said something to me in Spanish to which I responded with a blank stare. The agent tapped on her keyboard a moment, said there were exit row seats available (757 aircraft), but then refused to assign me one, "Because you no speak Español."

I have to admit, I was impressed by that answer. The English skills of the crews on the Avianca flights I was on were limited and even though I know how to open the door during an emergency on a 757, I would not have been able to comprehend crew member instructions if they were given in Spanish.

So I took my aisle seat a few rows back and decided not to fight the agent.

More than once I have seen passengers who cannot speak English seated in exit rows on United Airlines. Usually, all FAs require is a nod or a "yes" and you are good to go in the exit row. It would be wise if all airlines took a more careful approach to exit row allocation, as Avianca seems to do. I bet that would provide a lot more "safety" to passengers than our smurfs do.

_{(My apologizes for another cheap shot at the TSA)}