On all flights I have taken the flight attendants count the passengers on board before taxiing and check the lavatories. This method wouldn't have worked even with available free seats.
Just had to go back to the gate the other day because the manifest didn’t match the count. I can see them overlooking this with flippant flight attendants, especially on smaller flights, but on my flight we were next in line for take off when they sent us back to the gate. So we almost made it to the sky. Also, I don’t know what happened, they checked one seat and then we were off. Missed connecting flight because of it.
This is also for weight and balance / performance calculations. If the calculations are done for 150 passengers and you count only 149 (or 151), you can't legally take off without new paperwork.
nyjah|1 year ago
t0mas88|1 year ago