Southwest Airlines Community

Hello. I was in the exit row on a flight on 12/11/21 and the flight attendant, approached the exit row and asked everyone for their undivided attention, I was listening to her speak while finishing a text on my phone. She then spoke to me as if I was subject to her motherly direction, telling me that I had to stop texting while she was talking and I had to look at her while she was presenting. I then proceeded to finish my text and she stopped her presentation, and spoke to me with a kind of sharp tone in front of others on the plane, I responded stating that I could hear everything that she said,  I understand the requirements for sitting in the exit row (because I have sat in the row before), she then abruptly turned around and headed to the front of the plane to have someone come on to the plane and tell me that I had to move to a non exit row (fortunately the flight was not full).   Can someone tell me if this is an allowable occurrence under Southwest's customer service code of conduct? I reviewed the Southwest Emergency Exit Seating Requirements (below) and I did not read where a flight attendant can request that a person is "fully paying attention" and can assess a person's "fully paying attention" and then instruct the person on where he or she needs to position his or her eyes and neck to be in conformance with the attendants subjective assessment as to what "fully paying attention" looks like. Further, can someone help me understand how a flight attendant's determination that a person was not paying full attention can unquestionably result in that person being asked to move to a non exit row.   I have flown Southwest a lot and I have never experienced this level of treatment. If "lack of awareness" has not been strictly defined and it is left up to the flight attendant to determine and based on the determination the attendant has the power to penalize, I believe this opens up the door for overzealousness, abuse of power, and non equal & unfair penalization for a variety of reasons such as a flight attendant's biases, mode, mental state, etc. My primary concern is, does Southwest have a culture that supports punitive measures based upon subjective assessments that are not based on clearly defined policies.       Emergency Exit Seating Requirements Federal regulations require that a Customer select a non-exit seat if he or she cannot or does not wish to perform the following functions: Locate the emergency exit Recognize the emergency exit opening mechanism Comprehend the instructions for operating the emergency exit Operate the emergency exit Assess whether opening the emergency exit will increase the hazards to which passengers may be exposed Follow oral directions and hand signals given by a crewmember Stow and secure the emergency exit window so that it will not impede use of the exit Pass expeditiously through the emergency exit Assess, select, and follow a safe path away from the emergency exit In addition, to comply with federal regulations a passenger seated in an exit seat must have sufficient mobility, strength or dexterity in both arms, hands, and both legs to: Reach upward, sideways, and downward to the location of the emergency exit Grasp and push, pull, turn, or otherwise manipulate mechanisms Push, shove, pull, or otherwise open the emergency exit Lift out, hold, deposit on nearby seats, or maneuver over the seatbacks to the next row or out the opening objects the size and weight of over-wing window exit doors Remove obstructions similar in size and weight to overwing exit windows Reach the emergency exit expeditiously Maintain balance while removing obstructions Exit expeditiously A passenger seated in an exit seat must: Be 15 years of age or older Have the capacity to perform the applicable functions without the assistance of an adult companion, parent, or other relative Have the ability to read and understand instructions related to emergency evacuation provided by Southwest in printed or graphic form Have the ability to understand oral crew commands Have sufficient visual capacity to perform applicable functions without the assistance of visual aids beyond contact lenses or eyeglasses Have sufficient aural capacity to hear and understand instructions shouted by Flight Attendants without assistance beyond a hearing aid Have the ability to adequately impart information orally in English to other passengers A passenger seated in an exit seat must not: Have preboarded Use a portable oxygen concentrator Require a seat belt extension to fasten his or her seat belt Have a condition or responsibilities, such as caring for small children or pets, that might prevent them from performing the applicable functions Have a condition that might cause the person harm if he or she performs one or more of the applicable functions ... View more