What is the minimum number of flight attendants required on an airplane with a passenger seating capacity of 188 and 117 passengers aboard?

To determine the minimum number of flight attendants required on an airplane, the guidelines provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can be referenced. According to FAA regulations, the number of flight attendants needed is based on the number of passenger seats in the aircraft.

For aircraft that have a passenger seating capacity of more than 100, the requirement is typically one flight attendant for every 50 passenger seats or a fraction thereof. In this situation, with a passenger capacity of 188, we can calculate the required number of flight attendants as follows:

1. Divide the total seating capacity by 50. In this case, 188 divided by 50 equals 3.76.

2. Since you cannot have a fraction of a flight attendant, you round up to the next whole number. This means that you would need a minimum of 4 flight attendants on board.

While there are 117 passengers aboard, this does not impact the minimum staffing requirement, as it is based on seating capacity rather than the number of passengers currently on the flight.

Given this understanding, the answer that identifies the minimum number of flight attendants required is four, as that aligns with the FAA's regulations concerning the staffing of aircraft with more than 100 seats.