PLT RPT; MD90; 2 HR WX DELAY ON TXWY. SUDDEN TKOF CLRNC. CAPT RECEIVED PURSER'S CABIN READY; TKOF ANNUNCIATION; 20% OF CABIN NOT COMPLIANCE CHKED.

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AFTER LONG DELAY DUE TO WX ON TXWY; DEPS SUDDENLY OPENED UP. WE WERE ALSO MOVED UP IN THE SEQUENCE. THEREFORE; WE WERE STARTING AN ENG AND RUNNING CHKLISTS IN A BIT OF A HURRY. WE MADE THE PRE TKOF PA AND FLT ATTENDANTS WERE READYING THE CABIN. WE WERE IN POS AND CLRED FOR TKOF AWAITING 'CABIN READY FOR TKOF' FROM THE HEAD FLT ATTENDANT. I COULD HEAR SOME DISCUSSION ON THE INTERPHONE BTWN FLT ATTENDANTS AND THEN THE WORD WAS PASSED THAT THE CABIN WAS READY FOR TKOF. AS RUSHED AS WE WERE; I STILL COULD HAVE -- AND SHOULD HAVE -- GIVEN THE CABIN CREW AN EARLIER 'GET READY FOR TKOF' SIGNAL. IN CRUISE; I LEARNED THAT ABOUT 20% OF THE ROWS IN THE CABIN HAD NOT BEEN CHKED FOR TRAYS AND SEAT BACKS; AND TRASH PICK-UP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY HAD PROBABLY SAT ON THE TXWY FOR 2 HRS IN A WX RELATED DELAY; SO WHEN THEY GOT CLRNC TO GO; HE WANTED THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO BE PREPARED. HE REGRETS THAT HE DIDN'T TRUST HIS INSTINCTS (THAT THE CABIN WASN'T READY); WHEN THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT GAVE SUCH A TENTATIVE 'CABIN READY' FOR TKOF. THE FLT ATTENDANTS DID MAKE IT TO THEIR JUMP SEATS IN TIME.