Long Haul Exit Seats

mrnomoneybags

Hi all, Just wanted to get opinions on my view on exit seats for long haul flights.

Just got back from a trip to the US, Flew into JFK and back from LAX.

Picked our seats online only to find out when we got to the airport they where given to somebody else...... the only seats left where in the middle of 4...... or £50 for the exit seats. I'm 6ft4" with long legs and normal seats are pretty crappy for me, so after much moaning paid the £50 only to be sat next to the loo being nudged by other passengers and had my toe stepped on twice by staff and i just managed to stop a food trolley hitting me.

Asked at the desk on the way back to be told £50 no way otherwise..... after last time i don't know if it was worth it even if it was free.

I then found out that other people got the exit seats for free and didn't need them really.

I sat in the normal seat, very uncomfortably for 10 hours got very minimal sleep, surely there should be some kind of law against airlines charging people who need these seats rather than want them?

c_l_a_i_r_e

TBH if you *need* a bigger seat than is provided in economy you have to be prepared to pay for it. You're not given priority just because of your height.

I do sympathise with you though, i'm only 5"4 and i find economy cramped at the best of times.

Teahfc

They have realised there is a £££ to be earned for the so called 'better seats' so they offer them for sale to those willing to pay and if they do not get sold then they are on a first come first serve basis. I sympathise with you being 6'4 and it must be awkward as hell to get comfortable but until the airline whip out 5-6 rows of seats in economy and raise the price up accordingly it will always be the case if you were 5'2 and did not need all that space you would want a few more rows in to make the price cheaper .

Sadly not going to happen and as there is no law against (and I don't see why there should be) its either put up with it or pay the premium.

dmg24

We had this discussion a short while back ...

How do you know that the people in the exit seats did not need them? Please don't tell me you asked them!

Who decides who should need an exit row seat? You?

mrnomoneybags

I don't understand why because I'm tall people think i should have to pay extra? I didn't asked to be be born tall? It's not like I'm overweight and could loose some weight to fit into a seat?

dmg24 > I overheard a guy telling a friend on the flight he had been given an exit seat and didn't need it. What would be so bad if i asked them?

Surely there should be a high limit and people over XX tall should be given first dibs?

Also i would say its a necessity to not be in pain on a flight....... If the person in front of me lays there seat back then it presses on my knee's........ painful after 15 mins or so.

phatbear

Tomlewis007 wrote: »

Surely there should be a high limit and people over XX tall should be given first dibs?

Of course the only way to do this is to start asking people how tall they are when they book a flight or maybe have a line up when you check in, for instance if you had the miss fortune to be on the same flight as a basketball team you would have no chance of getting an exit seat.

richardw

Tomlewis007 wrote: »

surely there should be some kind of law against airlines...

But airlines are only interested in revenue and extra revenues and more revenue streams. They really don't give a monkeys about what is right or considerate.

Some MPs have a similar attitude to airlines, so the chances of legislation are NIL.

terryya

On a similar(ish) sort of vein I was travelling Ryanair yesterday and we were talking about excess baggage and fat people and came up with the idea of a budget airline where when you book you have to give them your weight and the ticket price is based on that - I might combine it with asking people for their weight.

Pollycat

Tomlewis007 wrote: »

Picked our seats online only to find out when we got to the airport they where given to somebody else......

Which airline did you fly with?

How did your seats come to be allocated to someone else if you'd chosen your seats online?
Did you just choose your seats or did you actually check in on-line?

What was the response at the check-in desks when you asked why you weren't in your chosen seats?
Did you have any documentation to prove you'd chosen specific seats?

Unfortunately, extra legroom seats are often close to the central bulkhead where the toilets are and people do queue in the extra space, or even stand there to stretch their legs.

I'm afraid I don't agree with you that just because someone is tall they should be allocated extra legroom seats free of charge.

dmg24

Tomlewis007 wrote: »

I don't understand why because I'm tall people think i should have to pay extra? I didn't asked to be be born tall? It's not like I'm overweight and could loose some weight to fit into a seat?

dmg24 > I overheard a guy telling a friend on the flight he had been given an exit seat and didn't need it. What would be so bad if i asked them?

Surely there should be a high limit and people over XX tall should be given first dibs?

Also i would say its a necessity to not be in pain on a flight....... If the person in front of me lays there seat back then it presses on my knee's........ painful after 15 mins or so.

I am not saying you should have to pay extra. I believe that you should pay exactly the same as everybody else ... and have exactly the same type of seat as everybody else.

You seem to think that the only people that need extra legroom seats are those with long legs. You are wrong. You are also wrong that everybody who is fat can diet successfully.

I am actually more concerned about the size of your ears if you were able to hear the conversation of somebody several seats away!

dmg24

terryya wrote: »

On a similar(ish) sort of vein I was travelling Ryanair yesterday and we were talking about excess baggage and fat people and came up with the idea of a budget airline where when you book you have to give them your weight and the ticket price is based on that - I might combine it with asking people for their weight.

I've got big boobs. Can I get a discount as I provide eye candy for the rest of the passengers?