What must one do for an exit row?

[JohnK]

For me the exit row is not so much about legroom but moreso that no one can recline into my face for the duration of the flight....

I think he is implying that due to everyone requesting an exit row.... he would rather have a middle seat spare up the back, than have some legroom in an exit row with no middle seat...

Being in an exit row with no middle seat would be ideal.

I think he is implying that due to everyone requesting an exit row.... he would rather have a middle seat spare up the back, than have some legroom in an exit row with an occupied middle seat....

 

[NM]

I think he is implying that due to everyone requesting an exit row.... he would rather have a middle seat spare up the back, than have some legroom in an exit row with no middle seat...

I guess its may be the difference between someone who is laterally challenged and someone who is altitudinally challenged

 

[bambbbam2]

I think he is implying that due to everyone requesting an exit row.... he would rather have a middle seat spare up the back, than have some legroom in an exit row with an occupied middle seat....

Exactly. I don't find the regular seats that confining, even when the person in front reclines and I don't.

 

[Chris_Leo]

I contacted the QFF service center a couple of days ago about an upcoming award booking (by the way, much better deal if you start your travel outside of Australia) and asked the customer service agent about recording preferences for exit row seats. She confirmed what everyone on the board previously mentioned, and placed a record on my file for all international flights. Sure enough, the next day my QF international seat allocations were changed to exit row seats.

Good times!

 

[Evan]

I called yesterday to request some seats on the tickets i had just booked, she said i had been assigned seats, row 47... huh ? as a WP and with my forward isle preference and free seats why did i not get row 40 or 41 ? easy changes, one of them may have been because it was normally a disabled seat but otherwise i dont know why i would default to a few rows back

E

 

[JohnK]

....but otherwise i dont know why i would default to a few rows back

This has been my observation recently. It would appear that the cheaper booking classes do not get the better seat allocations. I have been pushed a little further back in the cabin since the recent changes. Sure a simple phone call gets a better seat, possibly even exit row, but we should not have to call, it should happen automatically.

 

[serfty]

The 'disabled' seats are generally simply those aisle seats with a lift up armrest and no other special characteristic.

 

[Evan]

The 'disabled' seats are generally simply those aisle seats with a lift up armrest and no other special characteristic.

Yep, but i could only think maybe they reserved some until close to departure but i think JohnK and the low fare class could have the answer.
E

 

[serfty]

I think more to the point is that even though Qantas specify many such seats as disabled, there seems to be nothing to prevent any "non-disabled" passenger from being allocated one, either automagically or manually.

Here's a QF seat map from E/F, the Disabled seats show as over wing aisle seats with lift up left hand armrests that are not otherwise blocked for premium PAX. (Presumably the wheelchairs employed enable PAX to slide across to the right):

 

[Febs]

Kind of on-topic...does anyone else find they never get given a bulkhead seat?

My preference is forward aisle, but really, if I could set it, I'd make my domestic preference bulkhead anything. 9 times out of 10, this is my experience:

737:
Booked in full Y. Allocated row 5 or 6. 4B is always available, so I choose that (middle bulkhead). Never, ever, ever pre-allocated anything in row 4.

767:
Booked in full Y. Allocated row 25-26 aisle. Something in 23 is often available, but I'm never allocated it.

The lady in 4A this morning was a CL, so fair enough...and I'm really not complaining, but I just thought I'd occasionally snare a bulkhead with 3,500 SC's to my name this year alone.... Ah well, can't be too picky.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Dave Noble]

737s dont have bulkheads other than row 1 in J so unlikely to get a bulkhead on one of those

on the 767s, the bulkhead seats have the bassinets so, iirc, are kept back till close to check in in case there is a bassinet request

Dave

 

[anat0l]

I must be quite lucky. For someone of low status (well, was low status and before that no status), I've been rather fortunate with seat selection, especially under the new complex "loyalty" preallocation regime.

Now never been able to get prealloc, alloc or select an exit row, but... (and considering I've done a lot of flying as a PS and not much yet as an SG)...

• About 90% of the time, been able to select row 4 in 737 Y. This is not 4B or 4E either! Admittedly, if it's 738 then row 4 is good (not bulkhead - just a curtain - but still more legroom!), but if it is 734-convertible-J, then row 4 doesn't really have the same kick (no pun intended) to it (except perhaps that 4ACDF is slightly bigger in width).
• About 80% of the time, been able to select within the first row of Y cabin on a 767. Less experience with this (don't fly many 767s), but again non-middle seats. I recently was on a 767 SYD-MEL on Sunday afternoon; I got 23B (front row in the exclusive 2-row section of the Y cabin), but I was an SG and it was low load.

My luck hasn't been spot on recently (usually managing to get rows 4-8 aisle or window: don't particularly like middle seats).

I got an exit row after enquiring at the QP for ADL-SYD about 2 weeks ago. It was the last exit row seat left on a 734 - and it was a middle. But I still took it - massive leg room......... (exit rows >>>>> row 4 or 5 on a 734, except you have to wait a long while before you can get off, especially if some idiots use up all the overhead locker space in your row).

 

[JohnK]

Kind of on-topic...does anyone else find they never get given a bulkhead seat?

A few years ago as a Silver and Gold travelling to/from SIN via BNE or PER on the A330 I would always be allocated a bulkhead, 23B or 23H. The last couple of years a Platinum I seem to get the seat behind the bulkhead and most recently it is not uncommon to be 6-7 rows back in economy. Not an issue for now as I can generally get exit row pre-allocated.

For domestic flights I used to always get row 4 or 5 and now find myself back in rows 6-8. I prefer to be one of the first off the aircraft and this is about as far back in the cabin I want to be seated. Many times I have deplaned and noticed nobody behind me and get to the baggage belts and it is almost 5 minutes before the next person appears. I would guess that from rows 9-10 and back it is very congested trying to get off the aircraft especially with the amount of carry on passengers get away with these days.

 

[Febs]

737s dont have bulkheads other than row 1 in J so unlikely to get a bulkhead on one of those

on the 767s, the bulkhead seats have the bassinets so, iirc, are kept back till close to check in in case there is a bassinet request

Dave

Yeah sorry, when I said bulkhead I meant front row. I like the 737 row 4 in Y - heaps of leg room behind those two J seats.

 

[anat0l]

Yeah sorry, when I said bulkhead I meant front row. I like the 737 row 4 in Y - heaps of leg room behind those two J seats.

Not if it's a 734, which has convertible J/Y for the first 6 rows or so. Then the leg room is somewhat equal to that of the other Y rows, possibly only slightly more.

 

[serfty]

Not if it's a 734, which has convertible J/Y for the first 6 rows or so. Then the leg room is somewhat equal to that of the other Y rows, possibly only slightly more.

Slightly?

The 734 with convertible seating has this for the first five rows. These rows have at least 13% more pitch when compared to the remainder of the aircraft!

These rows have at least 10 cm more than the standard 78 cm.

 

[Groundfeeder]

The 734 with convertible seating has this for the first five rows. These rows have at least 13% more pitch when compared to the remainder of the aircraft!

These rows have at least 10 cm more than the standard 78 cm.

Can vouch for this as my last few flights BNE - TSV return have been 734 with me in 4A/F. Unfortunately my last return trip had two elderly folk in 4BC who apparently had to wait for assistance, but gratefully allowed me to squeeze past to disembark - impossible with normal Y pitch.

 

[anat0l]

Slightly?

The 734 with convertible seating has this for the first five rows. These rows have at least 13% more pitch when compared to the remainder of the aircraft!

These rows have at least 10 cm more than the standard 78 cm.

I stand corrected.

Just checked the seat maps and yes there is extra pitch in the Y/J rows. Quite a decent amount as it seems (only exit row is much, much better).

Seems an advantage for those that can secure the front rows of the Y seating, unless they convert all of the J/Y seats into J.

 

[Chris_Leo]

Hmmm, I had an entire left section of the bulk head row to myself on my last trip SYD-LAX, and similarly, a lady to my side had the entire middle section of the bulk head row. The right hand section is reserved for cabin crew.

I'm not sure why that was the case, especially since I overheard cabin crew discussing whether it would be ok to move the lady next to me (occupying 4 seats) elsewhere to allow a family of 4 to sit together. The decision was not to move said lady.

The bulkhead is nice, but one negative factor is that you cannot really make use of extra seats next to you because of the solid arm rests that separate the seats. I guess it is the price you pay for more leg room!

 

[JohnK]

The bulkhead is nice, but one negative factor is that you cannot really make use of extra seats next to you because of the solid arm rests that separate the seats. I guess it is the price you pay for more leg room!

From my recollection the legroom in the bulkhead rows on the A330s and 747s is very restricted and I am not a tall person. I remember one time sitting in 23A and having cramps for a few hours after the getting off the flight. I have never had problems in a bulkhead aisle seat as most of the time I am able to stretch one or both legs in the aisle.