The Big Issue: Beating the squeeze with exit row seating

Exit row seats come with oodles of extra legroom, and since airlines know these not-so-squeezy seats are a flyer favourite they impose a hefty surcharge for the privilege of sitting in one. On a long-haul flight that charge can add $200 to the ticket price. It often happens that these seats are not all occupied, yet airlines are obliged to partially fill them to comply with safety regulations. So how do you score an exit row seat without paying for it? You ask at the check-in desk. That's what I do and three times out of four I'll be sitting stretched out in an exit row seat. Exit row seats are allocated to passengers deemed physically capable of removing the exit door in an emergency. A couple of downsides. Many exit row seats are bulkhead seats, and bulkheads are where bassinet fittings are located. If it's a long flight and that bassinet is occupied by an unhappy infant you'll wish you were out on the wing. Yet another hitch, you could be near either a galley or the toilets, both busy areas. If it's toilets passengers sometimes use the space in front of these seats while they wait for a vacant toilet, or practice their dolphin-pose yoga posture. Finally, the video screen for these seats is a swivel device located under the armrest and safety requirements dictate it must be stowed for take-off and landing, depriving the viewer of about 20 minutes of entertainment each time.