last 2 times I flew I didn’t check in online and when they printed my boarding pass at the airport they put me on the seats next to the wing exits. Does every airline do this?
These seats are more expensive due to the extra legroom. They tend to be the last ones available to people who didn’t bother to buy a specific seat on cheap airlines, so if you check-in at the last moment you may get some unsold “high value” seat assigned on your boarding pass.
Fuck airlines that make you pay to get a standard seat, quiet at the back of the plane.
Hell, seats in the back used to be the cheapest - takes you longer to get off, and generally noisier since it’s behind the wings/engines. It’s also a rougher ride.
I liked flying there because no one else wanted those seats, so I could often get an empty row (way back when)
Unless the emergency exit is manned by the crew, they need a passenger there who can open the hatch if needed.
Normally this isn’t a problem, as someone usually prefers that seat due to the extra legroom. If there aren’t many passengers on the flight, and nobody has booked that seat in advance they might assign that seat early in the process so that someone who isn’t fit to sit there can have someone else take their place.
A few times, on smaller flights with free seating, I’ve been asked if I can man the emergency exit. I normally sit far forward on these flights, but I don’t care hard enough, so I’m happy to oblige.
As for who can sit there, it’s not a particularly high bar: any adult who is reasonably fit who is comfortable with being responsible for the emergency exit.
Source: Partially through observation, plus I had a chat with a stewardess on the topic not that long ago.
What does adult mean in this context? They didn’t question my 15 yr old sitting there except the usual “can you lift 40 pounds?”
Some airlines nowadays are trying to sell the exit row seats at a premium as an upgrade.
We should also mention that if you are uncomfortable with sitting in the exit row, federal regulations require the airline to reseat you in a different row on request. You don’t have to provide a reason why.
What airline did you fly? Most have assigned seating you can pick when you buy the ticket. Last few time I’ve flown on southwest, though that’s not assigned seating.
