hints to make y class more palatable?

[brucek]

Point taken, yes this is off-topic, however accessing exit row seats is an often referred to way (see below) to make Y more comfortable, which it does. And yes, my typing a few days ago could have been better . I am referring to the pre recorded general preflight briefing. I know it does not relate specifically to exit row seats. It none the less erks me that many pax, generally speaking, seem to think it's cool to read through the preflight briefing on the basis they have heard it before. I'm glad they're not pilots because we do this everytime we start the engines, taxi out, line up, take off, post departure, etc, etc. Ask a pilot that's done a wheels-up landing how cool it was he/she forgot to do the pre landing briefing. Pax, aircrew, etc, can never be over briefied on emergency proceedures.

I to have seen people removed from emergency rows. I maintain my point, which is ones status alone should not be the, or one of the determining factor/s. I don't share your view "Justchecking". If an emergency is declared, emergency row pax have to be able to do as they undertake they will at the time of their specific preflight briefing, and I want them to be able to do so in a expedient fashion. Not go to pieces. I was not suggesting a FF is a tosser because he/she has status. I have however seen emergency row pax I felt were, and have been far from convinced on some occassions that the selection of pax to sit in such seats could have been done better. Ones status, in my view should not be a predominent selection factor, and by airlines' own addmissions it frequently is these days.

I am no more irritated about this than I am about pax carrying unnecessary and copious excess weight into a/c cabins in the form of duty free grog. Some of it is flamable (you can't carry a bottle of metholated spirits (nearly pure alchohol) onto an a/c yet you can brandy), they are in heavy glass bottles that can become projectiles in the event the overhead lockers fall open (which in a heavy or crash landing inevitably do), and they add weight to the a/c that consumes extra fuel (now here's a cause defacto Deputy PM Bingo Bob Brown should latch onto in the name of reducung green house gas!). I have taken this up with airlines. They tend to avoid a direct answer, preferring to talk around the points. Whilst they all tell us our safety is their prime concern, the above topics appear to be valid exceptions, to the airlines at least.

In closing, Melbourne's 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchel took up these matters a few years ago. Several aviation safety experts were interviewed. Their position on these matters was similar to mine. But then again most were pilots so their position on the above was probably biased and colored by their knowledge and training. The average pax would be in a much stronger position to make such judgements (not).

 

[timster]

The one big problem I have with airlines selling exit row seating, or allocating them to loyalty and longe members is I frequently observe many of these people are, in my view, the last pax I would want to have to be reliant on to assist in a real emergency. I say this as a CPL holder, that when the proverbial hits the fan you want fit, competent, sound mind, able people to be in exit row seats. Not those seated there simply becuase of their ability to pay or their FF/lounge membership status.

My observation is that the exit row 'demographic' has changed substantially since airlines started charging for them. As someone who almost always got a long haul exit row before charging, and who mostly gets one now (and no, I'm not telling my secrets), I have been in a good position to observe my fellow exit occupants. In the pre-charge days, they were often as brucek suggests - often older, often couples, often well dressed, the type of people you'd see in the lounge (although that demographic has gone way downmarket too, or is that just Qantas ?). I always assumed that these were people with the status necessary to have exit seats pre-allocated, but for whatever reason didn't opt for business class (premium was only just getting started in those days on BA and then Qantas). As brucek says, they are the last people you want assisting in the - admitedly highly unlikely - event of an emergency. These days, my observation is that the oldies and couples have gone. Where to ? Possibly to premium or business. But they're not there anymore because status doesn't get you a pre-allocated exit anymore, so they've had to fork out if they want comfort, in the front of the plane; or they're down the back with everyone else. My fellow exit seaters are either willing to pay for the seat (I am guessing this is not all that common - I've never paid for it), used one of my strategies, or just got lucky. But most of them don't look any different to the rest of economy, perhaps a bit more towards the younger end of the range. They do tend to be male, and travelling alone. So my observation is that the modern exit row occupant is actually more able-bodied than in the past.

 

[ozmille]

My observation is that the exit row 'demographic' has changed substantially since airlines started charging for them. As someone who almost always got a long haul exit row before charging, and who mostly gets one now (and no, I'm not telling my secrets), I have been in a good position to observe my fellow exit occupants. In the pre-charge days, they were often as brucek suggests - often older, often couples, often well dressed, the type of people you'd see in the lounge (although that demographic has gone way downmarket too, or is that just Qantas ?). I always assumed that these were people with the status necessary to have exit seats pre-allocated, but for whatever reason didn't opt for business class (premium was only just getting started in those days on BA and then Qantas). As brucek says, they are the last people you want assisting in the - admitedly highly unlikely - event of an emergency. These days, my observation is that the oldies and couples have gone. Where to ? Possibly to premium or business. But they're not there anymore because status doesn't get you a pre-allocated exit anymore, so they've had to fork out if they want comfort, in the front of the plane; or they're down the back with everyone else. My fellow exit seaters are either willing to pay for the seat (I am guessing this is not all that common - I've never paid for it), used one of my strategies, or just got lucky. But most of them don't look any different to the rest of economy, perhaps a bit more towards the younger end of the range. They do tend to be male, and travelling alone. So my observation is that the modern exit row occupant is actually more able-bodied than in the past.

On BA I can still select the exit row for free. Not on QF but have other preferred seat on QF I think...

 

[Rebekkap]

My fellow exit seaters are either willing to pay for the seat (I am guessing this is not all that common - I've never paid for it), used one of my strategies, or just got lucky. But most of them don't look any different to the rest of economy, perhaps a bit more towards the younger end of the range. They do tend to be male, and travelling alone. So my observation is that the modern exit row occupant is actually more able-bodied than in the past.

I've always been willing to - and have - paid for an exit row seat on long haul flights since they brought in the ability to pay for it.

I previously used to check in early and ask them to release one, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, but I love the certainty of being able to pay for one and not worry that I'm going to spend 24 hours being squished. I'm sure there are plenty of others out there willing to pay similarly.