Qantas - exit row seating

[blu]

Whats the possibility of exit row seating without FF status (unfortunately it will always be bronze).

 

[serfty]

They can be reasonable.

Rule 1: Be at the departure airport when check-in opens.
Rule 1B: Be at the airport early enough to be at the front of the queue when check-in opens.
Rule 1C: Be at the front of the queue when check-in opens.
Rule 1D: Ask politely.

Avoid A and K seats on 747's if you can.

 

[NM]

Rule 1: Be at the departure airport when check-in opens.

Can be an advantage to have a connecting flight as you can be checked-in from the originating port and hence jump the queue of people waiting at the departure port for check-in to open.

 

[serfty]

Can be an advantage to have a connecting flight as you can be checked-in from the originating port and hence jump the queue of people waiting at the departure port for check-in to open.

This does not always happen; I was knocked back in my SG days at the MEL Dom->Int check-in desk - "Can only do at departing airport". I was also successful other times; but I believed that was due to my SG status ... and/or ... the agent actually being bothered to arrange it.

 

[NM]

This does not always happen; I was knocked back in my SG days at the MEL Dom->Int check-in desk - "Can only do at departing airport". I was also successful other times; but I believed that was due to my SG status ... and/or ... the agent actually being bothered to arrange it.

When I have done it, the check-in agent makes a phone call, perhaps to departure airport, and made it happen. I was Plat at the time.

 

[blu]

Thanks, I,ve been at the head of the queue before, but never asked. This is an Airbus, it's all rather cramped two seats (window rows).

 

[Alanslegal]

A bronze getting an exit row seat is very unlikely. These seats are pre-allocated to flyers with higher status and even then it is unlikely at check-in for them to be free anyway.

However having said that I have a few long haul flights as a NB in the past few years and received nice bulkhead seats just as a luck of the draw.

Also looking at seat availability maps I see most of the preferred seats pre-blocked such as those in bulkhead, exit and up to the first 10 rows in economy.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Haven't had a lot to do with the frequent flyer service centre however if you can manage to get them to add a checkin comment into your profile for an exit row, whenever you make a booking and your frequent flyer number is added into the booking, a checkin comment will appear on the special service request list for that flight along with other requests such as wheelchairs, meet and assists, unaccompanied minors etc.

However, having said that it all depends on how much attention somebody pays to this list when they do the preflight (usually 24-48 hours prior to departure) and whether or not they feel like pre-allocating an exit row seat against your name.

I would be interested to know from anybody here on the forum if the exit rows (eg rows 13 & 14 on a 737-800) show as available on the seatmap thereby allowing you to physically select them when checking in online.

My understanding is the only time you can checkin online into a exit row is if you have:
a) already been allocated into one at pre flight or
b) if the checkin system decides to randomly allocate an exit row which it seems to do for people who are least likely to need it

If you're checking in at home you'll notice you don't get a proper boarding pass with bar code just an interim A4 bit of paper sayin "this is not a boarding pass" so you will still need to see staff at the airport for them to do a reprint.

Although the new Altea system reserves the first few rows for premium pax (eg QF Club, FF gold and platinums plus pax who may not be frequent flyers but travelling on high yield fares like Y or H classes, it seems to have a few glitches here and there eg:

Allowing a frequent flyer bronze on a f/flyer redemption in X class allocate himself 23J on a 767 (ie first row of economy) even when the fare had a low value.

Similarly a couple who were both f/flyer bronze on an O class (red-e-deal) fare score 4BC (again first row of economy) on a 737, again on a fare with a low value.

 

[JohnK]

This is an Airbus, it's all rather cramped two seats (window rows).

If it is an A330 it is not cramped at all. I was in 45B on a recent flight and the person in 45A had very long legs and had his legs stretched out hugging the exit door and he did not look uncomfortable at all nor did he bother me at any stage.

One other thing I would try is call the QF service centre and ask them to put a note in your booking that you would prefer an exit row. You never know....

 

[blu]

thanks all, my main concern is that it gets a bit tight when the seat in front reclines (it's overnight).

 

[docjames]

A bronze getting an exit row seat is very unlikely. These seats are pre-allocated to flyers with higher status and even then it is unlikely at check-in for them to be free anyway.

I dont agree with this statement - it's quite easy on Domestic flights, but you have to be early, and you have to ask. It helps to be travelling alone, or max 2 people.

I say this as a (until recently) Bronze FF and I had a success rate (on QF) upon asking for exit row of about 75%.

I agree on International flights - I havent had an exit row seat for a while.

 

[Groundfeeder]

Perhaps this little "status" benefit may be short lived as airlines increasingly now see a "fee" for exit row seats as an earner.
Where do the status flyers get allocated when the exit rows are all sold - UG to F??

 

[docjames]

Where do the status flyers get allocated when the exit rows are all sold - UG to F??

Somewhere between 3/8ths and 2/3s of nothing.. ie. Row 65B

 

[Commuter]

I would say that the chance of a Bronze getting a good exit row seat on an international flight would be 'not very good'.

Maybe you can score an exit row MIDDLE seat or the "one with the door sticking out to invade your legroom but it might still be better than being seats in a non-exit row" seat though. I have noticed some non-QF FF members and bronzes being assigned those seats.

Where do the status flyers get allocated when the exit rows are all sold - UG to F??

Although I'm a WP I sometimes miss out on an exit seat on international flights. In this situation, I have been allocated random seats - right behind the exit row, a few rows behind etc - whatever was allocated originally to me. The only thing I don't seem to 'cop' is the middle seat.

On a 747, when it becomes apparent that my request for an exit row seat had not gone through, I usually ask to be re-assigned a seat right down the back where it's 2 seats instead of 3 by the window.



On a related matter...
I no longer request a bulkhead seat by the window since I almost had a burn on my leg from an over-active heating outlet. I was miserable for the whole flight. I had to put a bag on the floor to keep my leg as away from the outlet as I could, because I object to putting my feet on the bulkhead, and my leg could still feel the heat a lot. My bit of the cabin was very uncomfortably hot as a result of this outlet as well, and I could not be moved because the flight was full. An experience I would wish only wish on my worst enemy. I should have complained about it to customer services, but I didn't and put it down to experience. Thinking back, I really should have pressed this point a bit more with the cabin crew because it may have been a safety issue, with overheating (the air coming out of the outlet was very hot - not just a normal 'warm air'). Anyway, that has put me off the bulkhead window seat on a 747 forever.

 

[Evan]

I dont usualy like exit rows for sleeping flights so dont usually request them, but i do like bulkheads.
I find when i miss the bulkhead i usually end up in my isle preference just behind the front rows. From there i will always move to any other isle that has a spare seat beside me unless i am in a huge rush to leave the plane.
E

 

[Alanslegal]

I dont agree with this statement - it's quite easy on Domestic flights, but you have to be early, and you have to ask. It helps to be travelling alone, or max 2 people.

I say this as a (until recently) Bronze FF and I had a success rate (on QF) upon asking for exit row of about 75%.

I agree on International flights - I havent had an exit row seat for a while.

Guess my experiences are mainly international legs (and I call these long haul) and I don't consider SYD-PER legs as long haul yet

 

[JohnK]

Perhaps this little "status" benefit may be short lived as airlines increasingly now see a "fee" for exit row seats as an earner.

That is a good question. Maybe a little lucky but a friend was recently pre-allocated exit rows on SQ flights with no status. No money requested and he is not even a member of KrisFlyer.

Where do the status flyers get allocated when the exit rows are all sold - UG to F??

Hopefully the original seat allocated. So if I have 24B and request an exit row if the exit row is unavailable I will remain in 24B....

 

[medhead]

I would be interested to know from anybody here on the forum if the exit rows (eg rows 13 & 14 on a 737-800) show as available on the seatmap thereby allowing you to physically select them when checking in online.

They usually don't show up for me when doing online check in, or maybe just the middle seats. However, on my second last flight, online checkin offered me 4A on a 738 and I had exit row aisle seats available as an option. As a bronze. Of course this happens so rarely for me that I picked an aisle seat about 2 rows in front of the exit rows, without realising they were available.

 

[docjames]

My last two (domestic) flights travelling alone pre-xmas I was pre-allocated exit row aisle seating (QFF Silver).

When travelling with mrsdoc recently we seem to end up about row 7-10 Aisle/middle (both QFF silver, mrsdoc has QC paid).

We were both on the same flight recently but with unlinked bookings, and mrsdoc got 7D and I got 14D.

Go figure!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

If you get the choice on a QF 737-800 go for row 14 because generally row 13 is locked upright, although that may only be for take-offs and landings to ensure the exits are accessable in case of emergency evacuation.

Also row 12 (a non-exit row) will not recline into row 13 because it's an exit.

On the 767's if it's one of the ex-BA aircraft VH-ZXA to ZXG the exit is row 43 and there's no row immediately in front that will recline into you.

The remainder of the 767 fleet VH-OG* the exits are rows 34 and 35 so I would go for the latter. Again I'm not 100% sure if row 34 is locked upright only for take-offs and landings or for the entire flight.