Re: QF selling more "extra legroom" Y seats - 80A/K,71D & Dom. Exit
So I will book Emirates to/from BKK/SIN everytime if I can pre-allocate bulkhead/exit rows.
I can't speak to EK but there is at least one airline that flys that route and allows bulkhead choice when booking with no status. But bulkheads across airlines are somewhat of a lottery IMHO - some good, some average, some terrible (ie most QFi).
The thread title is "QF selling more "extra legroom" Y seats - 80A/K,71D & Dom. Exit" so it was those seats I was primarily referring to. I have prealloacated the A380 trapdoor seat on on 4 occasions now for past/future flights on said airline. It's actually better than an exit row IMHO (as are 80A/K, albeit A380 configs other than QF don't always have those).
Re the longhaul exit rows, they are readily available for the asking on checkin with a number of airlines, including said airline (and EK it seems). Sure, not as good as the old days with QF where my height and preference were in my account and so got them pre-allocated on booking or phone call when available, with no status (subject to sighting me at checkin). Later on pre-QF-charging I had to wait until checkin but still got them most of the time. Early on post-charging QFi would still give them for free on checkin if no one had bought them, but now it's a case of "Yes we still have one ! ... that will be $90/$180 please".
Unfortunately QF pax are savvy travellers and via sites like this learnt to ask for these seats, which led to QF monitizing them, tall pax ergonomics be damned.
If you want to still find such seats for free, look for airlines where you might expect less savvy tavellers, and managements not looking to reduce their Y experience to the LCC "we-would-charge-for-oxygen-if-we-could" model.
