Airlines suck

[garbon]

I miss the days when you could bri...tip the skycaps and not pay for your checked luggage, heavy or otherwise.

[crazy canuck]

Odd, I dont recall paying more for an exit row seat.

[garbon]

Maybe Canadian airlines don't do it yet. I saw it on Delta and I think US Airways and United.

[DGuller]

I didn't pay anything extra for them either.  However, what I did have to do was wait until one day before the flight to transfer my seat to the exit row and beat out other people wanting to do likewise, because until then they were locked out (at least for the likes of me).

[crazy canuck]

I didn't pay anything extra for them either.  However, what I did have to do was wait until one day before the flight to transfer my seat to the exit row and beat out other people wanting to do likewise, because until then they were locked out (at least for the likes of me).

I dont generally have that problem.  Generally, if I dont already have it booked, I present myself to the counter prior to the flight and politely request an exit row seat. The response I generally get as they look up, way up, is "my goodness yes you certainly do need an exit row seat!"

[DGuller]

The response I generally get as they look up, way up

  Is this still about airlines?

[Josephus]

I didn't pay anything extra for them either.  However, what I did have to do was wait until one day before the flight to transfer my seat to the exit row and beat out other people wanting to do likewise, because until then they were locked out (at least for the likes of me).

I dont generally have that problem.  Generally, if I dont already have it booked, I present myself to the counter prior to the flight and politely request an exit row seat. The response I generally get as they look up, way up, is "my goodness yes you certainly do need an exit row seat!"

You should pay extra...like fat people. 

[alfred russel]

No doubt if you have to fly economy class, then the exit row rules. But most people know this and the demand is high. You have to book very early to ensure you get that row and even then, some flights reserve them for old people or those with babies, toddlers.

That's precisely what they don't do, given that people in the emergency row are required to carry out physical duties in the event of a crash landing. No babies, no elderly, no one with an arm in a sling.

Oh, OK, yeah. I was thinking of that other good row, the bulkhead they call it.

Yup. On the last plane I was on, it even had an attachement for a criblike arrangent on the bulkhead - always an ominous sight on an 8-hour flight.  [Actually, the kid slepped most of the time and was pretty cute and non-loud the rest, so it was all good]

If you are on an 8 hour flight, you've got to find a way to get into business class. Granted--it is far too expensive to pay full freight personally--but you can usually get an upgrade for a reasonable number of airline miles from a not too expensive ticket if you sign up for the right frequent flyer program and plan ahead (if you don't travel for work, you can get them through a credit card). Having a flat bed means you can sleep well, which imo is worth 2 days of vacation roundtrip.

[Caliga]

Is that even legal?  I thought that people sitting on exit row seats have to be physically able to assist in evacuation.  At least that's the impression I got from the flight attendant's speech when I sat in one.

Yes.  This worked out well for my when I flew to Denver; this Filipino chick in the exit row didn't speak English and so the stewardess asked for volunteers to sit there instead of her.  The guy sitting next to me volunteered, but she sat next to the guy in front of me (who had an empty seat next to him) instead of in my neighbor's seat, so I got a row to myself, which is pretty nice when you're in a CRJ-700... not exactly the roomiest airliner in the world.

[alfred russel]

One of my favorite memories when flying was with my aged father when he ended up in the exit row and they told him he had extra responsibilities, etc. The entire flight you would have thought he was about to go into combat. He refused all alcohol, paid super close attention to the safety presentation, and looked like he kept focused the entire flight on being ready to help people evacuate in an emergency.

[Josephus]

If you are on an 8 hour flight, you've got to find a way to get into business class. Granted--it is far too expensive to pay full freight personally--but you can usually get an upgrade for a reasonable number of airline miles from a not too expensive ticket if you sign up for the right frequent flyer program and plan ahead (if you don't travel for work, you can get them through a credit card). Having a flat bed means you can sleep well, which imo is worth 2 days of vacation roundtrip.

Word.
I've flown biz class for work a few times and it does make a world of difference. Best was last year flying back,economy, from Amsterdam on KLM when the flight was overbooked, so they upgraded me for free!!

[Caliga]

I'll take a first class upgrade for free (and have done so maybe 3-4 times), but I'm too cheap to pay for one.  I do agree that your experience is much better when you fly first class.

[Josephus]

Note, first class and business class are not always the same thing. On big airlines like British Airways, for instance (which I once got to peek at but not stay in), First Class is like being king. Business class is more of an intermediary between the two, although several airlines have now dispensed with first class altogether.

[garbon]

Note, first class and business class are not always the same thing. On big airlines like British Airways, for instance (which I once got to peek at but not stay in), First Class is like being king. Business class is more of an intermediary between the two, although several airlines have now dispensed with first class altogether.

It's true. First class and whatever they call Business class on Virgin are miles apart (from the peep I got into first class). That said Business class by another name is suitable enough after G&Ts and an ambien.

[Neil]

Note, first class and business class are not always the same thing. On big airlines like British Airways, for instance (which I once got to peek at but not stay in), First Class is like being king. Business class is more of an intermediary between the two, although several airlines have now dispensed with first class altogether.

Well, there's a lot of short-haul flights these days, and there's no point in paying for first-class unless you're crossing an ocean or the Asian continent.