How to Get an Emergency Exit Row on a Plane
F
or economy travellers, getting a seat in one of the emergency exit rows
is a prized asset offering significantly more legroom comfort.
In this article we look at ways of securing the exit row and give an overview of (paid) options offered by various international airlines.
On narrow body planes, exit rows can be found at the overwing emergency exits and at the very front row on the left side near the main door. On wide-body planes the exit rows are located at various points throughout the aircraft where there are exit doors, generally at the front of each mini cabin.
Benefits of exit rows:
- in an emergency you are closer to the exit door and will escape faster if the route is clear
- increased legroom - from a few inches more seat pitch to a few feet of space
- no seat recline in front of you
- those in the front of cabin seats get off first on arrival
Some possible drawbacks of exit rows:
- hand baggage must be stowed for take-off and landing
- on larger planes the emergency slide box can protrude into the window seat impeding legroom comfort
- some emergency doors have small windows
- other passengers can congregate in the area, feeling that it is "public space"
Note, airlines and aviation authorities have strict occupancy rules for exit seats - they will not allow children, "physically challenged" or sight-impaired passengers and non-English or non-native speakers.
If you sit in an exit row, you should always study the safety card carefully as you may be required to assist the cabin crew in an emergency situation.
Getting an Exit Row Seat
In the old days you could often turn up early at the airport and ask to sit in the exit row - this request was often granted. While this can still be the case for some airlines, the situation has become a little more complicated. Nowadays, exit row seekers have to contend with a number of factors : elite status frequent flyers, online check-in (OLCI), transfer passengers and paid-for seat assignments.
Let's review the exit row possibilities for a number of major international airlines:
British
Airways |
|---|
| Pay £50/€60/$75 per exit row seat in World Traveller (economy) or World Traveller Plus (premium economy) - buy 14-40 days before flight via "Manage My Booking" |
| Pay £10/€12/$15 for any seat (including exit row) on short-haul Euro Traveller (economy) |
| Pay £60/€70/$90 for any seat (including exit row) on Club World (business class) |
| Buy either up to 25 hours before flight via "Manage My Booking" |
| Free seat assignment (including exit row ) for BA Gold/Premier at time of booking |
| Free seat assignment at OLCI, T-24 hours - small chance exit row may still be available |
| BA also offers advance seat selection (non-exit row) for £25/€30/$38 (WT) and £30/€35/$45 (WTP) up to 25 hours before flight |
| No children under 12 on exit row |
Virgin Atlantic |
|---|
| Exit rows can be booked for a fee: £40-£115 ($60-$180) depending on route |
| Example prices: London-Sydney £115/$180; London-New York £50/$80; London-Hong Kong/Tokyo/San Francisco/Cape Town £75/$120; London-Los Angeles £80/$130; Hong Kong-Sydney £40/$60 |
| Book via call centre or at airport |
| Standard seats can be pre-assigned at booking |
| OLCI T-24 (those with pre assigned seats should check-in by T-2 or T-13 ex-London Heathrow) |
| No children under 16 on exit row |
Air France |
|---|
| Seat Plus seats - exit rows on selected wide body aircraft (773/772/A330/A380) plus entire economy upper deck on 747 |
| Pay €50/€70 per seat for flights under/over 9 hours |
| Buy at booking, "Manage Your Reservation" or at OLCI/airport kiosk |
| Free for Flying Blue Platinum/Gold |
| No children under 12 on exit row |
KLM |
|---|
| Sells exit row seats up to 38" pitch (short-haul) and 55" (long-haul) |
| Pay €20-€70 depending on route length, bookable from 90 days prior to departure |
| Buy at booking, "Manage My Booking" or at OLCI/airport kiosk |
| Free for Flying Blue Platinum; 50%/25% discount for Gold/Silver |
| No children under 18 on exit row |
| Also sells seats in "Economy Comfort" zone with 4" more legroom |
| Pay €60-€150 on intercontinental flights, depending on route |
| Also sells seats in a row of 2 for €30 |
Lufthansa |
|---|
| Assigned seats for free at booking for intercontinental flights |
| Priority to top tier frequent flyers (HON/Senator/Star Gold) who also get adjacent seat blocked |
| Try at OLCI at T-24 |
Swiss |
|---|
| Call for free seat assignment or use OLCI at T-24 |
| Priority to top tier frequent flyers (HON/Senator/Star Gold) |
Iberia |
|---|
| Sells Tourist XL seats which include exit rows |
| Pay €60 per sector for exit row seat on intercontinental routes |
| Pay €15 per sector on flights to Canary Islands, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. |
| Pay €10 per sector on domestic flights |
| Buy either up to 24 hours before flight via "Booking Management" |
| Free for Iberia Plus Platinum/Gold & oneworld Emerald/Sapphire |
| No children under 15 on exit row |
Finnair |
|---|
| Pay €60 per sector for exit row seat on intercontinental routes |
| Seats confirmed at check-in |
| Free for Finnair Plus Platinum members |
| No children under 12 on exit row |
Qantas |
|---|
| Exit row can be purchased for international flights |
| Pay AU$160 for long-haul (Australia to Europe/Americas/Africa) |
| Pay AU$80 for medium-haul (Australia to Asia/Europe to Asia) |
| Pay AU$40 for short-haul (Australia to New Zealand/New Caledonia) |
| Buy up to 3 hours before flight via "Manage My Booking" or call centre |
| Not available at OLCI |
| No children under 15 on exit row |
| Qantas offers advance seat selection for other economy class seats on international flights for AU$20 (free for QF/oneworld elite) |
Virgin
Australia |
|---|
| Extra legroom seats (including exit rows) are available for sale |
| Pay AU$150(ex-Australia)/$110(ex-US)/AED150(ex-UAE) for international long-haul |
| Purchase only at check-in, subject to availability |
| Pay AU$20-AU$70 for international short-haul/domestic flights |
| Purchase during booking or via Guest Contact Centre before check-in |
| No children under 15 on exit row |
Singapore
Airlines |
|---|
| Sells Preferred Seats - exit/bulkhead rows in economy |
| Available on A380/A330/B747/B777 |
| Pay US$50 per sector (so London-Sydney is US$100) |
| Purchase via “Manage Booking” up to 48 hours before departure |
| No discounts for KrisFlyer elite |
| No children under 15 on exit row |
Malaysia Airlines |
|---|
| Sells Premium Seats (exit rows + selected first few rows) |
| Pay MYR150 for intercontinental flights |
| Pay MYR40 for Asia/Middle East flights |
| Pay MYR20 for domestic/ASEAN flights |
| Purchase at booking or via “Manage My Booking” up to 48 hours before departure |
| Free OLCI at T-48: Exit rows could be available if unsold |
| No discounts for elite status |
| No children under 15 on exit row |
Cathay
Pacific |
|---|
| Sells extra legroom seats (exit rows) |
| Pay US$100 for long-haul flights |
| Pay US$20 for short-haul flights |
| Free for Marco Polo/oneworld elite |
| Book by calling local call centre up to 24 hours before departure |
| No children under 12 on exit row |
Emirates |
|---|
| Standard seats can be pre-assigned |
| Exit rows only given at airport checkin, subject to availability |
Etihad |
|---|
| Standard seats can be pre-assigned |
| Exit rows only given at airport checkin, subject to availability |
American
Airlines |
|---|
| Preferred Plus Seating (exit rows) freely pre-assigned to AA/oneworld elite and full fare customers only |
| Sells Preferred Seats (nearer front, not necessarily with extra legroom) "from $4" per flight (free for elite/full fare) |
| Small possibility of exit row availability at OLCI/check-in |
United
Airlines |
|---|
| Exit rows freely pre-assigned only to elite 1K or Premier Executive |
| Sells Economy Plus seating (seats with increased legroom, not the exit rows) from $9-$119 per flight (free for elite) |
| Economy Plus annual membership $499 |
Delta
Airlines |
|---|
| Preferred Seats (including exit rows) freely pre-assigned only to Medallion elite and full fare customers only |
| At OLCI (T-24), any non-assigned Preferred Seat can be purchased for $9-$29 (domestic) |
| Economy Comfort seats (similar to KLM, with up to 4" more legroom, not exit rows) on sale for $80-$160 per segment on international flights, free for Diamond/Platinum/full fare, 50%/25% off for Gold/Silver |
For a London-Sydney trip, the cheapest exit row for purchase would be with Singapore Airlines ($100) and Malaysia Airlines (circa $100) compared to British Airways ($150), Virgin Atlantic ($180) and Cathay Pacific ($200).
Note: above information accuracy cannot be guaranteed and is subject to change.
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