I flew Transpac in Coach recently (first time in 2 years the upgrade didn't clear... <SOB!> )... on NZ.. but that isn't really relevant... it would I think have been the same on other airlines...

Nabbed an exit aisle.. and regretted it... The seat/room etc were great... and the traffic to/from the restrooms wasn't a concern to me either.. but the people using the open area at the exit to... gather... including treading on my feet.. was just awful...

Maybe the galley exit row is better? Dunno...

I don't want to upset drat19, but for completeness I must report that the middle and windo seats were BOTH occupied by.... small, nice smelling women... ^

 

I'm glad to know there's at least one big guy who won't start grumbling when he sees me in an exit row. Although, come to think of it, the scowlers are always the ones walking past me to their non-exit-row seats.

 

Glad you had a good flight! Who knows who your neighbors would have been had the upgrade cleared.

I think a big concern is not only space but also cold and safety. Exit rows are safer. The safest place would be at the rear of the plane in an exit row. Oftentimes, though, it can get lousy cold on an exit row. So I am not sure if that would be my first choice (at least not a window seat) on a long flight.

Till

 

Re: OP. There's no hard-and-fast answer, and I've learned not to take well-meaning offers of exit-row seats from check-in or gate people unless I know the real situation. Mebbe someday I'll do a flow chart of the decision process.

You do need sites like seatguru to be warned of hazards like protruding doors (a real irritant), lavs nearby, or immovable armrests. On a non-full flight I'd rather get an empty middle seat with a movable armrest, but sometimes the seatmaps can be deceptive, especially on LCCs. If the flight's full you might as well get the immovable.

Another factor: No kids in the exit row. A positive fer shur.

One of the better exit-row experiences I've had recently was getting the whole row to myself - even though the plane was over 90% full - on a VLC-JFK DL flight because only 4 or 5 of the passengers on the whole plane understood English well enough for the crew to be comfortable they could communicate.

 

That's easily avoided by putting your carry-on bag in front of your legs. If you have a rollerboard, you can even use it as a foot rest.

If I am not upgraded, I ALWAYS, ALWAYS get an exit row seat (if possible) for the legroom. To me, the lack of legroom (and I'm 5' 11": not super-tall) of a regular coach seat is the single most uncomfortable part of flying.

 

On single aisle planes with 2 exit rows, (1 behind the other) seats in the first exit row will not recline.

 

In my mind, the biggest disadvantages of exit row seats are no tray table (minor) and often no underseat storage in front (major.)

 

humm...Not sure FAs will allow it and will likely ask you to put it under seat in front of you or in overhead locker since in theory, exit doors must be kept free at all time.

 

Exit rows also have very hard, worn out seat cushions.

I guess they wear quickly because they're always occupied, and being a special narrow cushion, can't be swapped with a regular cushion.

 

True, but I've yet to see it enforced.

 

Indeed. I've actually had AA FAs tell another passenger "it just has to be overhead for takeoff and landing, you can bring it down as soon as the seatbelt light goes off."

To the more general point, a lot depends on the specific exit row.

Ones I particularly like to miss, for example, are the front of the two rows on planes that have paired overwing exits - the front of the two exit rows won't recline.

One thing I really LIKE about exits is the in-armrest tray table. It gives some forced separation from the next passenger, and eliminates the worry that I'm going to spread into their seat (or vice versa, if they're also a hefty sort as I am.)

 

There are many factors to consider..the aircraft, the length of flight, the time of flight etc.

Usually, exit row seats will not recline, something to consider on a flight longer than 4 hours.

I once flew AUK--LAX in coach on a Qantas 747, in the exit row seat. I was actually grateful for it, I would rather have the legroom than a recline on a 13 hour transpac. I didn't notice it was cold, and the exit row I was in was by the galley, not the Lavatory.

For short haul domestic, I will always try for an exit row..

And consider, in an emergency evacuation, that is EXACTLY where you want to be!

In the US and many other countries, children are prohibited from sitting in the exit row..this is incentive enough for me!

Drawbacks are that they tend to be smaller seats, with the trays in the armrest, removing an inch or so. They don't recline. The window might not match up for a good view. On open seating carriers like Southworst, there is less chance that middle seat will remain empty.

 

When I fly economy, I always try for an exit row. Being that I am over 6 feet, any bit of extra legroom helps, since I cannot for the life of me sleep past 3-4 hrs on an airplane (without sleep meds, which most of the time I do try to avoid taking).

 

I'd say this is more "occasionally" than "usually" one the airlines and aircraft I end up flying... but it depends entirely on the aircraft and the airline and which seat. If you like exit rows and can book them in advance, seatguru pretty much lets you avoid the no-recline ones. Sometimes the airlines will mark "limited/no recline" on their own seat maps as well.

One other downside I missed, albeit an out of date in the one case I hit, but it might be true for some other long-haul airlines - on some aircraft, and I am specifically thinking of some versions of the old CX Y config - in addition to the thicker seat-to-seat barrier (sometimes a plus from my own perspective) there was also an entertainment console that poked out at an angle very uncomfortably.

 

You just reinforced my point that I made earlier in this thread...as a big guy myself, I HATE the exit rows because invariably I get stuck to one or two guys my size or bigger...like you. Not worth the extra legroom.