Tests have shown that if you increase the pitch at the exit, to make the passage to the door wider, you increase the rate of flow until a certain point. From there onwards, the wider that passage is the slower people get out, because of crowding and jamming issues. The path between the seat rows helps to ensure an orderly evacuation.

If you just removed the row of seats at the exit, this suggests that you would probably hinder rather than help any evacuation.