Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
That is I'm afraid a risk on A319s given there is only the one exit row and they are frankly popular with the heffalumps like me. And broadly speaking people do try to get towards the front of the aircraft, in order to get off quickly, even though it only adds 15 seconds or less per row - so 20 rows back costs you 5 minutes. Which in the context of London flight punctuality is neither here nor there.
And yes moving about 3 or 4 rows from the end may give you an empty seat (and less chance of a status/business traveller). You typically will have more locker room down there too. It's just not as popular a place to sit, but the seats are broadly the same apart from the very last row - which are usually held back anyway - where the seats don't recline and may miss a window. However during the middle of the year you should really assume your flight will be full.
Well, I tested out my theory that it might be emptier or politer at the back, but was disappointed. I had another armrest hogger with a laptop in the aisle seat. He kept moving his arm further and further until it was firmly wedged up against mine, within my seat space. Then he manspread as far as he could until his leg was also firmly up against mine, well within my seat space. I ended up putting my hand down and shoving his leg away, saying "excuse me" very loudly. He waited a while then tried again, but stopped when he realised I was travelling with the man in the window seat.
The person in front was a seat-recliner, the one behind managed to get their leg under my seat and kept kicking the back of my leg, and the woman in the window seat in the row in front, after closing her own window shades, leaned right back (she must have had rubber arms) and shoved my husband's window shade down while we were both looking out at the view. I shoved it back up again.
While waiting in line for the loo, a crew member was wheeling his trolley down towards the back of the plane so asked us to squish into the side. A man was deliberately tailgating him and managed to shove past all of us, right to the front of the queue. No-one said a thing apart from me.
I'll write it off as a failed rear-of-the-plane experiment and just accept that the days of allowing the middle-seater to get some elbow room are over.