Dear bcrdukes,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. I’ve taken note your complaint regarding "stealing" premium seats and will pass that on to our management team.

In your situation, row 9 is actually not sold as a 'Premium Seat', as it does not recline and does not incur an additional charge. Although it is an emergency exit row, per FAA rules and regulations a seat cannot block any emergency exit doors (which would occur if it was reclined into row 10), thus row 9 does not recline into the emergency exit row 10.

Our rationale for advance selling of Premium seats is that some people’s body types are such that the need the extra room that these premium seats require for their comfort. By charging for it - but just at a nominal $15 or $25 charge - it’s more likely that these seats will be available for those who really want them.

Once those aircraft doors are sealed, guests can move around to sit in available seats (within the main cabin). If the seats in the emergency exit row are available, a guest can move to that seat with the approval of an in-flight team member. I have also forwarded your complaint to our in-flight management team to make sure this was the case and the team members followed protocol.

I do apologize if allowing this seems like a misleading tactic on our part, and hope that you understand our position on the subject. It is through guest feedback that we are able to continually improve the quality of our service. We hope that you will allow us the opportunity to welcome you on board soon.

Warm Regards,

Courtney
Virgin America Guest Care

Question Reference #080514-000007
Date Created: 05/14/2008 08:47 AM
Last Updated: 05/14/2008 09:34 AM
Status: Solved
Departure Airport: Los Angeles (LAX)
Arrival Airport: San Francisco (SFO)
Flight Number: 836
Flight Date: 05/10/2008