nobbyclark

If you are in an exit row, get on early. Especially applies to the Embraers, where if you are in rows 1 or 2, you are fighting for space with oxygen equipment, spare High Lifes and crew bags. And for row 12 there is pressure for space as you can't put anything on the floor in front AND you need to get on before the Tumi-clutching masses who can't bear to be parted from their bags.

Land-of-Miles

Unless certain to get an E190 (Row 2 DE seats) I never select a front row seat. It is just too much aggro with equipment and crew bags and the front row seats are not that great.

Other rows give you the option of sticking a bag under the seat, which is especially useful if you have bought the seat next to you as well for additional space.

Sticking a proper bag under the seat will give you virtually no legroom so I can see why people are reluctant to do this.

baggageinhall

But therein lies the problem. Boarding in Edinburgh has always been strictly policed when I've travelled from there.

- Status passengers
- Rows 13-the back
- Rows 1-12

For a nobby-no-status like me that means I board at best, at the start of the third bracket above. By which time the plane is pretty full of those in the first two brackets.

I'm going to sit at the back from now on.

corporate-wage-slave

If I was going to be extremely cynical I would suggest you're asking for status benefit (plum seats, leg room, baggage space, coat space, boil free travel, early boarding maybe) without going through the hassle of actually getting status. But that would indeed be very cynical of me, maybe you are in training for it!

However there is a simple remedy for your coat: put it folded on your knees, since the crew should then find a space for it, or even hang it up for you.

LTN Phobia

Overhead lockers above the exit row should be marked for exit row passengers only. It is not as if the exit rows move, like CE not being on domestics. If theree is space left after the exit row passengers have put their stuff away, then cabin crew members can approve others to put theirs there.

squeeler

And the same for Row 1!

baggageinhall

And I thought I was a cynic! The problem lies in the fact that my tickets are booked by an entity that gets free advanced seat booking on all tickets regardless of fare class and status. I therefore get to pick an exit row seat but then can't board early to use the overhead locker. I suspect most others who manage to snag an exit row have a shiny card.

By decoupling two matters that go hand in hand, an unintended consequence has arisen. Perhaps an exit row seat should get you priority boarding. Perhaps I shouldn't be allowed to pick an exit row. (Any hope of getting me to not pick an exit row, however short a flight had until yesterday been impossible).

As for the coat, I did ask the crew and the response was that there was space at the back in an overhead locker for my coat, but not my bag, which was by now several rows ahead.

I don't want to board early, I'd simply like some recognition of the fact that if BA let me sit in an exit row for whatever reason, I don't have the choice of putting my bag in the seat in front of me. It's a situation particular to those in an exit row which leads nicely to:

I quite agree. The alternative, particularly on the gold-laden EDI-LCY route is to make them available to status holders only or those without hand baggage given that there probably won't be space for their bag if they can't board until the end.

paulwuk

No, still a lowly gold. There's far too many golds. If I can get gold, with a measly 100 flights a year, and none of them in Club, it's too low a target.

Falcs

I wouldn't consider one flight every 3-4 days measly

corporate-wage-slave

You are quite right, I'd consider it a holiday.

Final 3 Greens

This is what happens on Ryanair (although the lockers are not marked.)

The cabin crew keep the lockers shut until the pax in the 12 seats are in place, then they are opened to all comers.

BA could learn a lot from Ryanair on managing boarding and lockers.

FenLandK

techie

I don't consider 100 flights a year measly. Since flying 40-ish flights a year (equates to 2 virtually every week), not in Club, doesn't get you Gold, it's a too high a target. But I digressed...

layz

Are you nearly at 100 flights in 2014 already?

I've managed 10 so far!

corporate-wage-slave

Well you've had a busy month layz. Mine's been a bit busier, but it's not (yet) 100 flights. Somewhere in the middle, a good place to be.