How is possible that the front row is reserved for elite members and yet i see people with small kids with them. I thought the rule was no kids under three am i wrong or did i miss something

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emmett w. smith jr.

You are wrong.

how am i wrong tell me i lost

Emmett,

The front seats in coach (bulkhead) are not usually all elite seats. These seats (at least on one side) are often held until 2 hrs before a flight for persons requiring extra assistance, such as people with a physical impairment, in which case they are released sooner. Securing bulkhead seating is really a crapshoot, depending on when you book, how crowded the flight is, and even who you speak to on the phone. Elite seats are usually available from the second row back, and sometimes some of the bulkhead seats. Does this help clear this up for you?

Also, how young are the children you are speaking of? My daughter has been Elite since she was three years old, much to the chagrin of business travelers who pass by her sitting in F on their way back (lol)..

maybe but sometimes i see people in the font row and think to my self how did they get these seat they don;t have elite staus. in case in point. my mom and i where travel together and the had us in seat a part face each other. A gate agent came on board and told us that we can have a seat in bulk head row which was a three seater

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emmett w. smith jr.

How do you know they don't have Elite status?

Even if the kids don't have Elite status, their parents might. As a Silver, I couldn't get my family moved to FC, but we could all set in row 5 if I booked the tickets at the same time via the internet.

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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

I can tell you that as a CO Elite I've been able to nail down the bulkhead Y row on Northwest, even, for my wife, small boy and myself -- as AWARD seats.

some times i can tell if some one has elite
most of the time when they board elite members and they don't show up for preboarding child was two years old

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emmett w. smith jr.

Bulkheads are usually reserved for airport checkin however, exit row seats are not. I usually succeed in getting an exit row seat over the phone.

If your premium seat is needed for someone with a disability, you are required to give it up.

I frequently don't pre-board, because I don't want to sit on the plane for an extra 45 minutes, and I know many other elites who feel the same way.

Not only are bulkhead rows reserved for people with disabilities, you'll also see unaccompanied minors sitting in those rows, as well as families with infants.

Bulkhead rows usually have attachment points for a bassinet provided by the airline. I've also heard that the bulkhead row also has extra oxygen masks to accomodate the infants that might be in the 'seat'.

Just like me - elite since I was 3.

Telephone reservation agents are not supposed to assign exit row seats based on a telephone request. For safety reasons, exit row seating should only be assigned by 1) airport staff who could personally qualify the individual as "performing the duties" of removing an exit door in an emergency and 2) by travel agents who can personally attest that the person is physically able to "perform the duties" of removing the exit door. If a travel agent qualifies the passenger, the travel agent should call the airline and request seating. The airline reservation agent will and should then document the Passenger Number Record (PNR) stating that the travel agent has personally qualified the passenger. The airlines have a responsibility to make sure that all persons can be evacuated from the aircraft in an emergency. I am not trying to discriminate against anyone but to make matters be more clear, the airlines should not allow a "weak" person to seat near the emergency exits: EX: small children, disabled, elderly, or individuals who themselves believe that they can not open the door in an emergency. A lot of airline companies do not follow this as well as travel agents calling the airlines to request these seats. Therefore it is the ultimate responsibility of the gate agent and flight crew to make sure that all persons requesting exit row seats "appear" to be qualified of performing the duties of opening the exit door.

The best solution is not ask them if they are elite or not, of couse you might get a different answer

[This message has been edited by afang (edited 01-31-2001).]