The door weighs about 40-50 lbs and after you remove the door you have to turn around and lift it over the seats in front of you. I've seen many people in the exit rows that I'd doubt are physically capable of doing it. All this while in a cramped space crouched over under the overhead bins. When the door handle is released, it simply falls in on you so you have to stand in a certain way and hold the door handles a certain way so you don't get crushed by it. Having never done it before, you'd think it's a lot easier than it is (yes I will admit that I had my lower hand placed wrong until corrected) Once you've done it in person I'd consider it to be an easy task though one I hope never have to perform. Keep in mind, on this tour we only placed the door on the seat next to us and did not have to lift it over the seat and out of the way.
This is a typical overwing plug door after it has been removed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/olton_hall/1464978897/

One of the other people on the tour who opened the exit was a small women so size isn't an issue. IIRC she did comment that it weighed a lot more than she had expected. You just need to perform the required tasks quickly in an emergency.

That's perfectly fine by me. I'm more than willing to accept whatever responsibility is necessary to sit there, if it means I can actually stretch out some.

One thing I've noticed on WN is that the exit row seats are often some of the last to be filled. It's rare that they are all filled by the time the B group starts boarding. Apparently many passengers just aren't aware of the increased room most exit rows have.

Of course, then there's the CRJ-200, where the exit row window seat is actually worse than just about any other window seat on the plane. And the seat pitch is no more than 0.75"-1" better than the other rows on the plane.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I think the only people who should be able to reserve an exit row seat are Elite Access (P/G/S, ST, ST+, Yfare) - no one else should be able to sit there unless assigned by the gate agent prior to departure, and the middle seats in those rows should be blocked in the same way they will be in the Elite seating area. P/G/ST+ can reserve at anytime (ST+ by phone) and S/ST/Y fare can reserve at OLCI time.

This would mean removing exit row seating selection from OLCI/E-Service for non-EA customers.

I think the exit row should stay open to everyone during OLCI. At least give the taller non-elites a fighting chance to get a seat they can fit in. I know the exit row adds significant comfort for most passengers, but there's a HUGE difference between a passenger that's 5'9" who can sit in any seat on the plane and stretch his or her legs out and a passenger who is 6'3" or who may not be able to sit in any seat but the exit row or bulkheads without being extremely uncomfortable. I'm about 6'5" and have been on planes (including some operated by a certain CO regional partner out of IAH Terminal A) where I could literally not sit all the way down in the seat because of the tight pitch, unless I was in the exit row.

I know back in the days when I was a non-elite, if I was told by CO I couldn't have the exit row no matter what, I probably would have flown a different airline.

This happened to me yesterday, but for the first time. I was on an ERJ, I was in 12B and this guy was the last pax to board and even walked by his seat, 12C, then came back, he looked like a novice flyer. When the FA asked if we would assist he had no clue what she was asking him, I finally said I will make sure it gets opened in an emergency. After he finally uttered yes and she left he started reading the decals on the door then finally picked up the exit row instruction card. He looked, well stared, at it for about 5 minutes while we started to push back, he kept looking back at the door while reading the card. He had a ghostly look on his face and finally I asked...."Is this your first flight", he shook his head yes....During landing we had to abort the landing with wheels down because of something with air space or a runway obstruction.

LOL...That is exactly why we need people who are capable of opening an exit in the exit row...I am so thankful that I sit next to a door!
Olton Hall is absolutely correct, the window exits weigh between 40-60 lbs. The doors will vary depending on whether the slide actually inflates and whether or not the plane is level. The 757s, 767s, and 777s all have a power assist to help open the door during emergency mode only. At the training center the doors are calibrated with enough tension to simulate opening the door with the slide engaged and the airplane banked.
Hopefully 12C will think twice next time before asking for an exit row seat!

Speaking of exit rows, my fiance and I were on a DL flight a couple years ago from MCO-JFK. A little old lady was in line ahead of us requesting a seat. The GA asked her if she would be willing to sit in an exit row and if she would be able to perform the necessary duties... then she said that so long as there was not an emergency she would be okay in the seat... the GA laughed and handed her a boarding pass for the exit row seat and she wandered off to board early with her cane. How sad is that!

Re: Mr. Chicken or Beef.....I once saw an FA with that nametag, can't remember if it was CO or not....Mr. Chicknorbeef. Do we meet again?

And in regards to exit row hatches, let's face it. They have those things for federal safety rules and to make people feel better. You won't feel anything anyway.

Saw something similar recently. Grossly overweight (as in Morbidly obese) individual seated in the Exit row. My guess is that he wouldn't have been able to fit through the overwing exit....was thinking of writing a note to the FAA about that one

I, too, did the FA training tour at the DO, and opened the 735 plug. I'm telling you what: if there's a real emergency, after I check for smoke & fire, I'm opening that thing and CHUCKING IT OUT. Think about it: if there's a real emergency, you aren't going to have cooperative people around you. Lifting it over the row in front of you? Come on! If you went on this DO tour and did the simulated fire on the fire trainer 732, you know that the cabin filled with the densest smoke you've EVER seen in less than 10 seconds, and your visibility was less than a foot (forget looking for aislepath lighting while sitting - you won't be able to see it) you're going to get the h*ll off that aircraft as fast as possible. That plug is a goner - I'd try to remember to throw it forward off the wing, but its not getting tucked into 14A or F, no way.

I actually went back and looked at my 737-3/500 saftey card to verify this. I didn't remember this requirement, but sure enough it's there.

What's interesting is that my Northwest A319 card shows the person tossing the plug door out of the plane. This is what I remembered, and was puzzled that the CO card has you throw it over the seats. Very confusing if you fly both airlines often.

How about exit rows be assigned according to height. Tallest first. I might be biased though.

I've seen all of them: the morbidly obese flyer, the altekhakers (very old people) and the newbies all sitting in the exit rows. What the heck is the point of asking the question? A GA can and should make a judgement for safety. Perhaps they really don't want to offend anyone but c'mon.

I have to give props to ExpressJet in this regard - on both my flights last month, the FA very purposefully let us know we were in an exit and would be required to assist in case of emergency. I got the impression that they took it seriously, and would probably be more inclined to move someone that didn't appear up to the task.

Doesn't CO indicate that one cannot be in the exit rows with seat belt extensions? Other airlines do.

Or maybe the "morbidly obese" were not using extensions? Maybe just obese or disgustingly obese, instead of morbidly obese.