yasmas

Stillontheroad - Excellent observation think I have witnessed that!

Preboarding for first class & diamonds seems like a lot of diamonds these days on delta gate agents need to kick them out of line if not diamond shaming them in front of everyone that will keep them from doing that again very rarely do you see gate agents enforcing this once in a while you get a good one who publicly shames someone, love that when it happens just a little boarding gate humor.

Ayskuadl

Slightly off topic, but related: On a recent flight an elderly passenger in an exit row answered "I'm not sure I could" to the "Willing and able" question. She was moved to a different seat. I was impressed by her honesty.

TheMadBrewer

There seem to be a lot of those in NY -- my JFK-LAX flights often have 10 wheelchairs when boarding but only two or three when arriving at LAX...

jdrtravel

This. And I know that all of the MBA's and libertarians will start in about market forces blah blah blah, but I don't care. IMO the government should set a baseline pitch of 34" and width of 18" on any seat and let the market work with those regulations. Nobody can do it profitably unless everyone has to do it.

C W

This would force 737s and 757s to go 2-3 instead of 3-3. While I despise the 737 with a passion and would love to see them vanish from the face of the earth, that would be quite a difficult transition. Between that and the increased pitch, these planes would be facing a 30%+ increase in CASM which could only be directly passed to consumers. Some regional planes could face even higher cost increases.

Even on planes that could retain their row configurations, like any Airbus, increasing pitch from 31" to 34" would be a 10% increase in CASM and ticket prices. You're right that if all airlines had to conform to this that it would be an even playing field, but I think the economic impact would be highly disproportional. Many FlyerTalkers spend other people's money on their tickets and/or are relatively high income. Such a mandate would most impact those for whom air travel is already expensive.

Ultimately consumers already have the choice to easily get 34" or better pitch on any mainline carrier in the US for a small premium over a coach ticket. The number of these extra-legroom (C+, MCE, E+) seats that are installed and the number of those seats that go to elites for free should illustrate how little demand actually exists for this extra room. For most flyers it simply isn't worth it or they can't afford it, having the government force them to buy and pay for extra-legroom economy does not help these people.

pvn

Exit rows aren't designed for comfort. They're designed to facilitate evacuation. The fact that there's some extra legroom is just a side effect.

If you want more leg room there are other ways to obtain it.

pvn

You do realize that you can already buy a seat with that much or more space, right?

yaychemistry

I would pay for this, simply for the lark of seeing the exit doors in action. I sit in the exit row all of the time and always wonder what it would be like to pull the lever (and will the door actually sit across the armrests like in the picture or just slide down and block the aisle?).

I would wager quite a few people would want to take a class like this out of curiosity and/or a real desire for a small bit of extra safety training you could get.

But as a requirement for exit row seating? No way.

C W

I would also take the class for the experience alone.

Not so into the idea of certification, for liability and more reasons.

ATOBTTR

Your dismissment of reality with "blah blah blah" doesn't actually dismiss reality. And what you call "profitably" means higher airfares, which for many will mean not being able to fly at all becuase of this would mean to a significant increase in fares to make up for the lost seats, making flying not affordable for many. OTOH, you already have the option to get what you desire. Buy Comfort Plus or First Class. Even on a domestic 767 in FC, you would get your desired 18" width and more than 34" of seat pitch.

Chang11

So I get a wet seat if I happen to sit next to PA or allergic reaction because some unknown substance was spread on my seat. If any seats on a plane need special cleaning/treatment the airline should be the only one doing so!

pvn

"unapproved people cleaning seats" should be in the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...ain-about.html thread

rbwpi

It is my understanding that the number one destination for miracle flights is LAS.

flyerCO

You may only see 2 chairs, but more can have gotten off, and more often, more will be waiting for chairs to come that haven't arrived.

SJC ORD LDR

How do you get an 18" width seat in a 737? It is built for a 17" seat.