Are extra legroom seats worth paying extra for?
 

I am travelling from Sydney to Wellington next year and have seen a lot of comments on Seat Guru about how cramped the seats are on that route. The extra legroom seats are available for A$25 but might be cold and not have so much recline - is this worth it for a 3.5 hour flight?

I'm not so precious that I can't sit in economy but just wondering if it might be a good idea to pay a little more for extra legroom.

Nobody can really decide whether you value A$25 for basically three hours of extra legroom vs paying for something else, but assuming the seats in question are the exit row seats in the middle (Rows 13 and 14), they DO make a difference, and the recline is only locked for takeoff and landing (the crew typically unlock it once the seatbelt sign is switched off). You wont be allowed underseat storage, but personally I find the seat pitch on the QF 737 in economy uncomfortable for more than an hour or so.

I suppose it depends on how tall you are and how comfortable you would be with a seat with regular legroom. Personally I would have no hesitation in paying $25 for an exit row seat - $8 an hour to be comfortable is worth it to me

If you have long legs its certainly worth it. Seat recline is over rated and people can get along quite well without it. But, you need to be on the plane early so you can put all carry on bags in the overhead compartment. Best of all, you might be first off the aircraft one day.

$25? I'd do it.

I'd say SOME people can get along without it. Flying across Europe on the LCCs that don't have recline is a pain for me. UK to Greece/Cyprus/Turkey is between 3 to 4 hours and I find it quite painful after hour 2. I did an LCC out and BA back once and the ability to recline even just a bit took pressure of by back and made it far more comfortable. I do tend to get up when I can, but the LCC's paid for meal service seems to take longer because of the card transaction times, so I'm trapped in the seat for longer.

IMHO, yes. I have sat in the 737 and the greater legroom comfort and sense of 'space' is noticeable.