Now please bear with me - I'm not after a good seat just for the sake of it.

In June me and my to-be-better-half fly (economy) SQ Manchester-Melbourne, then United to SF and the Caribbean, then British Midland back to the UK. It's a RTW for our wedding in Oz and then honeymoon.

I'm 6'6" and have developed a really bad back strain (a short hop from Frankfurt to the UK last week was very uncomfortable) and I'm getting really quite concerned about sitting in a chair at the wedding with back spasms. Then there's the honeymoon of course, since I'm not going to the Caribbean to miss out on the scuba!

So an upgrade would be great, and extra legroom is a must. Of course we can turn up hours before departure and hope for the best, but how do we improve our chances to near certainty? I guees if I mention my back they won't let me near the bulkhead as I could not lug the door around in case of emergency.

So some advice would be much appreciated.

I'm really not trying to be smart here . . . but the only way to guarantee to get the service you require on a flight (whether for medical or any other reasons) is to pay for it.

Ditto. When frequent flyers willing to use mile for an upgrade or a flyer award have difficulty, I never ceases to baffle me that others seem to feel there is a way to get an upgrade at no cost other than a smile.

Yes, I appreciate that and if I had enough miles (or the extra cash) for Business Class I wouldn't hesitate to spend it. But I haven't! So I given the many tricks of the trade that people exchange on this forum I was wondering if there are any that could help me.

I don't know how severe your back problems are, I was "grounded" for almost four months because of back problems. Even F was a torture.
There are just two ways open for you to solve the problem:
Call the airlines to book you on a flight that has very few passengers and tell them of your problem. If you are lucky, there might be a whole row empty in the back and you could then lay down, but OZ flights are usually quite full. No solution for the short haul.
The other is to get to your doctor and have him make an injection the day you fly and ask for a prescription in order to get another one for the next flight. This has worked for me on occasions. Remember to get enough rest once at destination and do not make the mistake of overdoing it because the pain is not there any more.
Good luck

I have had a bad back for many years but have found that a 'Back Friend' see (http://www.thebackcarewarehouse.co.u...ackfriend.html )
provides great support even in poor economy class seats. My 'back friend' has travelled the world with me and I never go anywhere without it.

It will even help with uncomfortable church pews at the wedding!

IMHO it is very difficult to get an upgrade for medical reasons. Your only chances are either to pay the C fare or to ask friends/relatives who have lots of miles to donate/sell them to you. I have a friend who tried to get an upgrade based on medical reasons, the answer of the airline was that she should not take the flight if she felt that she was not fit for the flight.

My parents did get the exit row on an transatlantic flight based on my elite status. If you know somebody who who has elite status, have them call the airline. In my experience in >95% of cases only pax with elite status get bumped. I always see a lot of people at the gate trying to get bumped, a lot of them have different stories why they should get an upgrade, but it almost never works for non-status pax (in my experience). Personally, I never ask for an upgrade, if I get a bump it's always automatic. I was told at check in several times that I am on the airline's upgrade list based on my status.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice. I shiver at the idea of needles near my spine, but will talk to my doctor. And I will certainly get a Backfriend!

I figured asking for a bulkhead based on a bad back would be fruitless as they need you to be fit to operate a heavy door in case of emergencies. Is that right or might they give me the bulkhead on 'pain' grounds?

btw, all these C and F seating references... can someone please point me to a schedule of what each one means?

My back went out about a week before my wedding last September. It was horrible! We didn't have the money to pay for the type of seat which provides upgrades even if they were available. Soooo, I just sat on an aisle seat on top of a blue rubber lifesaver and made the best of my flights to GVA from JFK.

C = Business Class
F= First Class

I have been going through the same thing as the OP, so I do literally "feel your pain" - I had an epidural injection to alleviate the situation somewhat. Even US domestic style F seats have been quite uncomfortable.

Find out from your treating physician what sort of pillow/back support will be best for the particular condition you have. Also, you may want to consider some acupuncture for some temporary relief.

Query - once in the water, your scuba gear will be fine but aren't you going to have any issues with the gear prior to getting in the water? And getting out?

Thanks, I'll get advice on supports. I had needles in me yesterday (trigger point therapy, not acu - it does not go on the meridians) so I'm hoping that works.

Re scuba, I figure I'll put on the BCD and tank in the water and have the weights handed to me!

Bulkhead need not mean emergency exit row. This depends on aircraft, cabin, and the airline's cabin configuration choices (e.g., as regards relative cabin sizes and therefore where the divider bulkhead is vis-�-vis the fixed emergency exits). Bulkhead rows often have bassinet fittings, which would not be allowed if they were emergency exit rows.

Check the specifics for the aircraft that fly your intended itinerary. You may find that bulkhead seats do not require exit row qualification. They may be hard to get for other reasons, but your medical situation may help.

(If the bulkhead row on a particular aircraft is also an emergency exit row, you would be correct, but that is not the usual situation.)