KLM charging extra for exit-aisle seats

[Mr Quite Happy]

So checking in on the webinet the other day and selecting my usual exit row window seat I noticed a different icon on the screen and sure enough, I was asked to pay EUR 25 extra for the exit row seat as it was a premium seat.

Obviously I then booked my next 2 months of travel with their route competitor and dropped them and email to let them know why I was walking.

Still, the capitalist in me salutes them for finding yet another way of taking pennies off punters in these difficult times.

[Final 3 Greens]

Pretty naff for a full service airline to behave this way.

I would have expected these seats to go (free) to high status FF card holders.

[Mr Quite Happy]

I buy my flights ahead for the next couple of months in a job lot and have noticed that the 12 exit row seats are normally empty at T/O or only 1 or 2 punters in them. I suspect that it is still OK to switch seats once in the air (KLM doesn't like it prior to T/O due to trim apparently).

I'm not that bothered but..

[philbky]

This was inevitable as parent Air France introduced the charge early in November

[joniveson]

This is nothing new on KLM, on long haul at least. I flew Narita to Manchester with them last Christmas and you had to pay then for extra leg room - I was quite willing to but they had gone within 5 minutes of online check in starting!

[VAFFPAX]

It's old news. Really. And at least it's only 25 EUR... in the UK, certain airlines charge you 75 GBP for the privilege.

S.

[RPLondon]

My husband is 6'5 and on way back from New York with Virgin we asked for either door seats or the ones behind the loo with extra space. We were asked for £75 per person. Annoying. Even more annoying when the pretty blond girl at the gate (5'8 maximum) got one free by dint of stamping her pretty little foot. Apparently, if no-one buys those seats, they'll allocate randomly or give to anyone who asks. Annoying if, like me, you check in early to have a better choice.

[PAXboy]

That's a story from the modern age, RPLondon, and very sad. You appear to have done everything right but the person who did it all wrong, got the seat. Would that person have been as good at opening the emergency door?

I know it won't make any difference but you might want to write to the MD and tell him the same story in the same plain language. They have to realise that they not only did not get their £75 but they seriously annoyed a customer - and that the warning has gone to others. In the recession, a satisfied customer is worth more than £75.

Welcome to PPRuNe!

[philbky]

When I regularly travelled by VS across the Atlantic, I used to turn up early and always asked for an exit row seat and was never refused, particularly as I was obviously capable of assisting in an emergency.

To charge for the seats for some and not for others is a nonsense. Presumably anyone not capable of assisting would be refused but in the rush to find any and every revenue stream possible, the airlines are creating a PR nightmare for themselves - especially if they fly with those seats either empty or occupied by late arrivals.

Perhaps what they should do is allocate them to regular economy customers as a sort of loyalty bonus. Seats then not taken could be offered at a premium or, on a full flight where no one elected to pay, to the first to check in.

[smith]

Is it not mandatory to have an able bodied person, who has been briefed by crew on how to operate the doors, sit beside an emergency exit in case of emergency.

I was on a BA flight once and there was no one in the Emegency Exit rows, and the cabin crew asked me if I was willing to sit on this row and operate the door if need be.

[TightSlot]

There are two different types of exit: Those where a crew member is present on a jumpseat (e.g. 747, 737 Main doors) and those classed as "Self-Help" (e.g. 737 Overwing Exits) where there is no crew member present. In the UK, "Self-Help" exits must be occupied by at least one passenger, briefed on exit operation by the crew.

[MarcJF]

Would it not be safer to have a crew member overwing, just in case? I've travelled on a number of European flights where the crew have struggled to find anyone who speaks English and thus in the event of an emergency you have no native language speaker to follow instruction. Meanwhile at least the two crew at fron exit get to chat about their rota - harsh but fair

[Final 3 Greens]

Perhaps what they should do is allocate them to regular economy customers as a sort of loyalty bonus

Thus my comment....

I would have expected these seats to go (free) to high status FF card holders.

[SXB]

I've taken 13 sectors on AF and KLM in the last three weeks, 6 in business class, 5 in economy and 2 in AF's short haul premium economy. For the economy sectors I found myself in a aisle seat in the emergency exit row on each occasion without me even asking, or paying.

I'm a gold member on AF/KLMs frequent flyer scheme so, as F3G rightly suggests, this airline is taking care of it's frequent flyers.

[Capvermell]

I am 6ft 3in (1.90m) tall and frequently manage to get an emergency aisle or main entrance door row seat on charter aircraft from LGW to PMI (a route I travel quite regularly) without paying extra either by checking in near to flight closure or (if this doesn't work) by boarding the plane last and then occupying one of these seats if they are free.

If checking in late and the seats have not been sold check in staff will frequently allocate them free of charge to a tall passenger or if they won't do this then taking them on the aircraft if empty usually works. However sometimes I am challenged by a flight attendant if taking the empty seats who asks me to take my allocated seat for takeoff but when I mutter politely about my height and cramped nature of charter seats has a word with head flight attendant who allows me to take one of these seats.

Charter airlines have been charging extra for seats in front entrance door rows on the 757 for ages but more often than not fail to sell them due to the high extra amounts demanded.

Noting the extension of this policy to the scheduled sector as a tall passenger in my opinion the seats should not be sold for money but allocated at check in and/or by on board cabin crew to especially tall passengers. However obviously this is most necessary in charter aircraft and on short hall scheduled as tall passengers simply often cannot fit in to other rows without great discomfort. However I recently travelled SFO to LHR on a BA 747-400 and even in row 45 or something in Economy the leg room was quite adequate for someone of 6ft 3in if not spectacular.

Airlines should not be allowed to charge extra for these seats as then they go to those with most money and not those in the greatest need of them.