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.
Last edited by Capvermell; 20th Dec 2008 at 22:29.