Any seasoned (or at least tall) traveler has been through this exchange numerous times at check-in:
“Do you have any exit row seats available?”
“Unfortunately not.”
From there, you start cultivating visions of yourself bundled up in a little ball between two overweight passengers on that 12-hour flight from US to Asia…Don’t you just love traveling?
Well, if you fly Virgin (incidentally my favorite airline, not just because of the 300+ hours of free personal in-flight entertainment but that certainly helps), they charge you $75 for exit row seats.
You can question the ethics behind charging for a space that requires people to help in emergency situations but at least you have a better chance of getting more legroom before the plane crashes. Their exit rows are huge, too, it is well worth the money. Look at it as if you are getting a free upgrade for some $6 per every hour of the flight. A bargain!