Coffee Shop Revolution

During my trip Mumbai this year, I flew Emirates and was able to get exit row seats on all my flights. It was wonderful. You could do the same…here are some tips to help you:

1. Emirates only assigns exit row seats at the airport, so the day before your flight, do a web checkin and pick your next favorite seat as a backup in case you don’t get a exit row.
2. On the day of your trip, arrive to the airport as early as possible. I had an international flight, and I arrived 4.5 hours early. Exit rows are given first come first serve basis, so the earlier the better.
3. Do not use the auto-checkin kiosks, they cannot assign exit row seats here.
4. When checking in, request an upgrade to business class. Be nice. Tell them you find economy very uncomfortable for long flights and it would be nice if they could upgrade you if there are seats available. If this works, then great
5. Most likely they will say no, in that case, request nicely again for an exit row seat. If they say something like, “How about an aisle seat?” Insist that you are uncomfortable in economy and would really appreciate an exit row. I was usually granted one on the 2nd request.
   • Do not make up any medical excuse for being uncomfortable in economy. Exit rows are only granted to healthy, physically able adults.
6. They can only give you exit rows for the very next leg of your flight (originating from that airport). You will have to repeat this process at your layover airports.
7. At your layover airport, rush directly to your next flight’s gate as soon as you land and repeat above process. Do not pass go, Do not go to the bathroom, go directly to the gate. Remember, first come first serve!
8. That’s it…enjoy exit row comfort!

That’s it. It sounds long, but it’s not bad for securing 18+ hours of comfort (depending on your flight). I was flying Mumbai to Dubai to San Francisco.

If you are flying other airlines, this technique can still work (it worked with my cousin). You may also refer to Mahalo’s guide on How to get an exit row which is also helpful for more tips.