Does this seem foolish to anyone?
Virgin America, the latest entry into the discount airline fray, has an option for seat upgrades called “Main Cabin Select.” For a fee, you can upgrade to either the bulkhead row or the emergency exit row. See, Virgin America noticed that there was more legroom in those seats, and instead of just giving it to people who are lucky enough to get those seats, they’re charging a premium. Now, as part of that premium, you do get complimentary food and adult beverages. And that’s where it gets a little scary. Let’s recap:
- In order to be seated in an exit row, you have to pay extra money to do so. Statistically, older folks with more disposable income and/or folks with circulatory problems tend to see the value (and therefore pay) for such legroom upgrades. So, there’s a good chance that the person sitting on your Virgin America flight in the exit row is old or has poor circulation.
- Those folks in that exit row also paid good money for their complimentary food and drink, so they’re probably going to want to get their money’s worth.
That means, if something does actually happen and you need to leave the plane in an emergency fashion, chances are good that the person you’re counting on to open the door will be old, overweight, full of food, and drunk. Sounds like someone should have thought this out a little better…
In all seriousness, though, how will Virgin America deal with the situation where someone pays extra for “Main Cabin Select” but is unable to fulfill the duties of the exit row? You know someone will buy that seat without checking sooner or later.
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