SWA & exit row?

First win of tomorrow's trip. Scored A30 & 31 on SWA and I'm wondering about exit row seating.

Is there a place in exit row seating to stow my laptop and my wife's purse, under the seat in front of us, or is there no storage because it's an exit row?

Hundreds of flights and I've actually never sat in the exit row.

30 & 31, I think we have a chance, but a deal breaker for my wife if there is no under seat in front of us storage.

Thanks!

 

The only seats without underseat storage are the bulkhead rows. At least that was the case last time I got an exit row seat...
You could always check seatguru as well.

 

I was on a SW plane last week, and I am 95% sure the exit row did have storage available under the seats in front of it.

Although it was not your question, avoid the row in front of the exit row, as those seats cannot be reclined at all.

 

exit row seats are identical to any other seats except you have extra leg room. however, you don't want to get the first exit row with the other exit row behind it. those seats don't recline because of the exit row behind. you want to get the last exit row so you get the benefit of the extra leg room and your seat still reclines.

 

ok, this may be a dumb question, but do you only find out your seat assignment when you check in 24 hours before your flight? i've never flown with swa, so i am learning how it all works. i thought you were never assigned a seat, and you just took whatever one you wanted once you boarded?

other airlines have no under the seat storage in the exit row, but i have no clue if swa has storage or not. could your wife just put her purse in the overhead until after take off then take it down to rest on her lap??

 

Hey, Joe, at your age would you be able to perform the necessary tasks if required???? :evillaugh

 

No chance of getting that area with a 30.

everyone in front of you will go for them. i hope you get them though.

 

Joe, I second Zlanga's suggestion to check Seatguru.com.

Southwest's fleet is composed of Boeing 737s (yay!), but they fly three different models: 737-300, 737-500, and 737-700 (Next Generation).

The seat configuration on the exit rows differs between the models. The -300 and -700s have a two seat exit row on the Left side of the plane as you enter, specifically Row 11, seats D and E. So there is no underseat storage for the person who sits in Seat 12F.

The 737-500s have the two seat exit row on the Right side of the plane as you enter, at Row 10, seats B and C. So the person Seat 11A has no underseat storage.

Have a great trip!

 

Ha ha, I speak English.

 

You log on 24 hrs ahead of time to try and get a good boarding position. No assigned seating.
You get in line determined by your boarding position and once on the plane, pick any open seats.

They have A, B and C boarding positions. Each group IIRC has 50 positions.

Once I forgot to log in ahead of time coming back from LV and we ended up in C boarding and got the last 2 seats together on the plane, right next to the sh*tter. Man it smelled. Plus all these people standing there waiting to use the bathroom, with their asses in our face.

 

Yep... for best seats, it's vital to check-in for your boarding-pass exactly 24hrs in advance... and I mean have the website on the screen, info typed in CORRECTLY (exactly as it appears on your itinerary) and as soon as the clock strikes tha magic moment hit ENTER.

You'll most like get something A-30 thru A-60. A1-A15 is reserved for Business Select passengers and the 16-29 usually go to A list passengers (frequent flyers)... then you have those that pay an extra $10 (each way) to board a little early that figure into the mix after the A listers.

I think the average SWA plane seats 137 people. I like to board early (and buy Business Select to do so) in order to have my carry-on above the row in front of my and I usually sit in the window seat on row 4. Why 4? I'm a big guy and the window at 4 and several other locations further back, is positioned so that if the plane is full, I have a bit extra room to lean into as opposed to the "ribs" of the plane hitting me square in the shoulder area. A skinny person wouldn't even notice this.

Upon landing I'm up and moving forward pretty quickly... well... after the wheel-chair and old-folks get going... and am able to grab my carry-on with ease and out the door. The further back you are in the plane, you never are guaranteed compartment storage and sometimes it ends up behind you so you have to swim upstream (like a salmon) to get your stuff OR just wait for all those to pass. Frankly, bin space on a SWA plane isn't at a premium like it is on other carriers, cause SWA doesn't charge for luggage. On other alrlines people try to bring EVERTHING on-board to avoid the fee. Ughhhh

I detest a middle-seat and the feeling that goes with squeezin' my big butt into the area that people did their best to make look like was taken, though my flights Vegas are 50 minutes and if I need to go stand-by and be one of the last to board I deal with it.

Of course, many people will tell you the plane doesn't leave any earlier for those who board first and it all gets there the same time.

 

oh ok, so it's not really a seat your assigned but a position in line? i think i got it, thanks!

wow, great explanation, thank you! i might have to buy that early bird check in for my flight (each way). 24 hrs before i leave, i will still be on a bus on my way home from work. and 24 hrs before i fly back home, i will be eating lunch at mt. charleston lodge....looks like i gotta pay for early bird check in! i'm flying alone and with no carry on but my purse. maybe it's not such a big deal where i sit???

thanks for the help!

 

The early bird (EB) boarding position is based on when you purchased the EB. The earlier you bought it, the better your position.

I usually buy one for me and the mrs when we fly to MKE from LAS. We usually get A17-A21 (most times). The furthest back was A28/A29 and this was on a ticket we purchased about 2 months before the flight.

 

Ifonly this was true. It is more determined by how much you pay for your flight than when you actually buy it. I bought tickets 5 months in advance with EB and ended up in the A50s because I bought on a good sale. There has been extensive discussion on how the EB order is determined on the FlyerTalk website, and while there are some inconsistencies, its mostly based on fare cost. Even better is when you buy EB and there is a glitch and you end up with C boarding pass. Unfortunately, this could happen in reality if enough folks on the plane bought EB. One thing Southwest needs to do is limit the number of EB slots they sell, because as time goes by, more and more folks who buy it are ending up with B boarding passes on some of the popular routes, which of course includes almost every flight to Vegas. Still, it's worth the 10 bucks to not have to worry about the t-24 checkin anyway...

 

the whole thing sounds like a cluster. i like picking my seat when i purchase my ticket and knowing exactly where i'm going to sit.

 

wow, this is more complicated than i realized. oh well. i am not all that concerned since i am a) flying by myself and don't need to worry about sitting with someone and b) i am only flying 3 or 4 hours then i have a layover, so i get a break. i guess the seat location is more important if you're trying to fly with someone and if you have a carry on. i had no idea that the early bird was based on your fare. i managed to get a good deal (i don't really think it was a good deal, but it was about $200 cheaper than the original flight i was considering).

joe, i hope you have a great flight and have that extra storage space. make sure to report back for us!

 

Wonder if they have a butler on your plane too?

 

lol, no, only natedogg gets that kind of service.

 

Last week I was A29 - and A-40 , yea , I could have had an exit row, except the cripple in the wheelchairs already had 1 of them, so I just took row 2. i figured the wheelies prob had someone with them and didnt want to impose.

Not worth it to glom on to a seat next to a wheelie.

 

Wow, it really makes it even more of a challenge when the Flight Attendants don't enforce policies. Folks who pre-board ("wheelies"), and even the folks accompanying them aren't technically allowed to occupy exit rows. Its no wonder so many folks abuse the system, they get away with it constantly... :Þ But, these are the same airline employees who don't enforce carry-on rules either and create a huge quagmire in the boarding process with the overhead bins...