Tall Husband flying SW

[jdb35633]

We (Myself, daughter (3) and my husband who is 6'7") are flying Southwest in 2 weeks - flight time is 90 minutes . We are planning on gate checking her car seat and letting her sit in the center seat. My husband has flown Delta before and even though he had no leg room but made it through. I have flown Delta and SW before but cannot remember anything regarding the leg room (I am short and it was before I met DH so it wasn't much of a priority). I guess my question is - with my daughter sitting in the middle will he be a little more comfortable since he can kind of spread his legs out?. Is there a huge difference in Delta vs. SW planes?

 

[LWQuestie]

Delta's Fleet

Southwest's Fleet

Southwest flies Boeing 737 planes (three varieties, apparently). Delta flies 13 different types of planes.

I doubt someone that tall will be comfortable in most planes. If he sits on the aisle, he can spread out at an angle, into the middle seat area and into the aisle. Of course, he'll have to be careful if he sticks his legs in the aisle.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Sit on the aisle, and/or try for the exit row. Even if he sits by himself with other passengers, not his family, he would be more comfortable there.

Do the prepaid check in thing to get a low boarding number.

We discussed this once with a very tall seat mate. (he was a ex-collge BB player, and was maybe 6'8-10"?) He said sometimes they let him pre-board, almost as if it is a medical condition, but that varies.

 

[gmeh1]

Sit on the aisle, and/or try for the exit row. Even if he sits by himself with other passengers, not his family, he would be more comfortable there.

Do the prepaid check in thing to get a low boarding number.

We discussed this once with a very tall seat mate. (he was a ex-collge BB player, and was maybe 6'8-10"?) He said sometimes they let him pre-board, almost as if it is a medical condition, but that varies.

I believe he would not be allowed to sit in an exit row as he has a child with him even though his wife will be there also even if she is not in the exit row. In the event (God forbid) of an emergency, his first reaction would be for the safety of the wife and child (very normal). The FAA has the reg. posted on the web. http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part121-585-FAR.shtml Not sure if this is applicable, but, just sayin.

 

[snesguy]

Seatguru has seat information on pretty much all airlines:

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/information.php

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Delta_Airlines/information.php

Select the airline and the type of plane you are flying on and you get detailed seat information.

 

[jdb35633]

Thanks for the quick replies!!!

 

[rwdavis2]

I believe he would not be allowed to sit in an exit row as he has a child with him even though his wife will be there also even if she is not in the exit row. In the event (God forbid) of an emergency, his first reaction would be for the safety of the wife and child (very normal). The FAA has the reg. posted on the web. http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part121-585-FAR.shtml Not sure if this is applicable, but, just sayin.

Yep, no kids in exit rows. I saw United move a son (14) and his mother from the exit row. FAA regulations. What's worse is that they had to pay extra to sit in an exit row.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I did not realize the kid was young, but did add that if he is very uncomfortable, he should sit in the exit row by himself.

I would never think it was ok for a young child to sit in the exit row!

DH is only 6'1" and does not have long legs, but he makes a big deal about needing more room on flights. While not overweight, he has a big chest, muscular I mean, and feels squished I guess.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yep, no kids in exit rows. I saw United move a son (14) and his mother from the exit row. FAA regulations. What's worse is that they had to pay extra to sit in an exit row.

The issue is not that a child cannot sit in the exit row. It is that a PAX traveling with children is not supposed to sit in the exit row, even if the child is in another row.

United reserves exit row seating for elite frequent flyers, so I'm not sure how a mom and 14 year old who weren't elites could have ever gotten seats there. If they did, I'm not sure how they could not have known the rules, which you have to read and agree to before ever selecting these seats online.

If he sits on the aisle, he can spread out at an angle, into the middle seat area and into the aisle. Of course, he'll have to be careful if he sticks his legs in the aisle.

You cannot stick your legs out into the aisle.

OP - your husband is going to be very uncomfortable; at least it is a short flight.

 

[jdb35633]

OP - your husband is going to be very uncomfortable; at least it is a short flight.

Thanks Lost - my thoughts exactly and it still beats a 12 hour drive

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Thanks Lost - my thoughts exactly and it still beats a 12 hour drive

 

[NotUrsula]

I believe he would not be allowed to sit in an exit row as he has a child with him even though his wife will be there also even if she is not in the exit row. In the event (God forbid) of an emergency, his first reaction would be for the safety of the wife and child (very normal). The FAA has the reg. posted on the web. http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part121-585-FAR.shtml Not sure if this is applicable, but, just sayin.

It's applicable, and IME, SWA is religious about enforcing it. If an FA sees the family board together and Dad stops at the exit and Mom goes on with the LO, Dad will be questioned about it and ejected from the exit row if he admits that the other passengers are his family... or if the FA checks the manifest and discovers that they are traveling on the same itinerary.

It *is* possible, but to do it Dad should be booked as a solo traveler on a separate itinerary, and he should board separately from the rest of his family, who should be very careful not to pass by the exit row, lest the child call him Daddy on the way by. Of course, he also must understand that in the event of an emergency, Mom and the kid(s) are on her own until he is off the aircraft; that is the tradeoff that you make when you sit in the exit row.

OP, your DH could call SWA and check to see if he can purchase two seats for himself as a "Customer of Size". If he can, then the cost of the second seat will be refunded if the flight is not at 100% capacity. If you do this, you should sit in separate rows so that he has an empty middle seat next to him. (The airline provides a reserved sign when you purchase two seats for one person.)

 

[Minnesota!]

My DH is tall, as well - 6'6 or so - and while more leg room would be nice...he has never really had an issue. He sits in the aisle and sucks it up

 

[popgfd]

If you sit most/all the way back then your husband could stand by the bathrooms and stretch his legs out. You can't do this in the front of the plane but people are allowed to line up for the back rest rooms. Perhaps explaining to the stew what he is doing or pretending to be looking for a magazine would work.

the front rows on either side do have more leg room but typically the handicapped people use them as they board first and get too far back but a seat could be available.

Pop

 

[Augustheather97]

My husband is 6'8" and my 15 year old daughter is 6'4"....one sits on one end one by the window....pointing their longs legs in at an angle at ME>>>so I am the most uncomfortable actually.....
its not too bad

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP, your DH could call SWA and check to see if he can purchase two seats for himself as a "Customer of Size". If he can, then the cost of the second seat will be refunded if the flight is not at 100% capacity. If you do this, you should sit in separate rows so that he has an empty middle seat next to him. (The airline provides a reserved sign when you purchase two seats for one person.)

The OP's husband is tall, not overweight. He needs legroom, not rear end room! Buying an adjacent seat isn't going to help. Southwest's customer of size policy doesn't apply to him anyway; it applies to those who can't fit in a 17 inch wide seat.

I would suggest in the future booking an airline which offers a buy up to extra legroom seats, especially for longer flights.

 

[NotUrsula]

The OP's husband is tall, not overweight. He needs legroom, not rear end room! Buying an adjacent seat isn't going to help. Southwest's customer of size policy doesn't apply to him anyway; it applies to those who can't fit in a 17 inch wide seat.

I would suggest in the future booking an airline which offers a buy up to extra legroom seats, especially for longer flights.

Size is size. Being 6'8" means not fitting in a seat with 31" pitch, so personally I'd argue that he should be able to take advantage of the Customer of Size purchase option.

Having an empty seat next to you means that if you raise the armrest you can sit with your legs at an angle, which allows much more legroom, an extra 13 or so inches of it.

Of course, on SWA planes, tall people who are in the know covet the starboard exit row window spot behind the so-called LUVSeat. There is no seat in front of it at all, so the pitch is an incredibly generous 62". (On older models of the 737 it does not have a tray table, but that's the tradeoff.)

However, as we've noted before, the OP's DH won't be eligible to sit in the exit row unless he arranges in advance to temporarily disown his family. I will note that on one or two occasions I have seen the GA give a really tall man a blue sleeve so that he can preboard to try to snag this seat; normally blue sleeve preboards are not allowed in the exit rows at all, but this is an exception. However, you have to be REALLY tall to have any shot at obtaining this special privilege; I'd say at least 6'5" at a minimum.

PS: The business about the armrest is primarily a test for a Customer of Size who doesn't want to be one; it is the test for NOT being required to buy the second seat. AFAIK there isn't a test to disqualify those who want to voluntarily purchase it because they don't want to encroach on another passenger's space.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I don't know if this helps or not. I'm a tall woman and have a 36" inseam. Now that SWA changed to the leather seats, my knees no longer hit the seat in front of me....I have about 2 inches of free space between my knees and the seat pocket in front of me (and that's with magazines, etc. in the seat pocket).

I like to sit on the aisle. My husband is taller than me, but his height is from his waist up and he has only a 33" inseam so he never worries about the leg room.

Have a great trip!

 

[gmeh1]

The OP's husband is tall, not overweight. He needs legroom, not rear end room! Buying an adjacent seat isn't going to help. Southwest's customer of size policy doesn't apply to him anyway; it applies to those who can't fit in a 17 inch wide seat.

I would suggest in the future booking an airline which offers a buy up to extra legroom seats, especially for longer flights.

I think that it depends on how you interpert the customer of size rule/reg.

Customers who encroach upon any part of the neighboring seat(s) should proactively book the needed number of seats prior to travel. The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats and measures 17 inches in width. The purchase of additional seats serves as a notification to Southwest of a special seating need. Most importantly, it ensures that all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating. You may contact us for a refund of the cost of additional seating after travel, provided the flight does not oversell (which means having more confirmed Customers than seats on the aircraft).
It could be argued that someone who is very tall, as in the case of the OP's spouse, that special seating is a valid need. I am going with Not Ursula on this one.

 

[BLLB]

We flew SW this month. On our flight home the enitre Orlando arena football team was on the flight. They allowed 2 of the members, easily over 6'6" to preboard. However, the rest of the team lined up according to the boarding passes.

DH is 6'2", he sat in the exit row on the flight down and back and we (DW and 2 DS) sat behind him. We had chats with the FA both times, never was asked to move.

Watching those gigantic football players board was pretty funny. We were the first 4 in line, EBCI, after the 2 preboard folks.