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The seats leading to an emergency exit normally offer more legroom and, therefore, the airline can cash a fee for them.

But, shouldn't they pick passengers that would have the higher chance of being able to open the door in case of an emergency?

Quora Feans
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    Well they usually cover that in a pre-flight briefing and brief interviews with the crew asking if they meet the physical strength requirements and are willing to operate the exit door in case of emergencies. – Romeo_4808N Mar 31 '17 at 17:35
  • @CarloFelicione Additionally, if you select your seat online, all of the airlines I've dealt with show you the requirements for sitting in an exit row and ask you to confirm that you meet them before allowing you to select an exit row seat, even if you do pay for it. – reirab Mar 31 '17 at 22:05

2 Answers2

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They do.

If you are clearly not physically able, they will change your seat during check-in.

Then, as part of the safety briefing, you will be explicitly asked if your are willing and able to carry out the relevant instructions. If you are not, the crew has the authority to re-seat you.

If all passengers are seated, and no-one is in the exit row, the crew will re-seat a capable person next to the door.

Here's but one reference to the requirements from the UK CAA.

Simon
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I've seen airline companies charging more for seats that offer more legroom, including the emergency exit rows.

One thing to notice is that you only get to pay a fee if you chose your seats by yourself (i.e. when checking-in online). You should not have to pay any extra fee if the only remaining seats are on the emergency exit, either by checking-in online or at the baggage drop-off.

And finally, if you're not willing to take the responsibility when a flight attendent asks you, or if the flight attendent judges that you're not physically able to operate the emergency exit door, they can re-seat you prior take off.

Hope this helps!

Habovh
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