Airplane Seats and overhead storage

Question

I am planning to travel from Madrid to Mexico City on IB6409, and I want to choose a seat with lots of leg rooms, I think they're called bulkhead seats, the seats that are next to the emergency exit. But since I will be traveling only with carry on and a small backpack, I was wondering if choosing this seat is the best option.

Do these seats have overhead storage for the carry on? what about the backpack, no seat in-front, so where does this go? (valuable items which I prefer to be close to me).

In the attached picture you can see the seating options from Iberia website. It costs 76$ to upgrade to the seat marked in blue. Is it a good seat?

Answer 1

That looks like an exit row, no? Check seatguru.com to make sure. I've never sat in a plane where they've LET you put your bags in the exit row. I've regularly sat in that row, and it's considered a safety hazard during takeoff/landing to have your bag there.

So steps:

1. Check for space above you - there WILL be an overhead bin.
2. If that fails, check the one behind or next to you.
3. If that fails, one of the staff will find a place for it for you.

If it's bulkhead, they might still be iffy about you putting it on the floor, usually it has to go in an overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. As you might not have one, you can follow the above three steps again.

Short answer - don't worry about your bags, decide if the seat is what you want first. If you can't find somewhere for you bags, the staff will help you.

Answer 2

Just to follow up on what Mark Mayo said: in these seats you will not be able to put your backpack under the seat, so it will have to go in an overhead bin. This is an exception to the common rule that you only get to put one carry-on bag in the overhead bin and the other must go under the seat.

This means you will have to stand up to access that bag, and this will not be possible during takeoff, landing or turbulence, when the seat belt sign is on. It also means your valuables will be a little further from you. So if you choose such a seat you should plan accordingly.

Also, if the overhead bins near you are full when you get on, your bag and backpack may have to be put in a bin somewhere else in the cabin, so that you'd have to walk to reach it.

And if all the bins on the plane should be full, your bag and backpack may have to be gate checked. They would give you the opportunity to take out medicines or anything else that it is essential for you to keep with you.

Answer 3

The seats you are looking at are exit row seats (actually exit doors). The aisle seat has lots of leg room, but the window side seat has part of the door blocking some of that leg room.

There should be a partial overhead bin above you, but not for large bags only small ones. You may need to put your bag across the aisle or over a row behind you.

Answer 4

I can't speak for this plane/flight in particular but I've been seated in exit row seats where you're still able/expected to put your backpack under the seat in front of you. In my case I set my bag on the floor and pushed it under the seat with my feet. Getting it out is a little trickier unless you can loop the straps around your foot and pull. Of course, by the time you want access to the bag you can unbuckle and lean down to get it.

Answer 5

A clarification that might be helpful: exit row and bulkhead are two different things: exit row means just that: a row where there is an emergency exit (door or hatch). These almost always have extra leg room. Bulkhead seats are those that have a wall or divider in front. These may or may not have extra leg room. Some configurations have much less leg room at the bulkhead, while others have more. Sometimes the same bulkhead row has one side with more leg room than the other. One advantage to bulkhead seats is that there isn't a seat in front, so no one is reclining into your space. Bulkhead seats do not have space under the seat in front, so all carry-on items must go in a bin for takeoff and landing.