Two Amenities That Make Exit Row Seats More Comfortable

I love exit rows.

The legroom is fantastic.

But the seats are hard. And the nearby door often produces a chill.

My wife and I solved both problems by bringing a couple of amenities with us.

Warming Up

I swear my wife would freeze in Death Valley during the middle of July. So you can imagine how cold she gets on a plane — especially when we sit in a drafty exit row.

In addition to a pashmina she wears, she now packs a heating pad. She simply plugs it into the in-seat power, places it on her lap or behind her back, and voila! She’s warm and toasty all flight long.

We bought a fairly small, inexpensive one (similar to the one pictured above) that we use exclusively for travel. We store it our Travelpro Maxlite Rollaboard when we’re home so we don’t forget it!

Getting to the Bottom of It

Exit row seat cushions are thinner than those in other rows.

Sitting in an exit row during a long haul gives you a sore lower back and numb rear end.

I avoid this by using my Travelon portable gel seat cushion. This made my two mileage runs to London and Paris last year much more comfortable!
This page has a few dozen that should work well. Remember not to get anything too large; you don’t want a cushion bigger than the actual seat or one that won’t easily fit into your carryon.

Enter Your Tips for Exit Rows — Or Other Seats!

Unless a good Comfort+ bulkhead is available, I always select an exit row seat when I’m not traveling with my toddler.

In fact, booking exit row seats was my initial reason for chasing status. I’m tall — and hated people reclining into me, taking the little legroom I had.

Do you bring anything aboard to make yourself more comfortable? Please share your tips in the Comment section below!