Exit row seating

True, there's no seat in front to shove a bag under, but airplane exit row seating has leg room, which pretty much doesn't exist outside of business class--at least for those of us of a certain height.

I gather you may have to pay extra these days for the privilege of not getting cramps.

At any rate, I remember the question before takeoff--Are you physically able to operate the door in an emergency? I always figured I could.

But I wonder if there's a way to check. Suppose one had a partial mockup of a cabin--just a row and the bulkhead--with the exit door in place. And a big timer display above where the flight attendant straps in.

The candidate enters the little room, straps in, and is told to brace for impact. The flight attendant straps in, the room drops about 6" for a jolt of verisimilitude, and the timer starts. The attendant tells you what to do (scenario has them busy with somebody hurt), and you get to see how hard it is and how long it really takes to get the door unlocked, open, and stowed.

It might be a little humiliating, but I'd think it'd be fun to try. I'd bet some people would pay for the experience--especially if the airlines knocked a bit off the extra fee if you could show you'd passed.

Of course different planes have different doors, but just learning one is better than nothing.