Continental Airlines, jumping the bandwagon, has announced that it will soon tack on an extra fee for exit row seats that offer more leg room. This comes as a similar decision that was first introduced by JetBlue and AirTran.

Starting March 17, passengers in coach can extend their leg space by at least 7 more inches by buying a seat in the exit row. On larger jets, these seats give passengers an extra 10 to 12 inches to stretch their legs. Passengers belonging to Continental's frequent-flier program and those traveling with them will be able to select those seats at no additional cost.

Jim Compton, Continental's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement, "Our customers want more choices".

"Seats with additional leg room are higher-value seats, and we want to offer them to customers who recognize that value", said Compton.

This has been seen as a growing trend in the past few years, where airlines have begun to charge extra for a variety of services such as checking bags and booking tickets via phone.