Qantas will roll out preferred seating on domestic and international flights, setting aside a row of economy class seats near the front of the cabin for passengers who want to be among the first to step off their flight and be on their way.

This will, of course, come at a cost: charges will begin at a lowly $5 for short domestic hops such as Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane, $15 for east-west flights, $20 for trans-Tasman services to New Zealand, and $45 for longer international flights.

Qantas will trial preferred seating across the second half of this year, joining other airlines such as Emirates, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines which operate similar schemes.

However, the airline says that top-tier frequent flyers who can currently pre-select the front rows of economy won't find themselves booted out of those seats.

For example, on a Qantas Boeing 737 preferred seating will be found in row 9, while rows 4 though 8 remain earmarked for frequent flyers depending on their status. And yes, row 9 is the row without a window.

Row 4 remains the prized pick for Chairman's Lounge and Platinum One members due to its extra legroom.