Picking the Right Seat
Picking the right seat on your flight can make all the difference in the world! Whether you have a quick flight under an hour or 10+ hours, where you sit can have a big impact on the overall experience of your trip. I mean personally, I'd rather drive for 4 hours than sit in the middle seat for any amount of time! But often times it is hard to know which seat is the "best" for you. I'm here to give you some tips and share my go-to steps to pick the right seat for any flight.
1. Know Your Plane
When you book a flight online, the majority of the time when picking your seat you will see a seat map. However, it is important to actually know what type of plane you're going to be on. Often times the seat maps on the booking websites are very generic, so you might not realize you're picking a seat directly over a wing (which can mean no view and also more turbulence). Or you might need close proximity to a lavatory and pick a seat 20 rows from the closest one. It is important to know what the physical aircraft will be in order to research seat maps from there.
It also helps to know the plane you're flying on because when booking there may be flight times that are close, but on different types of planes. Travel junkies all have their favorite planes and many times will pick a less than ideal flight time to get a better plane. For me, I love a Dreamliner (Boeing 787)! I love the cleanliness and overall design on the Dreamliner and they supposedly have better air quality on board and help prevent jet lag (whether that's true, who knows). Depending on the type of plane (and airline you're flying), the seat width and fabric may be different. It is important to know exactly what you will be stepping onto before picking the seat you'll be in.
2. Third Party Seat Maps
Before I book any flight I always check a few websites and research the plane. My go-to website is Seat Guru because they tend to have the most up-to-date seat maps for all airlines and also offer passenger reviews with pictures. Seat Guru is great too because they give tips on what seats are good seats, average seats, seats that may be an issue for some, and seats to avoid. Seat Guru uses an easy color-coding (green, yellow, red, and no color) to better understand the map. They also offer exact measurements for seat width, pitch, and number of seats on each plane. That can have a big impact when trying to decide between two different airlines or physical planes. I also love that Seat Guru gives you the ability to enter your exact flight number and date so you can see exactly what your plane will look like when you get on board. Here's a great example of a seat map for an upcoming return flight I have in January:
As you can see, in the second image, it lets you know that seat 11F does NOT have a window. This has happened to me twice before and it is so frustrating when you picked a window seat and then you get on the plane and there is no window! Having the insider knowledge like this before booking can help tremendously!
A second option for seat maps is Seat Maestro. This website is very similar to Seat Guru with the ability to enter your exact flight and date to see the current seat map for your trip. The difference with Seat Maestro is that instead of taking you to the seat map like Seat Guru above, it will take you to a page in which it states all versions of that particular plane. For instance, if I search my same return flight for January, I get the following result:
So in order to take advantage of Seat Maestro, you will need to know which version of the plane you're going to be on. This can usually be found on your booking info with the airline, but sometimes you may just have to guess. The easiest indicator is the amount of classes on the plane (First, Business, and Economy or just First and Economy). If you can't determine which one you're going to fly on, you can either call the airline and ask, or just compare to the seat map on your booking with the airline. Often times the different versions of the same aircraft won't be that noticeable (e.g., First Class has a 31 inch pitch on version 1 above and a 30 inch pitch on version 2), so Seat Maestro is still a good option. And like with Seat Guru, passengers can upload pictures and reviews, so always worth it to see as many reviews as possible before picking your seat.
3. Airline Seat Maps and Aircraft Descriptions
When you book your flight you will almost always be given the ability to choose your seat upon booking. There are times when you don't get to pick your seat until check-in, but there is usually still the option to view the seats of the flight you're booking. Most airlines have now updated their websites to include detailed descriptions on all of the planes in their fleet and provide images as well. It is helpful to look at the airlines' pictures and descriptions in addition to sites like Seat Guru because there may be things like fabric, that passenger reviews on Seat Guru haven't mentioned. Personally, I find cloth seats to be much more comfortable than leather seats. Airplanes tend to be quite cold, so leather seats (like in cars) can get cold as well. And vice versa, if you happen to be on a flight where the air is not working or the plane is stuffy and you're in shorts/a skirt, you don't want to stick to the seat (or sweat on it!).
Following the flight example above, if I go to United's website and search my return flight I get the following information:
Not only does United provide me exact details on the seat width and pitch, but the picture shows me that the seats are leather. It's a relatively short flight, so I'm not too worried about a cold seat :)
It is also good to check with airline's seat map because it will show you what seats are already occupied. There is nothing better than being on a flight where you have the whole row to yourself! My recent flight to Doha, Qatar (as seen in the top pic of this post) was almost half empty, so I picked a seat in the back where no one else had picked and lucked out that on the day of flying, it was still empty. Score!
4. Determine What Is Most Important For You (Window or Aisle?)
I am a window flier all the way! And then I have friends/family members who will only fly if they're in an aisle seat. What it all comes down to is personal preference. For me, I am claustrophobic (not as bad as I was as a kid, but still an issue) and if I'm in a window seat with the ability to look outside, I feel less enclosed. I mean after all, we are riding in a small enclosed metal tube! If I'm sitting on the aisle or if I was forced (only way it would happen!) to sit in the middle of a plane, my claustrophobia would be in full effect and the flight would be miserable. I also love watching out the window at the clouds, sunrise/sunset, landscapes, cities, etc.
For my aisle-loving travelers, the reasons always seem to be the ability to stretch your legs more and the ease of getting up to go to the lavatory or just walk around. I admit that it can be tricky to get up from your window seat if you need to use the lavatory. I have actually mastered my ninja skills and become a bit of a pro at climbing over people without them even knowing. The key is to step on the armrests! Seriously I've come back from using the lavatory and my seat mate(s) who was/were asleep when I left have said "Wait, how did you get out?!" haha It is a skill I've perfected over the years, but necessary when you only fly in window seats.
I also tend to have some flying-related anxieties when I'm on planes, so being able to look out helps calm me down. Yes, even the most seasoned travelers can have their anxieties! I'll have to do a blog post later on my tips and tricks to deal with flying anxieties, lots to offer there :)
Last but not least is the side of the plane you prefer. Because I'm always in a window seat, if it is a longer flight and I'm in economy, I will use the window/wall to lean on to sleep. For me, I'm much more comfortable leaning to my left, so I typically pick a seat on the left side of the plane. However, there are certain times where I will pick the right side of the plane if I know that there will be sights worth looking at along the journey. The direction a plane lands in can be a toss up based on wind, but there are certain times when you know for a fact that a landmark, island, ocean, etc. will be on one side or the other. Some of my favorite travel pictures are from the window of a plane!
View of the Andes Mountains from the plane
Hopefully these tidbits will help you when booking your next flight. Getting there is half the fun, so you might as well get the best seat to enjoy the journey!
Bon voyage and safe flight!
