6 Tricks to Get the Perfect Seat for Your Next Flight

What do you prefer when booking your seat on a flight? Choosing your venue can be stressful, especially if you’re traveling on vacation with a tight schedule and limited options. Do you want the window or the aisle? A window may be preferable for sleeping on a long flight, but what happens when you need to get up? Is it worth awkwardly climbing over a row of people to go to the bathroom?

I recently had a conversation with a friend who doesn’t fly often and wanted to know how to choose the best seat on a flight. I travel a lot: I have flown many times to all continents (except Antarctica). My last long-haul flight was from Los Angeles to Sydney in 15 hours. several times before. As I was giving my friend a verbal download explaining what I did for each flight, I realized, “Hey, I need to write this down.”

So if you have a million miles on your favorite airline and have your frequent flyer number tattooed on your bicep, it won’t be news to you. But if you haven’t flown in a while — or maybe never — this tip might help. Personally, I’m always willing to pay a little more for the privilege of being able to choose my seat — or fly an airline with enough status that I’m free to choose. To me, it’s a small price to pay to avoid the middle seat.

Let’s start with the basics and go from there.

1. Window or corridor?

There is no right or wrong answer here. It totally depends on personal preference. For me, I always choose the window. Even after flying around the world, seeing it all from 35,000 feet never gets old. Plus, it gives you something to lean on to sleep, and you don’t have swinging passengers bumping into you every few minutes.

On the other hand, the corridor is an equally reliable option. The biggest reason: You’re free to get up and move whenever you want. Need to use the bathroom? No need to wake up your seatmates. Want to stretch your legs? Go for it.

That said, if you haven’t flown in a while or never, it’s hard to watch the world go by at 550 mph.

2. Front or back?

It’s usually better to choose a seat toward the front of the plane for several reasons: It’s usually quieter and you can board and disembark faster.

There is a balance between front/back and window/corridor selection. Is it worth sitting in the back of the plane if you want a window seat and it’s the only option? Usually, I would say yes. If you have a short connection, it will take a few minutes for all the rows in front of you to clear, maybe not. In this case, an aisle seat near the front may be a better option.

Also note where the wing is. On most airplanes, coach seats only start at the wing. If you can move the seat forward of the wing, do so as it will be a bit quieter and offer a better view.

It is also worth paying attention to the partitions of the seats. The ones next to one of the vertical partition walls that separate the compartments on the plane can sometimes be great. If you don’t have a seat in front of you, you’ll often have a little more room. However, you will need to store all of your belongings in the overhead bins for takeoff and landing. Also, you’re more likely to have babies in your lineup. On many planes, the seats are also narrower because the entertainment screen is mounted on the armrest between them.

However, avoid the seats in front of the block. These are often limited and potentially have no room to stretch.

It’s also best not to be too close to the kitchen or bathroom, especially on longer flights. These areas can be noisy and crowded and potentially offer special aggravations.

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3. To fail or not to fail

It’s not an easy choice that comes up often. Usually, you won’t be able to store any luggage under the seat in front of you. You should also be able to speak the airline’s native language (not a problem if you’re only flying in your home country). Some planes have two exit rows, so the first row won’t recline.

Also, the window seats here are less fun. The windows are in the emergency exit doors and are often smaller than elsewhere on the plane. I also noticed that these seats were much cooler than the rest of the plane.

That said, you’ll usually get more legroom.

4. Type of aircraft

The three tips above apply to almost every aircraft. But what about the times when you can choose a different plane? Many routes are covered by many airlines flying different types of aircraft. If you’re not committed to a specific airline and you’re reading this, which I’m guessing you aren’t, it’s worth digging a little deeper and checking your options. You don’t need to know every model of every plane, just two things.

First, if there is an option to fly a Boeing 787 or Airbus A350consider these. These planes have a more modern design higher cabin pressure and humidity. This makes them more comfortable to sit for several hours. It can be the difference between feeling good or wasted after a 12+ hour flight. I also found the 787 to be quieter than other planes. The best is the windows big – significantly larger than those found in other aircraft.

Another aspect to consider is the cabin layout. Shorter routes are usually flown in smaller aircraft, usually with a 3-3 layout with three seats, an aisle and three more seats. Longer flights, usually with larger “wide body” aircraft, may be 2-3-2, 3-3-3 or in some cases 3-4-3. It offers a number of new options. I love a good 2-3-2 because I can have a window seat with only one person next to me. With larger/tighter designs, I’d say an aisle on the edges is better than an aisle in the middle, since you’re at least somewhat closer to the window. There is only one person in the hallway in the middle of the 3-3-3 who has to climb over you to get to the toilet. It’s also better than the average seat anywhere.

5. SeatGuru

My last step before booking is to check out SeatGuru. This site rates seats on different planes on most airlines. Why didn’t I send you here first? Well, that doesn’t give you much in the way of what’s “best,” what’s mostly bad, and what could be a little better. For example, it will probably say that the seat behind the partition is good and the one in front of it is bad. However, he will rate the window seat at the front of the plane the same as the one at the back. It’s a handy tool if you know what you’re looking for. If you’re less familiar, say 380, 777 or 787, if you don’t know what’s bigger, it’s less useful.

The best use of SeatGuru is to find out if a carefully selected window seat is available actually has a window. Yes, it’s a thing and the airline won’t tell you on their website. They will gladly take your money to choose this chair.

6. Go for an upgrade?

There are different ways to upgrade your seat to economy and seat (standard seat, better room) or even business class (bigger seat). Is it worth it? Sometimes, yes. I used a lot of airline points to fly business class for my last 15 hour flight to Sydney and it was a nice treat. Lots of food, a seat that turns into a bed, a big TV — it was just luxury. Would it be better to get a free flight (or two) using the same miles? Almost certainly. But this was my first international flight since COVID, so I treated myself.

My general rule of thumb is for any flight under 10 hours, I don’t consider upgrading. I do everything above 12. For example, I’d say US cross-country flights are a complete waste of upgrade points unless you have a lot of cash to spare.

The extra legroom provided by economy plus is also known as premium economy and other similar names. Many airlines offer this through points or cash upgrades. I’m under 6 feet tall and can squeeze myself into a standard economy seat. If you are taller or have particularly long legs, these seats (or exit rows) are definitely worth considering.

Bonus tips

There are a few more things to ensure the best flight possible.

• Get to the airport early. Check-in and security will always be a hassle. Don’t add the stress of potentially missing your flight to that buzz. Give yourself time. Worst case scenario? You need to sit in the terminal for a few more minutes. I will trade this any day without any stress. You need to do this for two hours. Be suspicious of anyone who talks less. They probably do this all the time and probably have access to special lanes that allow security and check-in.
• Yes, it’s annoying to “pay extra” for things like food and seat selection, but keep in mind that the price of the flight is discounted to get your attention, and the “real” price is what really matters. higher. That’s what I do to ease my nerves anyway.
• Many credit cards offer benefits such as airport and airport access, early boarding and free checked baggage. Worth checking out.
• If possible, choose a non-stop flight. There is less chance of the airline losing your luggage or missing a connection.
• Personally, I’m willing to pay a little more for a flight with no problems and a good seat than a flight with annoying times, delays and only average seats. Of course, that’s just me as a solo traveler. If you’re flying with your family, I totally understand how quickly these small price differences can add up.

Looking for more travel tips? Check it out It Must Be A Long Flight for some items I always bring on every flight.

In addition to covering sound and display technology, Geoff does photo tours including cool museums and places around the world nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castlesepic 10,000 miles of road trips and more.

Also check Budget travel for dummieshis travel book and his a best-selling fantasy novel about city-sized submarines. You can watch it Instagram and YouTube.