Airline Travel Tip
How To Choose The Best Airline Seat

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These airline travel tips are to assist you to choose the best airline seat for your journey. Even though it might seem like it, not all airlines seats are the same.

The seats of course differ between classes, you get better seats in first class or business class than in economy class, but they can also differ within each class. On most airplanes there are some seats that offer extra room and comfort.

The seats also differ between aircraft types but especially between airlines as it's them that decide how many seats they put in each plane.

It can therefore make sense to not only look at the flight price but also consider the seat chart before booking your flight ticket.

The price difference does not necessary have to be that much but it can really make a difference how you feel on your journey and when you arrive at your destination. Especially on longer flights, then it can really make a huge difference.

Seating Chart
Airline Travel Tips

When you are buying flight ticket you should be provided with both the flight number and the aircraft type. You can use this information to view the seating chart for your flight.

Travel agents should have seating charts in their computers. If you are buying your flight on-line the airline website should show seating charts for the planes they use. Seating charts shows the aircraft layout, number of seats in a row, where the toilets are located, etc.

You can also use SeatGuru, they not only provide the seating chart, they also provide airline travel tips information that can be useful when trying to decide where to sit on a plane. They show the airplane layout but also which seats are considered to be the best airline seats as well as those that are considered bad or have some drawbacks - and they explain their reasoning as well.

Reserving Airline Seat
Airline Travel Tips

Airline travel tips recommend reserving airline seat as early as possible, or when you buy your flight ticket. Most booking travel search engines and airlines allow you to select your seat at the time of purchase.

Most airlines though do not allow you to book exit seats on-line, so if interested in those seats book your second choice when you buy your ticket and ask if you can change to exit seat when you check-in at the airport. However, some airlines do allow you to book these seats on the day of the flight, so you might be able to secure them by checking in on-line.

You should anyway check-in on-line to secure you seat choice as the airlines are not obliged to give you the seat you requested at the time of booking. Most airlines open for on-line check-in 24 hours prior to the flight departure time.

Securing The Best Airline Seat
Airline Travel Tips

How to decide what is the best airline seat on a plane? There are number of things to consider when deciding where to sit on a plane.

The first thing to consider is your comfort - the seat width and seat pitch has a lot of impact on how comfortable you will feel during your flight. Seat pitch is the distance from any point on one seat to the exact same point on the seat in front or behind it. The seat pitch gives you a very good indication of how much leg room you can expect... the higher the figure the more space you will get.

While one or two extra inches of seat pitch may not seem that significant... it can make huge difference for your comfort and productivity (if on a business trip). It can mean your knees are not touching the seat back in front of you and you will be able to fully open your laptop monitor if working.

You should be able to find seat width and pitch information on the airlines website but not all airlines publish these measurements which on its own might cause you some concern. In those cases airline travel tips recommend calling the airline directly for additional information.

Then it's the question about aisle or window seat... but if you think middle seat is the best airline seat - then you can usually have a pick of the bunch. Whatever you go for an aisle or window seat is very much a personal preference but there are though few things worth bearing in mind when reserving airline seat.

You might want to have an aisle seat if you like to move about during the flight and know you will be needing things from the overhead storage compartment or are likely to have to visit the toilet. Seating in aisle seat mean you will not have to disturb your fellow passengers every time you need to move.

Sitting next to the aisle can also give you little bit extra room to stretch your legs during the flight, you must though be careful not disturbing other passengers or crew members that are frequently moving up and down the aisles. Aisle seats are also the best airline seats for quicker disembarking, e.g. if you have a connection flight to catch.

Others prefer window seat for the scenery or because the aisle traffic bothers them when trying to concentrate or relax.

Then it's the question about sitting towards the front, middle or back of the airplane and again it's very much about personal preference. There are though few airline travel tips worth considering when choosing where to sit on a plane.

Sitting towards the front of the airplane usually means you get off the plane faster, which could be important if you have tight flight connection. There are though some airplanes that embark at the back of the plane (usually smaller aircrafts) so this is not guaranteed.

Sitting towards the front also tends to be a quieter ride, as the sound from then engines goes more towards the back.

Sitting at the back means you will usually board first, giving you first access to the limited overhead compartments. If the plane is not full then there are usually fewer people at the back so there might also be more possibility to spread out during the flight.

Those that suffer from motion sickness might prefer to sit close to the wings, they are the stability point for the plane, and those travelling with children might want to sit close to the lavatories.

Airline travel tips recommend viewing the seating chart to find the best airline seats in those cases.

Some people prefer exit seats as they have some extra legroom. You are usually not allowed to book exit seat at the time of purchase as exit seats must be occupied by passengers willing and able to help other passengers in an emergency situation.

Most airlines therefore only release these seats at check-in at the airport (though some release them during on-line check-in, which usually starts 24 hours prior to the flight departure time). Bear in mind that exit seat are next to the exit door or window and can therefore be somewhat cooler choice.

On the other hand you might want to avoid the seats in front of exist seats as these seats usually do not recline which can be very inconvenient. The same applies to last seats, i.e. the seats in the last row of the airplane but also the last seats before a toilet cubicle or crew gallery. These seats sometimes have limited or no reclining option.

Some people prefer bulkhead seats while others really don't like them. Bulkhead is the partition that divides the plane into different classes or sections. Like screen or curtain between business class and economy class but also when seats are separated from the crew gallery or lavatories.

There are important pros and cons related to the bulkhead seats. Bulkhead seat can offer extra legroom, though that is not always the case so you should check the seating chart if that is important for you. However with no seat in front you... no one can recline into your space. This also makes entering and exiting your seat during the flight easier. You can also put your feet against the bulkhead wall without causing any discomfort to another traveler.

Sometimes bulkhead seat can actually mean less legroom so airline travel tips recommend you to check the seating chart if legroom is important to you. With no seat in front there is also no under seat stowage for hand luggage. You can have your bags in front of you during the flight but must store them in the overhead compartment during take-off and landing.

Also with no seat in front of you, your tray table will be stored in the seat's armrest. This makes the armrest immovable and slightly reduces your seat width. Those airlines that offer bassinets often locate them at the bulkheads, which would increase the likelihood of being seated in close proximity to young, often crying babies.

Few Advanced Tricks To Secure The Best Airline Seat
Airline Travel Tips

Airline travel tips recommend looking into joining a frequent flyer program for those airlines you mainly use. You will not only be earning air miles... most airlines offer their members extra benefits. Some airlines allow frequent flyer members to pre-book preferred seats like exit row seats and bulkhead seats.

Member of frequent flyer programs can also have more change of getting upgrade at the gate. Even if you do not qualify for an upgrade you can still benefit from other passengers upgrades. Those who are upgraded are often frequent flyers and the economy seats they leave behind are often the best airline seats... which you might now have the opportunity to snatch up.

Ps. there are many products available that can make your flight more comfortable. Have a look at our favorite In-Flight Products For Comfort.