Recently updated on January 20th, 2020 at 07:14 pm
A flight is often the beginning of an adventure, so it’s important to have the best experience possible. Whether it’s the frenetic markets of Southeast Asia or the mountains of Latin America, what better way to arrive feeling refreshed and ready to explore than by snagging the best seat on the plane. Follow these tips on how to find your perfect seat, and stretch out those legs for a comfortable flight.
While some prefer to sit by the window and others opt for an aisle seat (does anyone like being in the middle?), there are some strategies that all travellers can adopt in order to get the best seat possible.
It’s common knowledge that the rows of seats by the exits have ample legroom, but less people are aware of the bulkhead seats. Situated behind the cabins’ separating walls, they offer passengers more legroom, and there’ll be no one sitting in front to recline their seat into your personal space. However, if you suffer from travel sickness, the best seat on a plane can be found nearest to the wings, where there’s the least impact from turbulence.
The size of the seats and space between them can vary, too. And those in the know don’t just leave this to chance; they do their research online first. Perhaps the easiest way to find the seat with the most room is to take a look on sites such as seatguru.com, where each aircraft’s seat plan is mapped out to reveal how much space there is between rows and where the toilets are located. With the benefit of this knowledge, passengers can then go back to the airline’s website and select the seats that are most appealing. Reserving seats online at the time of booking is the key to success; by the time passengers arrive to check in at the airport, the best seats will inevitably be spoken for.
Travellers can take this a step further with seatguru.com by choosing the airline for the calibre of its aircrafts’ seating, comparing seat width, pitch (the space between seats) and those all important flight amenities. Naturally, the earlier a flight is booked, the more seats there are to choose from, so the first strategy should be to make the booking as far in advance as possible. For many airlines, seat selection is free, but if there’s an added cost it could be worth paying for, especially on long-haul journeys. Some airlines have capitalized on the demand for significantly better seats by charging this additional fee.
Frequent fliers are also often given priority seating, making frequent flier programs more enticing to travellers and crucial to travelling comfortably. If you’re not a member of one of these programs, take a look on expertflyer.com, which helps customers in the booking process by tracking the availability of desirable seats and sending out notifications. If all of the preferred window seats are full, and you know you’ll want an uninterrupted view as you fly over the Andes or Himalayas, there’s still a chance one will open up.
Having selected a seat in advance, the seating plan can still change (unless a fee has been paid), so it’s worth confirming where you want to be by checking in online 24-hours before departure, and by arriving at the airport in good time. Lastly, always remember to be good-natured and friendly toward the airport’s check-in staff. After all, we’re so much more inclined to help those who greet us with a smile.
Whichever destination you choose, travel with Trafalgar and you’ll be met on arrival by one of our Travel Directors to begin your incredible journey.
Image credits: cover photo © iStock / guvendemir. Passengers on a flight © iStock / BraunS. A premium seat on a flight © iStock / Aureliy. The window seat © iStock / 06photo.