Choosing the best seat on the plane can be essential especially on long transoceanic journeys, when inevitably you have to stay inside the aircraft for many hours and spend the highlights of the day there such as a nap, meals, reading a good book or watching a good movie.
Some airlines offer the chance to passengers to choose your seat on the plane directly during the booking stage (some free and some paid as airlines low cost), while others do it to choose during the online check-in, still others assign it randomly.
But given the choice, what is the best seat on a plane?
Let’s say immediately that:
- not all aircraft are the same
- we don’t all have the same needs.
I will also try to give you some useful suggestions to make you fly in the best way.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SEAT ON THE PLANE
The first thing I suggest you do is to connect to the (SeatGuru) website, a portal that lists all the internal characteristics of each aircraft and indicates the best seats.
In case it tells us that the Airbus A330-200 Alitalia from Rome to New York has 3 classes (Business, Premium Economy and Economy), gives us the seat specifications for each class, indicates the best seats in green, in red the worst ones, it tells us which seats are reclining and which not, where the toilets are, where only the emergency doors, and also gives us the reviews of the previous passengers.
Great, isn’t it? In practice, it is possible to have a clear and exhaustive overview of the plane in order to choose the seat in the manner most congenial to us.
https://af1bdae6f5df0bc34e56a593220f7f09.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html How to choose your seat on the plane: window side, center or aisle
Generally the seats on the plane are divided into:
- window side seat
- central place
- aisle seat.
In my experience, central seats should be avoided, because you have to get up every time the passenger on the window side needs to go to the bathroom or stretch their legs.
Obviously, the passenger on the window side will also have to disturb his neighbors to get up (so choose it if you rarely get up). But the window seat has several positive aspects, and it’s my favorite seat, Valentina knows it and every time we get on board she leaves me that seat (she really loves me!):
- allows you to enjoy a splendid view from the porthole
- on long trips it allows you to place the pillow on the wall to take a nap.
The positive aspects of the aisle seat are:
- not having to disturb anyone to get up
- being able to stretch your legs towards the corridor.
The aisle-side seating is therefore perfect for those who are particularly tall.
Positive aspects of the central place, In my opinion none!
How to choose the best seat on the plane: front, center or rear of the plane
A few years ago, a manager of a large airline told me that the quietest seats are those located at the back of the plane for a simple reason: having no one behind you, you don’t run the risk of being “kicked or kneeled” by the rear passenger. But the rear is the noisiest one due to the engines.
In general, they all tend to occupy the front part of the plane, often leaving the back rows empty, with the possibility of those who choose them to find themselves with the next seat empty and be able to lie down comfortably even on the adjacent seats.
However, if you have a flight with a restricted connection it is better not to choose the last rows as in most cases you get off at the front, and you may wait a long time before leaving the aircraft. In this case I suggest you choose the first rows, in order to be one of the first to get off the plane and run to catch the other flight.
According to a 2007 study conducted by the US magazine Popular Mechanics, the last seats are also the safest in the event of an accident, and passengers seated near the queue are 40% more likely to survive a disaster. However, it must be said that it is difficult, if not impossible, to save oneself from a plane crash. But let’s not think about this eventuality, as I always say the plane is the safest way in the world and the statistics speak very clearly. It is much more dangerous to travel by car!
If you are afraid of turbulence, however, it is better that you choose the seats located in the central area of the plane (close to the wing) because they are the ones where you feel less as the area is the most stabilized.
If you often get up to go to the bathroom it is better that you choose a place located near the toilet, not recommended if you love tranquility as there is usually a lot of people coming and going in those parts.
If you know English (required for safety reasons in case of an accident or breakdown) you may want to opt for the seats located next to the emergency exits. You will have more legroom with no one in front of you. However, you will not be able to hold any object in front of you but you will have a reclining armrest with a coffee table and TV.
The seats in front of the bulkheads are instead chosen by those traveling with infants because the cradles are located there.
How can you get a better seat on the plane?
To be able to choose a better seat on the plane you must:
- buy the ticket as soon as possible in order to have a wider choice
- check-in online as soon as possible for those companies that allow you to choose it at this stage
- buy a seat with extra legroom
- take advantage of your miles (in this regard, also read our guide on how to earn miles and travel for free )
Once you arrive at the airport you can also try to ask for a free upgrade to business (I know people who have granted it, lucky them!), it doesn’t hurt to try!
Now that you have an idea on how to choose the best seat on the plane, I just have to wish you a good flight!
