A A conversation with a colleague gave me pause a few weeks ago. She was flying to the Maldives and had reserved the seat at the back by the toilets. I was speechless. I had the misfortune of sitting there on an eight-hour flight back from Philadelphia and was disturbed all night by gurgling flushes and the banging of the food carts. Her reasoning is that it is often a double seat configuration and that it gives her more space for her luggage.
Another colleague always asks for the row with the emergency exit because he thinks he has more legroom. My counter argument is that I have nowhere to put my hand luggage. A travel writer I know, meanwhile, reserves a Having a seat on the bulkhead on long-haul flights, even though there are almost guaranteed to be screaming babies sitting next to her, is unbelievable.
And then there’s the eternal argument between aisle and window. One colleague calls himself an “aisle boy” and I’m in, even though I risk sitting next to an overexcited twenty-something who drinks too much beer and then taps me on the shoulder every hour to go to the bathroom. (Special thanks to the passenger on 29B on BA32 from Hong Kong to Heathrow last April.) Others prefer the window seat for the space, the view and to lean against, and that’s all well and good, but it’s not for me. I’d rather avoid the embarrassment of having to climb over a sleeping “aisle boy”.
Airlines are aware of our seating preferences and sell them on to us to increase their profits. The British budget airline trio – EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air – have been doing this for years, but other airlines are increasingly doing it too. Not that I’m upset about it. I’m thrilled to have the option to sit apart from my family on flights. I’d even go so far as to say it makes me uncomfortable when I see couples trying to change their seating position to be together on Ryanair flights. Separation makes the heart grow fonder, doesn’t it?
Other airlines use seat selection as a marketing tool. US carrier United Airlines offers a new feature: passengers can save their favorite seat in an app and the airline will move them there for free if it is available. Japan Airlines introduced an app in 2019 that allows travelers to see where babies are sitting so they can avoid them. And Indian domestic airline IndiGo has safety in mind: its app allows female travelers to select a seat to avoid sitting next to men.
I asked some experts where they prefer to sit. John Grant, chief analyst at the Official Airline Guide, says: “I would choose a window seat near a bulkhead because there is usually more space there.”
The choice of seats depends on the aircraft type.
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Gilbert Ott, founder of frequent flyer website God Save the Points, says it depends on the flight time. “If I’m flying premium economy on a night flight and I want to sleep, the best seat is in the last row, where no one wants to eat behind me and prevent me from reclining all the way back while their folding table is unfolded,” he says.
“But in any cabin, I’m a fan of window seats. I keep to myself, provide my own food and entertainment, and don’t want to be dependent on other people’s bathroom needs during the flight.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, managing director of Advantage Travel Partnership, tells me she prefers a seat at the front so she can get off the plane faster – and an aisle seat so she doesn’t disturb the person next to her.
Of course, all of these considerations depend on which aircraft you’re flying on and how the airline has equipped it. On a narrowbody – the types that EasyJet and Ryanair fly – there isn’t much choice, but on a larger long-haul aircraft like a Boeing 777 or Airbus A380, there are countless options. I’m not a huge enthusiast for choosing destinations based on aircraft type, but I admit that I prefer the upper-floor economy cabin of a British Airways A380.
And what’s my favorite seat? In my dream travel world, it’s A1 with a lie-flat bed and nonstop drinking, but the reality is more ordinary: it’s an aisle seat in the middle. That’s 13C or D on a short-haul flight, or, if you’re flying a long-haul flight, somewhere between 20 and 30, depending on the aircraft configuration. Yes, I wait the longest for food and deplaning (murder on a connecting flight), but I’m scared of turbulence and imagine that a seat above the wing guarantees a slightly smoother flight. And experiments with old airplanes equipped with dummies show that those sitting in the middle have the best chance of survival. Good luck choosing your next seat. Best not to think about it too much.
Where is the best seat on the plane? Let us know in the comments below
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