Getting a great bargain on your flight is a real accomplishment, but ending up in a rotten seat can make that bargain lose its luster. Although while booking your flight you may be asked questions such as “Do you want an aisle or a window seat?” there are many other factors to take into consideration when choosing—or settling for--a particular seat.
Book early. Obviously, if you make your reservations at the last minute, you will not have as many choices. Although some airlines give you an opportunity to select a seat at the time you purchase your tickets, other do not start assigning specific seats until closer to the date of the flight.
Rely only minimally on information available to travel agents. Although their computer reservation systems will bring up bulkhead or exit seating, that’s about all the information they can give you.
Consider two aisle seats across from each other when traveling with a companion—rather than two seats next to each other. This allows both travelers the opportunity to move about the cabin freely without having to disturb anyone.
Remember that if time is of the essence you will want to try for a seat at the front of the plane which will give you a few more precious minutes when you deplane before other passengers.
Avoid seats over the wing or in the back of the aircraft (on planes which have the engines mounted on the body) if gazing out the window during departure and/or landing is important to you, as your view will be blocked.
Check websites which give detailed information about airline seating. Two of these are www.seatguru.com and www.seatexpert.com. When looking at these sites, consider all of the following factors: --the site’s rating for a particular seat (as well as the reasons why the seat is rated in the way it is) --the size of the seat (Coach seats on U.S. domestic flights are usually either 17.2 or 18 inches wide) --the incline of the seat --the proximity of the seat to the lavatory
Arrive at the airport particularly early for airlines that do not assign seats. If where you sit is important to you, plan on getting in line at least an hour ahead of the flight time. That means you’ll need to have completed check-in by that point.
