I recently booked a business class flight from Vancouver to Toronto, and before purchasing my ticket, I asked about the aircraft type. The Air Canada agent paused, looked at the screen, and told me I would be flying on an A321. No thanks. Business class on the A321 is tiny, with 2×2 seats that recline 12.7 cm (5 inches). I asked the agent to help me find an alternative flight that day. She found a Boeing 777 that was leaving 30 minutes later. This plane had pods with fully flat seats in business class, and the price was similar—it was an easy choice.
You want to know How to find the best seat on a plane What questions do you face when you or your travel agent book a flight? Here are some tools that can help you find the best seat when you fly.
Learn about the aircraft
In order to find the best seat on an aircraft, it helps to be familiar with the equipment of a particular fleet. If you don’t know this information, check the airline’s website for information about its aircraft and related seat maps. If available, the seat map should provide you with the size and configuration of the aircraft, including the number of classes, seat details (width, recline, pitch), lavatories, and galleys.
Using SeatGuru
SeatGuru is a comprehensive site owned by TripAdvisor that provides airline seat maps by date and flight number, detailed information about each seat, and seat reviews submitted by passengers. Even if you are familiar with a particular airline’s fares, be sure to check Seat Master Before you make your choice. The website SeatGuru is my favorite tool for figuring out how to find the best seat on an airplane. It ensures you avoid window seats with no windows, seats with limited recline, or seats with limited legroom.
Additionally, you can use SeatGuru Comparison Chart Before booking your flight, research the seat comfort and amenities of each airline.
Reserve the seat you want
Be sure to request the seats you want when booking your flight, or select them yourself on the airline’s website. Choose your seats as early as possible. If your preferred seats are not available, check with the airline regularly before your flight and again after you arrive at the airport. Seat assignments are dynamic and seat availability can change before you travel.
Some airlines charge passengers to select their seats. I always consider the duration of the trip and the number of passengers before deciding whether to pay this extra fee. If it is a short flight with a reasonable number of empty seats, I rarely pay this fee. But if it is a long-haul flight and it is busy, I usually pay a little more to select the seat I prefer. You can tell how busy your flight is by looking at the seat map on the airline’s website.
Even if you have reserved specific seats, the airline reserves the right to reassign seats, so always double-check your seat assignment when you check in.
Do you have any other tips to add to this article on how to find the best seat on a plane?
You may be interested in reading about the differences between Lufthansa A330 and 747-8i first class here.
