How do I choose a seat on a plane?
What each part of the cabin is actually good for, which seats look good and are not, and when paying to choose is worth it.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 3 min
Short answer
Aisle if you want to get up, window if you want to sleep and lean. Ahead of the wing is quieter and smoother; the very back is bumpiest and last served. Check a seat map site before paying — bulkhead and exit rows have more legroom but often fixed armrests, no under-seat storage and cold feet.
Seat choice is one of the few things on a flight entirely within your control, and it is worth about ten minutes of thought on a long flight and almost none on a short one. The main thing worth knowing is that several seats which look excellent on the seat map are among the worst on the aircraft.
Step by step
- Decide first whether you are sleeping or moving.A window seat gives you something to lean on and nobody climbing over you, which is what you want if you intend to sleep. An aisle seat lets you get up freely, which is what you want on a long flight if you intend to walk and drink properly.
- Sit ahead of the wing if you can.Forward of the engines is quieter, and seats over or near the wing feel less movement in turbulence than the back. The very rear of the aircraft is noisiest, moves most, is near the toilets and is served last.
- Check a seat map review site before paying.They flag the specific rows that do not recline, sit next to a toilet or galley, have a misaligned window or have a box under the seat in front. This information is not on the airline's own map.
- Understand what bulkhead and exit rows really give you.More legroom, but often armrests that do not lift, no under-seat storage so everything must go overhead for take-off and landing, colder feet, and sometimes reduced recline. Exit rows also carry responsibilities and age restrictions.
- Book together properly if you are travelling as a group.Book in one transaction and select seats at the point of booking. On many airlines, separate bookings are not seated together and families are routinely split unless seats are chosen.
- Ask about bassinet positions if you are flying with an infant.They are at the bulkhead, there are very few, and they are allocated well ahead. Ring the airline rather than assuming.
- Weigh the fee against the flight length.On a short hop, paying to choose is rarely worth it. On a long overnight flight, the difference between an aisle you can leave and a middle seat you cannot is worth real money.
- Check again at online check-in.Aircraft get swapped and seat maps change. It is also when unpaid better seats sometimes become free to select.
Tips
- Two people travelling on a three-seat row can book the aisle and the window. Middle seats fill last, and if it stays empty you have the row.
- Seats immediately in front of an exit row often have restricted or no recline. They look like ordinary seats on the map.
- If you get a bad seat, ask politely at the gate rather than on board. The gate agent has the seat map; the cabin crew have very little discretion.
Questions people ask
Is a window or aisle seat better on a long flight?
Window if sleeping is the priority — something to lean on and nobody climbing over you. Aisle if you want to move and drink properly, which is the healthier choice on a very long flight.
Are extra legroom seats worth paying for?
On a long flight often yes, but check what you lose: fixed armrests, no under-seat bag, sometimes less recline and colder feet at a bulkhead. On a short flight the fee rarely earns itself.