How to Find the Best Seat on an Airplane

The holidays are upon us and a lot of people will be taking to the sky to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It should be a time of joy and anticipation, but getting stuck in a bad seat on the airplane flight to and from a destination zaps all the fun from the trip.

I don't know about you but I can't afford to fly first class and the economy section seems to get more and more crowded as airlines try to pack as many people in as they can to maximize profits. I hate it when I get stuck in a bad seat. A bad seat to me is on where I am sandwiched in between strangers - one who snores and falls over on me on one side and one who wants to chat it up about some boring topic when I would rather read or get some work done. Then there are the bad seats where there is a screaming child behind me who kicks the underside of my seat the entire flight. Or the obnoxious child who wants to play peek-a-boo over the seat for hours or keeps dropping or throwing their toy or bottle and I have to retrieve it for them. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against kids, and understand they get just as bored on airplanes as adults do, but some parents don't even try to keep them occupied.

While people can't always choose or control the traveling mates they are seated next to, they can be prepared and do their homework to try to get the most comfortable and convenient seat possible.

Here's how to find the best seat on an airplane.

Go to the Seatguru website and use their interactive tool. The site is powered by TripAdvisor and the data shown has been gathered by real people who are frequent fliers. They fill out surveys to give their input and feedback on the quality of the seat they sat in. Seatguru.com has a database of over 600 seating charts for over 100 different airlines.

Once you are on the website, use the navigation bar on the left side of the page to find the name of airline you will be flying on. The names are listed alphabetically.

Once you have found your airline, look on your reservations to see the specific type of airplane you will be flying on. Click on your plane type for a detailed seatmap.

Each seatmap key is color coded to give specific information about each seat. You'll find information as to whether the seat is considered poor, has drawbacks, standard, blocked, crew only, close to emergency exit, has overhead TV, has power port, or close to the lavatory, etc.

Hover your mouse over any particular seat and a pop-up will give details as to why the seat is considered to be good / bad / etc. Reasons such as good seat due to extra legroom because of the position of the bulkhead, or bad seat because it doesn't recline since it's located next to an exit aisle, or seat with drawbacks such as engine noise or high traffic area.

Sources: personal experience, www.seatguru.com