by Best seat on a plane? Well, that depends on your preferences as a passenger. If you value safety over a quick departure, for example, or the shut eye over food during a flight, you will definitely want to sit in a different part of the plane.
With that in mind, Telegraph Travel has done the research to find the best spots to park your scent depending on your needs. Once you’ve found the perfect seat, take our quiz to find out what your choice of airplane seat says about you.
If you want the best service
No matter where you sit, as soon as you get on the plane, be sure to smile and make eye contact with the cabin crew as they greet you. Not just out of common courtesy, but because it can also lead to better service.
At least that’s according to New York-based flight attendant Amanda Pleva.
“You’d be surprised how far politeness and friendliness goes,” she wrote for the website Flyertalk. “Even if you don’t think we notice, we do. And we get it back when we can – maybe it’s a free drink, maybe we’ll tap you on the shoulder and put you in line. Or maybe it’s just an extra-careful service! But we always appreciate a friendly face, and word usually spreads among the staff when people are very kind.”
As for the seat of the plane, sit in the back for the best service, as we’re told some flight attendants are reluctant to respond to requests from the front. This is because they will have to parade whatever you asked for – a pillow, or a second drink, say – all the way up the beach. This often prompts other passengers to notice and ask for the same thing, starting a disturbing chain reaction.
For the best view
Window seat, right? It is not necessary. Some airlines – including Ryanair, British Airways and American Airlines – have window seats that lack the basic feature that makes them a window seat, leaving passengers irked at the thought of a plastic wall panel instead.
11A is the offending seat on Ryanair’s fleet of Boeing 737-800s, dubbed “Europe’s most hated airline seat”. According to the Seat Guru website, seats 12A and 12F also have misaligned or missing windows. Of course, Ryanair tries to play up the lack of a window as a virtue, suggesting that the seats are “perfect” for passengers who want to sleep.
It’s not just Ryanair. According to the Seat Guru website, Wizz Air’s A320s (avoid seats 20A and 20F) have the same issue as Aer Lingus’s A330s (walk from seats 13A, 13K, 26A and 26K).
It’s not just budget carriers, either. American Airlines’ 737s have windowless seats (12A and 12F), according to Seat Guru. As BA does on A380s: 70A and 70K, in economy, as well as 12A, 12K, 50A and 50K in Club World. Yes, even premium passengers are not exempt.
If you’re into scenery you’ll also want to avoid a window seat located over one of the wings. If in doubt, enter your flight details into Seat Guru, which will provide you with a map of your particular aircraft, so you can see which seats actually have windows and which are located over the wings.
Which side of the plane you sit on also makes a difference to the view, of course. For example, a seat on the left side of the plane is best for a great view of the Hollywood sign from LAX, and the same for Sydney if you want a great view of the harbor.
If you are safety conscious
Airlines and airplane manufacturers will tell you that all seats are equal when it comes to safety. However, an investigation by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) looked at crashes between 1985 and 2020 and found that survival rates differed slightly depending on where the plane passengers sat.
There isn’t much, though. While the people in the center had a death rate of 39 percent, that figure dropped to just one percent for people at the front. At the rear, the death rate was 32 percent.
Other studies have also found that the back of the plane is safer. In 2012, Channel 4 aired The Crash, a program in which a car carrying cameras, sensors and crash test dummies with breakable “bones” was deliberately dismantled in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico.
After they hit the ground, the front of the plane and the first 11 rows of seats – usually reserved for first class, business class or premium economy passengers – are ripped off. A force of 12G was recorded in this part of the aircraft. Further back, the force dropped to about 6G. Experts concluded that none of the plane’s first class passengers would have survived, but 78 per cent of the other passengers would have, with the chance of survival increasing the closer they were to the rear of the aircraft. .
Despite such research, the world’s two largest aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, insist that no conclusive evidence is available.
If you want a quick exit
You’re on a city break to Europe and you’re traveling light with only a small carry-on case in the overhead locker. You want to maximize the amount of time at your destination and minimize the time spent on the plane. Game plan? Get a seat at the front of the plane on the left, which is where passengers leave the aircraft.
If you want to sleep
It’s hard to sleep at 35,000 feet, where many things conspire against you screaming: the hum of engines; another passenger who needs to go to the loo; the lack of neck support in your seat.
Certain parts of the plane, however, are better than others for getting a shut eye. For example, window seats give you control over the shutter and provide you with a place to rest your head; they also mean you don’t have to be woken up every time the passenger next to you needs to answer nature’s call. Seats at the front of the plane are also quieter.
If you want a better dining experience
According to Professor Charles Spence – author of Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating – airplane food tastes better at the front of the aircraft, where it is quieter and the air is more humid.
“Dry cabin air and loud engine noise contribute to our inability to taste and smell food and drink,” he told Telegraph Travel. If you sit as close to the hole as possible, you are more likely to get served first.
If you don’t like turbulence
Of course, turbulence shakes the entire aircraft, but experts say there are some seats on a plane that don’t feel bumps and bumps as much. Those seats are in the middle of the plane, above the wings, which keep the plane steady when the going is tough.
If you need leg room
Seats in the outer rows have more legroom than most, as do seats in the volume head. However, such seats are in high demand, usually cost more, and often come with a caveat: passengers in the outer rows, for example, must be willing to help evacuate the aircraft with emergency pool. However, long legs are probably the best way to dip your seat at the bulkhead – ideally in the middle – which means other passengers won’t have to pass you on the way to the cabin. Otherwise, an aisle seat.
If you are traveling with children
Bag some seats at the bulb – there’s more space and they’re next to the bathroom for the inevitable toilet visits.
If you want to spread
Flights with empty seats often get crowded and there are ways to increase your chances of sitting next to one of them. If your airline has not yet replaced the check-in staff with computers, ask the person behind the counter how busy the plane is. If it is not busy, flutter your eyelids and ask politely if they would be kind enough to put you next to an empty seat. It works surprisingly often.
Of course, many airlines charge a fee for seat selection. If you choose not to pay for this in advance, airlines will allocate you a seat at the airport. If you’re lucky, do this and make sure you’re the last person to board the plane. As soon as you have it, enthusiastically go to the row where there are empty seats and see for yourself there.
If you are flying with a companion, try to book both the aisle and the window seat. You will often find that the middle seat – as it is the least favored for passengers traveling alone – is empty by the time you board, leaving you with the division of unclaimed real estate. If not, however, you may have to negotiate a seat swap with the stranger sitting between us. Ah, the joy of flying in the modern age.
This story was first published in June 2019 and has been revised and updated.
