Comfort in the Skies

Comfort in the Skies
By Andrea Hodgins, Freelance Writer

"Location, location, location," is an important consideration not only when buying real estate, but also when selecting an airplane seat. With more people traveling and more airlines cramming planes with more seats, passengers often wind up with less. Especially when it comes to comfort. But, taking the time to select a seat customized to your needs can avert hours of potential in-flight agony.

Persistence Pays

The best way to ensure you don’t wind up with a poor seat is to book your flight well in advance. At the time of your booking, be sure to choose where you want to sit. An excellent website for locating the best seats for each aircraft type of numerous airlines is www.seatguru.com. Besides color-coded diagrams of seat plans indicating where the good, bad and ugly seats are, you can see the locations of power ports, exits, lavatories and galleys.

If you’re unhappy with the selection of seats remaining on your flight, keep checking back to see if any new seats have become available. Still can’t snag a good seat? On the day of your flight, arrive at the airport well in advance, as new seats may have been “released”. When you check in, let the gate agent know where you prefer to sit. No luck? Ask again at the gate. Your last chance at getting a better seat is to wait until all of the passengers have boarded and before the seat belt sign is illuminated. Flights that aren’t full often have empty seats at the rear. This is a great spot to check if you want to stretch out after take-off.

Where To Catch Some ZZZs

However, the back of the aircraft is not a prime location for catching a few winks as they are near the noise and smells of gallies and lavatories. On some aircrafts, the engines at the rear can be noisy. Sleeping onboard is also difficult in seats that are in front of emergency exits or lavatories. The “bulkhead” or partition between cabins is another spot you want to steer clear of. Bulkheads on older aircraft often have large movie screens, and sitting so close to a bright screen not only makes it difficult to sleep but also to get a good view of the movie. These rows behind the partition are usually reserved for passengers with babies because there is often more legroom and outlets for bassinets.

Parent-Friendly Seats

Although the airlines set aside bulkheads for people traveling with babies, these rows aren’t always comfortable for parents. During take-off and landing, for safety reasons, you must stow your luggage in the overhead bins. This can be inconvenient if you’re frantic for a bottle or cloth for Junior. As well, the armrests in these rows often store the chairtables, making the armrests immoveable and the seat width smaller. If you do need extra space across, opt for aisle seats either in an emergency exit row or in the rear, where double seats might be available. According to Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC’s “Today Show, and author of The Travel Detective: How to Get the Best Service and the Best Deals from Airlines, Cruise Ships, and Car Rental Agencies, flights that are less crowded are those departing around noon on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Wellness In the Skies

Sitting at the rear, especially in the middle, is not advised if you’re prone to motion sickness. Request an over wing seat where there is less movement and look out at the horizon, a natural stabilizer. Having a seat by a lavatory (but not too close or the odors might get to you) and a motion sickness bag close at hand are good back-ups!

Another ailment you might experience while airborne is claustrophobia. Choose an aisle seat, away from the washrooms, where line-ups can leave you feeling caged in.

If you’re nervous about flying, you’re best suited for the over wing area. This is where you experience the least amount of turbulence. Avoid the emergency exit rows, as passengers seated there are expected to assist the flight crew during an evacuation.

Feeling Like A Pretzel, Anyone?

Perhaps you’re tall and your sole goal is to make it to the end of the flight without winding up like a pretzel. The emergency exit rows are your number one choice for extra legroom. The down side to sitting beside the exit on some aircrafts is that they can be quite cool. Seats in these rows also may not have armrests or the armrests are immoveable because they are attached to the exits. Another possible choice is the bulkhead, but some can be cramped, so look to www.seatguru.com for the lowdown. An aisle seat is yet another option.

Be Up Front

So, your flight has gone off without a hitch, but its landing time and you need to run for your life to catch a connecting flight. Find out at check-in if you need to pick up your luggage before your connection. If your luggage has been taken care of, guarantee yourself a quick exit by sitting as close to the front as possible. If the gate number for your connecting flight has been announced, look in the in-flight magazine for a map of that airport and plan your route. Should you wind up in the rear section of the plane, near the end of the flight, ask a crewmember if it’s possible to move closer to the exit before landing. We had a number of passengers miss their connection because their flights were less than two hours apart. Build in time for weather and flight delays, as well as customs and immigration line-ups.

Airplane seats really are like real estate. Investing some time to decide which is best will net you positive results. Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight!