Get The Best Seats On A Plane Even When Flying On A Budget!

The screaming child, someone constantly knocking on the backside of your seat, the fellows on either side of you snoring loudly through the night – one even resting their head on your shoulders, your legs feeling lifeless as they are squished together because of lack of legroom. These are just some of the horrors of the economy class in a plane and anyone who has flown on a long haul flight knows how a bad seat can ruin your journey. While economy class travel is sometimes the only option, especially for those traveling on a budget, there are ways through which one can find a better seat. It depends on the passenger’s preference of course but generally exit rows, aisle or window seats and those at the front of the plane are considered the best. While seats in the middle of an aisle are considered the worst. Here are some tips on how to find the best seats on a plane.
 

The Frequent Flier

The best way to ensure you get a good seat is to join a frequent flier program. If you are a loyal, high ranking member and you provide your frequent flier number when reserving the tickets you’ll more often than not end up with a very good seat. The airlines will also inform you when upgrades are available, such upgrades to a better class are cheap when you’re part of such a program.

If you’re not part of any such program, you can still get your seat upgrade – the chances are a little less that’s all. You can do so by (very politely) asking the staff if you can move to the exit row or the front of the economy cabin. If there are free seats available you’ll often get them for a very low price or even for free.
 

Booking Ahead To Get The Best Seats On A Plane

Booking the ticket early is cheaper and it will also give you a much better chance of finding a good seat: most of the seats are available so you can pick the one best suited to your liking. If online check in isn’t available be sure to arrive at the airport early, on the day of the flight. This way you can see if there are any seats available to which you could upgrade to. Some airline charge a small fee for booking tickets in advance, some don’t.
 

Know Your Plane

Every airline’s economy class isn’t the same, some are better than others. Generally you can find information about it online, vital things such as seat pitch – the distance between your seat and the one in front – and the distance between seats. Choose an airline which offers a reasonable seat pitch if you can. Exact configurations of seats and details are also available on some consumer focused websites.
According to Skytrax, the following airlines offer the most comfortable seats (with the best seat pitch)

• Thai Airways
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Kingfisher Airlines
• Arik Air
• Asiana Airlines
• Air China
• Korean Air
• Garuda Indonesia
• Saudi Arabian Airlines

Having knowledge of exactly what type of seat you are looking for will also help you in finding one quickly. Also be sure to get to the airport early – if you don’t your booked seat may be given to someone else. And again, being polite with an agent can go a long way in securing one of the best seats on a plane.