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How to Get the Best Airline Seat in Economy Class?

By: Manoj B

Most First and Business Class passengers are flattered and pampered by personalized services, drinks on tap, luxurious leg room, and fully reclining sofa-beds. After all, money can definitely buy those pleasures.

But imagine your situation when you’re booking an Economy ticket. Those in the back of the plane, traveling Economy Class, have to squeeze themselves into cramped seats with inadequate leg room and paid beverages and cookies. However, even in economy travel, you can win a comfortable flight.

For instance, JetBlue’s Airbus 320 carriers offer a 36-inch seat pitch in the first 11 rows and 34 in the others. Doesn’t that sound tempting? The seats are offered on a first come, first serve basis. If you want to get lucky, booking early is the key.

Last year, Northwest Airlines introduced their new Coach Choice, which allows passengers to confirm exit, window, and aisle seats 24 hours before departure for as little as $15 per seat. So, if you’re ready to pay a little more, you can definitely sit back and relax in the seat of your desire.

Similarly, United Airlines’ passengers can upgrade from Economy to Economy Plus by paying a few extra bucks. Who doesn’t want a 36-inch pitch! If you’re a frequent flier, you can get an upgrade, too.

There’s a plethora of airline websites that provide details like seat maps, quality ratings, and passenger reviews for every airline. Check out sites like SkyTrax, SeatGuru, SeatExpert, and others. You’ll be surprised by the amount of information available there.

If you have doubts on the authenticity of the information provided on those sites, you can always cross-check with fellow travelers in forums like Tripso and FlyerTalk. Forum visitors tend to comment on their personal experiences. So, you might even find specifics up to the ideal seat number on an airline that you’re planning to fly.

Experienced flyers often opt for the exit row or the front section of economy class. While the former offers more leg space, the latter provides a quiet flight with less engine noise. As the best seats are reserved for frequent flyers and not released until a few hours before departure, it’s ideal to arrive at the airport early and ask at the check-in counter if there is any availability in the exit row or the bulkhead.

At any rate, if you want some amount of comfort, you need to avoid the rear seats. There are various reasons for this. The galley is located there. The restrooms are there, which means frequent movement of passengers. Plus this area experiences more engine noise. Earlier, smokers used to occupy this area. We’re lucky now that smoking is prohibited on a majority of airlines.

In situations when you’re stuck with a blaring child nearby, you can request the flight attendant for an upgrade. This is quite possible because there are many planes, which offer a four class configuration- Economy, Economy Plus, Business, and First Class. If an upgrade is not available, you can at least shift to another seat.

Finding a cozy Economy Class seat is not as difficult as it may seem. With some groundwork and research, you can definitely seize a good seat for yourself. Keep trying until takeoff.

Manoj Borah is a Senior Writer & Journalist working with CheapoAir.com, a top travel site offering low airfare guarantee on airlines like Gulf Air and Korean Air. Manoj writes articles with special focus on the aviation industry, besides sharing tips and nuggets on booking cheap flights, hotels and tour packages.

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