How to choose the best seats on the plane: practical advice

The comfort during the flight and the pleasure of the flight largely depends on the choice of the seat. During my travels, I "tested" many types - from little Yak-40 and Avro to large planes - IL-86, Boeing 777.

What are the best places to fly in comfort?

I will not consider the business class, everything is more or less clear with it - the food is good, there is a lot of legroom. I will dwell on economy class in more detail.
Most Boeing and Airbus aircraft use a 3 x 3 seating arrangement - three rows on one side (A, B, C), aisle and three rows on the other (D, E, F). It is the aircraft of these manufacturers that are most used in the world air fleet.

Front row seats

In my opinion, front row seats have only advantages. If I can, I always choose them and enjoy the flight.

No one will recline the front back of the seat and you are spared from contemplation of someone's hair or the absence of it during the flight.
Children don’t have a play area on the back of a chair and you don’t have to fight back invitations to take part in their entertainment. In addition, you do not have to pick up toys that periodically fall on your knees or in food on a folding table.
Front row seats have increased legroom.
You are always guaranteed to receive hot food and the maximum choice of it. Except for the few airlines that start distributing aviation food from the tail of the plane. In "big" planes, food is handed out from several carts that move towards each other from different directions.
The toilet is a stone's throw away. In addition, as practice shows, there are almost no queues for the toilet at the bow, and no one will hang over you while waiting for the empty toilet.

Some will attribute to the disadvantages of the first row the lack of space for hand luggage under the seat in front, because they are not there, but you can always put things on the shelf or ask the flight attendants to find a place for your bag.

Seats in the first half of the salon

To such places I include the ranks from the second to the beginning of the aircraft wing. When choosing seats in this part, try to take the rows further from the engines. In some types of aircraft, slight discomfort is generated by noise from their operation.
The advantages of choosing such places include:

Guaranteed gastronomic food selection
Closeness of the toilet and no queues

Airplane wing seats

I try to avoid over-wing reservations whenever possible. There is only one reason, and for many travelers it is not essential.
I love to contemplate the surroundings at all stages of the flight. And the wing obstructs the view from the window.
If earthly beauty is not so important to you, some of the seats in the wing section have a number of advantages - feel free to choose them when registering. What are the best spots for a wing?

On some aircraft, emergency exits are located above the wing of the aircraft. In others - at the beginning and at the end of the salon. Wherever emergency exits are located, more free space is allocated near them, for obvious reasons.
By occupying seats at the emergency exits, you have ample space in front of you.

Legs can be pulled forward as desired.
Getting up from a seat at the window, you do not need to squeeze between the passengers in the middle and outer rows, forcing them to get up. Conversely, no one will bother you if you are sitting in the aisle row.

It is considered a disadvantage that the backs of the seats in the emergency rows do not recline.
There is one caveat. If you have chosen an emergency exit seat during electronic check-in, the flight attendant on the plane can transfer you to other seats.

Why is this possible?

In the event of an emergency landing, the passenger at the emergency exit must be able to open the emergency hatch as quickly as possible.
Therefore, in such places, the seating of passengers is prohibited:

With kids
Elderly
Physically challenged
With animals
In foreign airlines: those who do not speak English or the national language of the carrier

Seats in the second part of the salon

These include the rows from the rear of the wing to 2-3 rows at the end of the cabin. In principle, these rows are no different from the rows in the first part of the cabin. The recommendations are the same - choose places further from the engine. There will be less noise. Seating in the middle of this block is ideal.

As a hypothetical disadvantage, I would include a possible shortage of food and drinks. Those. until the food cart reaches the second part of the plane, instead of "Chicken or Fish" there may be either chicken or fish.

As an example, I will give a recent review of a passenger from one of the Russian airlines, who was sitting in a row at the end of the aircraft cabin:

… So also the normal hot half of the plane simply did not get a normal hot one. There were chicken, fish and sweet pancakes to choose from. And until the flight attendants reached us, there was nothing but disgustingly sweet pancakes. When I asked why there was nothing left, the stewardess replied that 1/3 of each dish was ordered, and that everything had already been sorted out.

Lifehack "How, being in the rear of the salon, is it guaranteed to get your food"

Many airlines have the opportunity to order special meals (kosher, seafood, vegetarian, etc.) completely free of charge.
Order yourself a special meal and you won't be hungry on the flight. Flight attendants will know where to deliver it and will not give it to anyone but you ????

Seats in the tail of the plane

I try to avoid the last 2-3 rows of the plane. According to statistics, these are the safest lanes - in the event of a crash, these nearby passengers have a better chance of surviving. But, in some types of ships there is a narrowing of the fuselage, there is very little free space at the window, and the window itself may not be there.

Despite the closeness of the toilet, the bulk of passengers will tend to this particular toilet. Your personal space will be violated. Passengers will constantly stand in the aisle, waiting in line for the restroom, and someone will lean on the back of your chair, which is not very comfortable, you must agree.

If the cabin of the aircraft is not 100% full, as a rule, the seats in the tail are always free. And then there is a plus of these places on night or long-distance routes. After reseeding, the chairs can be turned into a kind of bed by removing the armrests and placing themselves horizontally along the entire row.

Which seats are better: by the window, in the middle or by the aisle?

The infographic provides statistics on the preferences of airline passengers when choosing a seat.

Porthole Seats

The advantages of such places include the opportunity to admire the scenery outside the window during the entire flight. No one will walk over you, what is happening in the aisle will not create discomfort.
You can distance yourself from your neighbor to "your" armrest at the window.
Suitable for couch potatoes and introverts.

Aisle seats

Suitable for "fidgets" who like to warm up, walk down the aisle, chat and make acquaintances, etc. There is also a "own" armrest.
From the pros - an "easy" way out. Of the minuses - the same fidgets will periodically hurt you during the promenade.

Seats in the center of the row

According to statistics, such places during registration are the last. The seats in the center of the row are considered the most uncomfortable for flight.
You will not have your own armrest, any of the neighbors can put their hand there. You cannot "hide" from them.

Life hack "How to fly comfortably together in three places"