Improved airplane seats. Classification of seats in aircraft cabins. How to book a specific seat on board

In an era of relatively affordable flights, it is quite possible to travel to the other end of the earth. We will tell you what are the pros and cons of different places and what is the ideal scheme for choosing the best seat on the plane.

The safest place

Airplane manufacturers unanimously argue that there are no places on board that are safer than others, and the chances of surviving or remaining unharmed depend more on following the instructions of the airline personnel, rather than on the location of the seat. Nevertheless, although it is minimal, you can still increase your chances of a successful outcome if you choose the following places.

Closer to the tail of the plane

A statement backed up by naked statistics: A study by Popular Mechanics magazine, which analyzed plane crashes from 1971 to 2007, found that 69% of passengers survived in the tail of an aircraft versus 56% in the wing area and 49% in the nose.

Window seat

Let's say the plane has landed hard, the person is safe and sound, but then your bag with 5 bottles of cognac purchased in duty-free falls on your head from the luggage rack. Such a “gift” is unlikely to arrive for a passenger at the window, but for a chair at the aisle it is quite a common situation in such cases.

Seating at the emergency exit or in the rows closest to it

The ability to be one of the first to leave the plane can be vital, because panic in such situations is sometimes worse than the accident itself.

The most comfortable places

The most comfortable seats are in first class and it's hard to argue with that. However, most people are still not willing to pay half their annual salary for the chance to fly on vacation while lying in an embrace with a bottle of champagne. Even in Economy Class, you can sometimes feel great if you can find good seats.

Seats behind emergency exits

• huge legroom
• in case of an accident, you can be the first to escape

• as a rule, it is impossible to select remotely (not at the airport)
• you cannot place luggage under the seat in front of you
• passengers with children and elderly people are not allowed in such seats

Seats in front of emergency exits

• proximity to an emergency exit, the ability to leave the plane one of the first in the event of an emergency

• a small angle of inclination of the seats or in general the inability to lean back

The last row

• because of the disadvantages of these seats, few people want to sit on them, but if no one sat down, then, as a rule, you can sit in three or four seats at once, which allows you to forget about the disadvantages

• backrests can recline little or not recline at all
• often close to the toilet

Seats in the rear of the aircraft

• according to statistics, the safest places, as well as close to emergency exits for most types of aircraft
• at some airports, people are also released through the rear exit, which makes it easier to get off the plane
• if the flight is not fully loaded, the last rows are often empty, so you can take adjacent seats

• if passengers are released only through the front door, you will have to wait a long time for the exit, which can be critical in case of short connections
• if food is handed out starting from the front of the plane, some goodies may simply "not reach"

Seats in the front of the cabin

• a full range of food and beverage options are generally available
• being one of the first to get off the plane

• such seats are often completely filled even on relatively unloaded flights, so there is less chance of stretching your legs under an empty seat in front or occupying adjacent seats
• here many companies install bassinets for children, so the chances of flying to the symphony of tearing children's screams increase dramatically

First row next to business class

• many airlines have seats like this with more legroom
• no one will recline the back of the chair, since there is a partition in front and there are no chairs

• there are almost inevitably cradles for children here, so there is every chance of listening to a heartbreaking symphony

Window seat

• when traveling over mountains and other beauties of our planet, a window seat can greatly brighten up the time spent in the air
• it is the perfect place to sleep as no one will interfere with requests to skip to get out
• there is more sunshine during the daytime, which is good if you want to read

• going out for a walk or going to the toilet is associated with anxiety for neighbors who may, for example, sleep
• you will have to leave the plane a little later than those sitting at the aisle

Aisle seat

• the most mobile place: you can easily get up, stretch your legs into the aisle
• allows you to get off the plane faster

• stretched legs can be stepped on, run over by carts
• many passing passengers will hurt. However, for some, such physical contact will be a plus.

How not to miss out on the best place

As you can see, even in economy class, the comfort seats can be very different, and therefore there is always a chance to get the coveted seat earlier than others, and the longer the flight lasts, the more important it is.

Online registration

In most cases, the right to choose a seat for a passenger appears from the moment the online check-in for a flight begins, and for this it is very important to be in time for its start.

Not all airlines start online check-in 24 hours before departure, which you should know and use.

Seat selection before online check-in

For example, the Dutch KLM gives the opportunity to choose a seat immediately after buying a ticket, and usually all the "sweet" seats have already been sorted out by the time registration starts. So it's always a good idea to check the airline's website well in advance of your trip and check if there is such an option in the booking management menu.

Many companies offer seat selection when purchasing, and this service usually costs money. There are often cases when the airline itself indicates on the website which seats are more comfortable, and in this case it is also possible to purchase such a seat with a surcharge.

In the airoport

At the check-in desk, you can always ask to be seated at a specific seat (for example, a seat after an emergency exit). Usually, airport employees do not refuse, and under certain circumstances (for example, traveling with children) they can put in the seat occupied during online check-in by transferring the passenger who took the seat to another seat.

Self-check-in kiosks are useful too, but not much different from online check-in.

In the airplane

If you didn't manage to get to the coveted place, then even if you are already on the plane, all is not lost. If the flight is not fully loaded, it makes sense to inspect the cabin for empty seats or even rows. After the message "boarding completed" there are several minutes to change to a more comfortable free seat.

Not everyone can afford to fly in business class and take up slightly more space than a standard seat. Those who fly often know that the chance to sit with a large person or someone with different ideas about hygiene is very high. It is impossible to avoid this, but you can try to sit near the window or in the aisle if it will be more comfortable for you to survive the deprivation of the flight.

Russian Forbes gives practical advice on how not to make a mistake with a seat on the plane.

1. Learn more about the model and the location of the seats on the plane

You can find out which model of aircraft a particular flight is on on the airline's website. Airplanes of different airlines are quite different from each other in terms of cabin comfort. The websites SeatGuru, SeatExpert have all the details about the layout of a wide variety of aircraft: the presence of electrical outlets and TVs in the backs of the seats, the location of toilets, the spacing between rows (usually it is 80 cm, but some companies, for example JetBlue, have increased it by 5 cm) - this seemingly small difference during long flights is very much felt.

The first row behind the business class is considered the most comfortable: there is more legroom, no one sits in front of you - which means that no one throws back their chair on you, you will be the first to get food, drinks, newspapers, you will get blankets and pillows for for those traveling with small children, it is possible to attach a cradle for babies to the wall and put a child seat. But there are also disadvantages here - because of the tables hidden in the armrests, it is impossible to lift these armrests and turn the chair into a sofa, or put a sleeping child on your lap. And if, for example, you are going to work on the way or prepare for a business meeting, you should hardly strive to sit in the front rows: being close to children (and there are usually most of them here) is unlikely to contribute to concentration.

Seats at emergency exits are also held in high esteem by experienced travelers: the spacing between rows here is 15 cm longer than in the rest of the cabin, but depending on the layout of the cabin, the backrests of the seats often do not fall (you will regret it on long flights) and you cannot keep your hand on the floor luggage. The rules prescribe to plant only tall adults in these places.

“To be honest, for obvious reasons, at registration, they first of all look to ensure that this person is physically strong, energetic and, how to say, smart,” says Boris Rybak, director of the consulting company Infomost. "In an emergency, he must open the door and help the crew to evacuate passengers."

Although there are cases when even a fragile girl could convince an airline employee that she needed to fly in this particular row.

In the middle of the cabin, for a significant part of the flight, you find yourself "locked" carts with food, drinks, newspapers, and duty-free goods. In addition, usually rows 8-20 is the noisiest zone on the plane, where all the noise of engines and turbines is concentrated. But there is no such information on the websites and cabin diagrams, and only airline employees at check-in can help you find a quieter place - different types of aircraft have different noise distribution schedules.

In the tail of the plane there is a little narrower space (this is the geometry of the plane) - to sit there closer, shakes more, a small selection of food, newspapers and magazines (according to the principle - what is left), next to it is a toilet, which most often has a queue - which means noise. The only plus is that tail sites are considered safer.

2. Book your seats in advance

Advance booking allows you to choose your seats on the plane long before the flight. This is especially convenient for those who fly in large companies - it is difficult to expect that all of you will be able to sit next to each other. British Airways has introduced an additional booking fee since October this year: now, for the choice of a comfortable seat, Economy Class passengers will have to pay £ 10 ($ 16) on European flights and £ 20 ($ 32) on long flights, and £ 20 ($ 32) ) and 60 pounds (98 $), respectively, for business class passengers. But most air carriers (with the exception of low-cost carriers, which charge everything) still provide this service for free when buying tickets both on the Internet and at airline offices. But few people know about it - because for some reason neither the carriers themselves nor the agents advertise it.

If you book your seat in advance, you can also order special food for yourself (which, too, few people know about) - all air carriers have different dining options. Transaero, for example, offers a choice of about 30 different meals - vegetarian, kosher, Muslim, low-calorie, diabetic and others, plus 2 types of baby food.

3. Use online registration

You can also choose a place convenient for you during online check-in, this procedure is becoming more and more popular - you can check-in at the airport at special kiosks, and even on the airline's website. Thus, you save a lot of time (you can arrive at the airport at least 50 minutes before departure), however, there are a number of restrictions - you must travel without luggage, without small children, without animals. In general, this option suits the businessman traveling light. In addition, some companies, for example, Delta or Air Berlin, do not display seats near emergency exits (and they are considered good by travelers) into the online check-in system, keeping them for tall and large passengers. The second point is that in Russia, not all companies have online registration desks, and so far only in Moscow - in Dodomedovo and Sheremetyevo-2.

In the near future - the creation of a single group boarding pass, which will allow you to get seats next to each other, for example, a large family or a company of passengers - for this they will not necessarily appear to everyone at the airport at the same time, 1 person will be able to register the entire company: the data of several travelers at once will be stored on the chip of one ticket.

4. Arrive for registration in advance

Do not neglect the simplest and most proven way to get the desired seat in the salon: do not be lazy and arrive at the beginning of registration. According to the director of the press service of the airline Transaero Sergey Byhal, “the employees of the airline at check-in always try to meet passengers and take into account their wishes”. For solo travelers, the following option is also possible: take a chance and play the lottery - arrive, on the contrary, at the very end of check-in: if you're lucky, you may be provided with a seat in business class, and if you're not lucky, you will get a seat from which all other passengers have already refused.

5. Choose the days of the least traffic for flights

Experts recommend, if possible, to schedule flights for the days and hours of the least congestion at airports - this is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. The busiest days are Friday and Sunday. The busiest flights are morning and evening. In the half-empty cabins of "weekday" flights, the flight attendants themselves will offer you to change seats to unoccupied rows - it is quite possible to sleep on three seats.

6. Try "informal ways"

A few years ago, the practice of getting good seats on board or getting into business class for a bribe to airline employees was widespread (500 rubles invested in a passport can still open the way for you to a seat at the emergency exit, but we do not recommend this). American Forbes.com tells the story of a passenger who, on a flight from New York to Germany, was helped by a $ 100 bill to get into business class. True, on the way back with the German airline staff, the same trick did not work.

An experienced traveler is sure that he will fly comfortably even before boarding the plane. He knows how to extract the information he needs from the plane's seat plan and book the most comfortable seat long before arriving at the airport.

He takes into account a lot of nuances and as a result enjoys the journey. Yes, to be able to do this, you need to make many flights - or read the Kidpassage article once.

It has everything you need to know about the best seats on the plane and how to book them. Our review will be especially useful for parents with kids: they need to know exactly how to choose a seat on the plane so that the flight goes smoothly.

Airplane seat classes

The comfort of the seats and the range of services on the plane depends on which class you are flying. All seats in the cabin are divided into three main classes - economy, business and first class.

Most often, tourists buy economy class seats. In terms of comfort, they can be compared to modern buses: there are seats in the cabin with little legroom left between.

People of average height will be able to get comfortable, but long-legged passengers need to know which seat is best to choose.

Parents with restless children will also need a life hack for choosing seats in economy class: who would want a child to stamp on his feet during several hours of flight?

At the same time, flying in economy class does not mean deprivation of all comforts. You will be sure to be fed during the flight, in addition, many airlines offer free baby food - ask how to order such a service (usually you need to inform about such a need 24-48 hours before the flight).

A carrycot can be reserved for babies. Often, air carriers give little tourists gifts - toys, coloring books, stickers: new entertainment will help a child pass the time in flight. Each seat can be equipped with a TV.

Note that an economy class ticket imposes a limitation on baggage: in most cases, it is allowed to carry up to 20 kg of baggage per person for free. You can take hand luggage into the salon by placing it on a special shelf or under the armchair.

Business class seats on the plane are somewhat more convenient. The distance between the seats is greater, and the seats themselves are usually arranged so that you can relax during the flight.

Business class passengers are offered richer and more refined meals, and the free baggage allowance is increasing. Also, the seats in the business class are equipped with outlets, so that passengers can charge a smartphone or connect a laptop.

Sometimes the planes have first class seats. This is the most comfortable class for long-distance flights, but also the most expensive. A general bonus for First and Business Class passengers is a separate check-in counter.

Please note: some airlines are introducing their own gradation of seats on the aircraft, creating superior seats in Economy Class.

Where is the best place to sit on the plane

You will be surprised, but there is no consensus among travelers about which seats on the plane are better. Preferences are influenced by a variety of factors, from a passenger's height to their safety perceptions.

We propose to consider several options for accommodation in the salon in order to find out their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Seats along the sides of the aircraft... Convenient if the child wants to look through the window or if you are going to read, draw with the baby, or do other things that require good lighting.

If your family occupies all the adjacent chairs, you have two additional advantages: you will not disturb the neighbors if they need to go to the toilet, and the tallest family member will have the opportunity to straighten their legs in the aisle.

2. Aisle seats... Suitable if you have a restless child - he will have the opportunity to stretch a little in the aisle. With a baby who will sleep in your arms, it is better not to choose this place: on the one hand, you will be disturbed by fellow travelers who need to go to the toilet, on the other, by flight attendants delivering food around the cabin.

3. Front row seats... The most convenient seats on the plane for flying with a baby: usually it is in the front row that attachments for the suspension cradle are provided. Since there are no seats in front, no one will lower the back of their seat and take up space from you.

Also, passengers in the front seat are usually the first to get food and can choose any of the proposed menu options. But there are also disadvantages: the bag with children's things that will be needed in flight cannot be pushed under the seat in front.

We'll have to put her at your feet, and that will take up space. Another drawback - as a rule, the armrests of the chairs in the first row do not rise, so you cannot turn adjacent seats into a solid sofa.

4. Middle row seats in wide-body aircraft... Not a bad choice if you manage to occupy three adjacent chairs. If the flight is relatively short, then the stewardesses and passengers passing along the rows will not annoy you.

5. Tail seats... According to statistics, these are the safest places on the plane. If the fear of air travel is great, climb deep in the cabin and switch to dreams of what family entertainment awaits you in a few hours. But if you are not afraid to fly, it is advisable not to choose a seat in the tail of the plane - the cons far outweigh the pros.

The backs of the seats in the last row do not recline, and a long flight can be agony. Also at the end of the salon there is usually a small queue of people who want to get to the toilet.

Almost all the necessary information about the benefits of a particular place can be obtained by examining the salon plan. You can find it on the websites of air carriers or on aggregator sites that offer flight search.

For example, the SeatGuru service allows you to find an aircraft by flight number and examine the cabin layout. For each place on the plan, a description is given: the width of the chair, the distance between the chairs, the location of windows, sockets, toilets are indicated.

If the airline offers extra comfort seats, they will also be marked on the diagram.

Airplane emergency exit seats

Aircraft emergency exits are usually located on both sides in the middle of the cabin. If you can manage to get into the seats in front of which the emergency exits are located, then you will feel very good in flight.

The main advantage of these seats is the increased distance between the seats. The child will be able to move around without leaving the main aisle, it will be easier for you to get to the toilet, and the lowered backs of the front seats will not bother you too much.

But it should be noted that usually near the emergency exits they try to put strong passengers who, in the event of an emergency, can help other people get out of the passenger compartment. Children under 12 years old and pregnant women are not allowed to sit in these places.

Even if there are a lot of empty seats on the plane and you manage to sit next to the emergency exit, you will have to put your carry-on luggage on the top bunk.

Please note: some airlines offer emergency row seats at an additional cost.

Where is the best place to sit on a plane with a child

For all the pros and cons, the best seat on an airplane to fly with children is the front rows of seats. It is important that there are much more advantages: increased space in front of the chair, the presence of mounts for the crib, the ability to choose food.

In addition, there is less shaking in the front of the airliner if the plane enters a turbulence zone.

It must be said that the employees conducting the check-in for the flight often try to allocate seats on the plane for children under 2 years old in the front part.

This means that there may be several babies near you, not all of whom will snore peacefully all the way. If silence is more important to you than a hanging cot, ask for a seat in the middle of the cabin.

In the case when you are flying together with a child over 2 years old (and such a traveler needs a separate seat), try to take the first and third places in a group of three seats.

If the flight is not loaded, it is possible that no one will be put in the empty seat between you. And you will have an extra seat - it is better to have at least a small island for games and relaxation on the plane with a child.

When choosing a seat on the plane, do not try to get into the tail section with children. But if there are many empty seats in the liner, then after the announcement of the end of landing, you can move to the tail and take three adjacent seats. There it is quite possible to put a child to bed.

Please note that check-in staff do not always pay attention to the age of travelers and may provide seats for parents and children at different ends of the cabin. Therefore, during registration, ask to be placed next to the children.

How to choose a seat on the plane with an e-ticket

There are two ways to take the seat you like best on the aircraft. The first is to find the location of the seats on the plane before departure, study their benefits, be at the check-in counter two hours before departure and ask to seat you in the selected seats.

The front desk clerk is likely to meet you halfway unless those seats are already taken. The fact is that advanced travelers try to book a seat on the plane as soon as they buy an e-ticket.

Advance booking of seats in the cabin is the second way to ensure your comfort during the flight. We recommend that you choose your seats on the plane online immediately after you have bought an e-ticket.

This service is provided by many airlines, as well as aggregator sites. When there is no queue of people wishing to check in for a flight behind you, you can calmly study how the seats are located on the plane and choose the most convenient ones.

It is enough to mark the required seats on the interactive diagram, and the airline will receive information on seat reservations. Then at the airport you will be sure that you will be seated comfortably in the aircraft cabin.

Sometimes at the time of booking it turns out that the best seats have already been taken. Don't be in a hurry to get upset: this could mean that the airline is holding the most comfortable seats until check-in opens.

Often they are left in order to accommodate passengers with babies or tall people. In this case, we recommend using the first method - come to registration early and ask to sit you more comfortably.

Important: not all airlines provide the opportunity to book seats before check-in opens. Also, you cannot book seats on low-cost flights.

Now you know what you need to do to get a smooth flight. Let's share a few more little things that will help you get the best seats.

• Do not be lazy to study the plane diagram. So you will know in advance how not to be in an uncomfortable place - for example, next to the toilet (and in large liners, bathrooms are located not only in the tail of the plane).
• Look for reviews from travelers who have flown the same type of airliner that you will be flying. From there you can glean useful information: from the temperature on board to small services that make the flight easier.
• Try to get on a less congested flight - you'll be more likely to get a good seat. Typically, flights on weekdays, except Friday, have fewer passengers than on weekends.
• During registration, ask to be placed in the places that you like. If you are unsure of a seat, just say that you would like to sit next to the porthole, or in the aisle, or in the front row. You can also ask for a "quiet place": the plane plan does not provide information about the location of the engines, but employees know where the hum of the engines is heard least of all.
• If you still got unfavorable seats, change to the best ones after the announcement of the end of boarding.
• Do not occupy the area behind which there are emergency exits. These chairs usually do not have reclining backs or the backs drop slightly.
• Some carriers provide passengers with the most comfortable seats for an additional charge. You can use this service to play it safe. But if you use our advice, then in most cases you can comfortably get on the plane and at no additional cost.

We fly often, 4-5 times a year, because we live in another country. There is also a list of their life hacks. Since my daughter was 2 years old and had to redeem her a separate ticket, I always take an inflatable leg pillow with me. She is placed between her and the seat in front and makes the chair longer so that the child can lie down and sleep. We still sleep like this, both on airplanes and on buses.

We flew with my husband and little son to Thailand. We took 3 places in a row at the window. The kid liked it - he was looking at the clouds behind the glass. He also played on the phone and drew on a pull-out table. And he slept there - no one interfered. Dad stretched his legs along our chairs and he also managed to get some sleep. In general, these places are not bad if you fly with a toddler. We liked.

My five-year-old daughter and I travel frequently. If possible, I choose seats in advance when booking tickets. I prefer the rows closer to the exit and the cockpit. She is a fidget for me, so one of the seats is in the middle of the row and the second is from the aisle. So she can get up, walk around the cabin. To keep her busy, I take a tablet with cartoons to the coloring salon.

Try to get tickets in the head of the plane. Most of the time there is more space, and when boarding, you can get there without the crowds. You can also leave the plane first when disembarking, my five-year plan simply can't sit for at least one minute by the end of the flight) True, the toilet is exactly at the other end of the plane, but this is even a plus, some kind of movement.
We plant near the porthole, you can always keep the child busy by looking at the clouds (in addition to the stored coloring pages, toys, etc.).

And our family always try to buy tickets at the head of the plane or close to it. It's just that there are a couple of unsuccessful flights in the tail, where it shakes a lot and my child cried a lot and was afraid. This has never happened before. And it is desirable that there are places next to the window at the same time, then the son in it all the time of the flight looks at everything as glued and is calm.

We have two kids. The eldest daughter is twelve, the youngest is seven.
During our annual flights to hot countries, we have tried, probably, all possible accommodation options in the aircraft cabin.
We always try to take three seats on one side and an adjacent one across the aisle. Children compete, who will sit at the window, and who is next. Adults can take a break by swapping extreme places.
According to the location in the cabin, the middle is more convenient for me, of course, if not near the toilet) You can send the child for a walk down the aisle and monitor his movements.
Once they sat in the first row. Very uncomfortable. There is nowhere to put bags with things for the flight and nowhere to stretch your legs.

Last summer, my wife and child (a little over a year) flew to Turkey. At the reception we were immediately asked to sit in front of the plane. We had no reason to refuse, so we sat down there. And everything would be fine, but a young mother with a very noisy child, who, it seems, was older than our Danka, was sitting with us. Half of the flight time, he did not give rest to anyone who sat more or less nearby. In the end, I asked the stewardess to transfer us somewhere quieter. She put us in the tail section. And, despite all the possible inconveniences there, we flew safely. This case is rather one of the infrequent. After all, in the same front part sat other families with children and their children almost did not shout, like ours. In general, I advise you to choose places wisely. Because the front part of the plane is not always well suited for flying with children.

Flying in an airplane is always exciting. In my opinion, a child should not pass on his excitement, on the contrary, set him up for a positive adventure. It is worth taking some food and water so that the child does not cry from hunger, and grumpy neighbors do not show discontent. And, if the baby is seasick, then you should also take care of this in advance, buy some pills for motion sickness. If the baby is still capricious, you can ask the stewardess to transplant to the best place if possible.

My child and I flew on a plane more than once, as for me the most comfortable places for a child and parents, this is at the very beginning of the plane, there the child will not interfere with anyone, and the flight attendants, if anything, are always there and can help. But again, if you fly far, it will be difficult to keep the child in one place, here it is probably better in the middle of the plane, so that at least somehow he could walk during the flight.

With the child, we flew several times on charter flights, tried to ask for tickets at the emergency exit, there is more space in the aisle. The daughter always asked to go to the window, it was interesting for her to look through the window as the plane takes off and the earth recedes. Well, of course, we often ran to the toilet, but fortunately, we had all 3 chairs, we didn't have to ask anyone 100 times to let them pass.

Usually we choose the first seats at the emergency exit - I think there are more seats there than in the usual places, but it is better to book them in advance, otherwise it often happens that they are busy. We had such a case, we did not have time to book the necessary seats in time, as a result, we sat in different rows altogether, my daughter at that time was only 3 years old. Still good seats at the window - at least my daughter likes to watch the view from the window and disturbs other passengers.

When traveling with a child, I always try to take seats closer to the toilet, about 4-5 rows before it and sit down to the aisle. Sometimes you even get lucky and the places nearby are not occupied. This location allows me to get up from the chair more often if the child needs to use the toilet or if suddenly he feels bad. You can also walk along the aisle to distract your child a little from the flight, and stretch your legs yourself.

If we are flying with a child, we usually always take a seat "by the window". And the kid is interested to see what is happening there, and I am calmer, after all, not in the aisle and no one walks by.
We flew for the first time when our son was 9 years old, now 11. We flew over the ocean at sunset time. He was delighted, pressed against the glass and asked me to take a picture of him)) He was not at all scared when the plane took off, when he landed, he also had no negative emotions. Now he is looking forward to each of our trips and is constantly wondering when we will fly again)
I think this type of transport is the most acceptable when traveling with a child. It's fast and comfortable.

We often fly both with the whole family and together with our 7 year old daughter. When the three of us travel, we try to take seats in the side of the cabin. While the plane takes off, the child, of course, looks out the window. When there is nothing to look at, my daughter sits down on a chair between us, puts her feet on one parent's lap, her head on the other, covers herself with a blanket and sleeps safely all the way. True, it is not very convenient for us, but the child at the end of the journey is happy and slept!

Back at the travel agency, we booked seats for our two-year-old son. After examining the aircraft layout, we chose two aisle seats. To be honest, I had no idea how the flight would go for him, although the flight was only 3 hours. But as I was not afraid, everything went well, the baby just fell asleep and woke up at the very end of the flight. The stewardess gave out a special belt for the child, which was very useful in flight.

The Internet gives people enormous opportunities, which, unfortunately, no one uses, either because of ignorance or laziness. I belonged to the same type of people before one incident. We all understand perfectly well that the best seats on the plane are by the window. So, I always asked passengers to change seats with me so that my child could watch the clouds from the window. She asked until one day they asked me to do it. I realized how unpleasant it is. And now I always book in advance. Therefore, if you are flying somewhere with a small child, take care of the seats in advance.

When we were going to fly on vacation in a travel agency, we were advised to choose seats in front of the plane. After listening to the managers, my family and I - this is a husband and two children settled in the front of the plane. We actually saw the difference right away. More legroom, where we were able to put the bag, which was allowed to take in carry-on luggage. Many were with children at the beginning of the plane.

Once I had to fly with my daughter, she was then 4 years old. I was not particularly worried, because in transport she usually felt good and behaved. The seats really, as described in the article, were provided to us in the first row and this is very convenient. All the time that we flew, my daughter slept. And I was incredibly happy about it. Since another mom on board no longer knew what to do with her child. All his fellow travelers entertained him.

We flew on vacation with our little daughter several times. First flew to Egypt when she was 6 months old. We were lucky with a seat, we got it in the first row, we sat quite comfortably. The little girl endured the flight there and back well, she slept almost all five hours in my arms. The second time we flew, and she was already a year and a half, there was not enough space ahead of us, we got it in the middle of the plane, near the aisle. The trip was hard, she was capricious, apparently her ears were pinched. And it was difficult to keep the daughter in one place, and you can't walk in the aisle for a long time.

First of all, I choose not the seats, but the airline that operates the new aircraft, they have more space and more comfortable seats. Secondly, the side seats, and not the middle, to sit down with your family and there is no one to interfere with, and there it is already easier to decide where the child will sit. Well, in the third, I never take the first and last places, their back does not recline, and this is very inconvenient.

During the flight, we chose places that were on the edge, so that the child was comfortable to move around. Our flight was when the child was 2.5 years old, naturally, he cannot sit in one place for a long time and he needs to move, the most comfortable places are the extreme ones, so that he can walk around the cabin while the plane is moving. Once we bought seats with a window, so the child was not interested in looking there at all.

At the moment, my son is already 6 years old. But we flew to rest with him from a very young age, we never had a stop because of this. As for the seats, I can say freely, it is comfortable to sit everywhere. Of course, if you have money for business class, only choose these seats. Although not necessary. You can sit everywhere. The only advice I can give is that don't fly long distances, it's hard!

Many air passengers still do not know that choose seats in the cabin you can and should yourself, in the process of purchasing an air ticket or at the time of registration for a rice. Why do you need to do this? For those who rarely fly, for example once a year on vacation, air travel is a bright enough event in life, and comfort during the flight often leaves an imprint on the entire vacation. For those who fly frequently, the choice of a seat in the cabin is no less important, because such passengers almost certainly know from their own experience that certain seats on board are not very convenient and cause discomfort even during a flight with a short flight duration. How to choose the right seats on the plane and what parameters affect the comfort during the flight is described in this article.

THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE (for a quick transition, you can click on the link)

However, before I begin to describe in detail the features of certain passenger seats on the plane, I note that there are no clearly bad or clearly good seats in modern air transport, because in each specific situation, a number of variables should be taken into account, which are individual for each passenger. Therefore, it would be more correct to describe the standard seats in the aircraft cabin and point out their generally accepted advantages and disadvantages. And yes, the article is intended for passengers flying charter and regular flights in economy class, because I think it is wrong to talk about shortcomings in business class seats. All areas in the aircraft cabin can be roughly divided into three: in the tail of the aircraft, in the nose of the aircraft and in the middle of the cabin.

Seats in the rear of the aircraft cabin

The advantage of choosing seats in the tail of an aircraft is often the ability to get a good night's sleep during a multi-hour flight, for example from Moscow to Bangkok. By the way, you can read about the flight duration in detail in the article. Experienced air passengers often take advantage of the opportunity to sleep on three seats at once, flying to Thailand or other countries in the midst of the low season, when planes are rarely fully loaded. However, at the peak of the tourist season and in a popular destination, one cannot count on such an opportunity.

An important factor for some will be the confirmed fact that, according to statistics, out of all the passengers who survived in plane crashes, two tritiums (67%) took places in the tail of the aircraft. Now about the factors that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the particular passenger. The possible lack of portholes will prove to be a critical drawback for someone, while others will not pay attention to it. People who do not tolerate shaking and motion sickness are also not recommended choose seats on the plane in the tail, where it is felt more pronounced.

The proximity to the toilets, on the one hand, eliminates the need to go through the floor of the cabin and stand in a possible queue, and on the other hand, the constant walking next to passengers can annoy and interfere with falling asleep (only a blindfold and earplugs, which are free of charge) by decent airlines, such as Etihad issued to each passenger). Finally, passengers occupying seats in the rear of the plane are often forced to leave the plane last, letting in all the others and getting to passport control and customs again last. Although I read that sometimes the exit of passengers is also organized through the door in the rear of the aircraft, using telescopic ladders of airports for this, but in practice this has not yet been encountered.

Seats at the beginning of the aircraft cabin

As a rule, passenger service starts from the front of the cabin (or from the middle towards the rear), so all passengers sitting in the indicated places manage to get food hotter and with the possibility of choosing several options (often those sitting in the tail simply have no choice and you have to eat what is left). There is less shaking in the front of the aircraft, so the risk of motion sickness is noticeably lower. After landing, passengers in the front of the aircraft, just behind the business class seats, often get the opportunity to get off the aircraft in the front rows.

The lack of seats at the beginning of the aircraft cabin is the frequent presence there of special mounts for baby bassinets, and in general there are more chances to find yourself in the company of passengers with small children who will annoy all the way (somehow I flew from Turkey right after business class in the company of an Arab family with three little crying children - an unforgettable experience ...). Those who like to admire the view from the window may be faced with the fact that, even after taking a seat next to one of them, in the end they will not see anything due to the wings of the plane blocking the entire view.

Seats in the middle of the aircraft cabin

A compromise option that has both advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the make of the aircraft and its model, there may be a toilet and an additional kitchen in the middle of the aircraft, then passengers have the opportunity to be one of the first to receive food, as well as to go to the toilet whenever they want. Shaking in the center is faint, especially on long-haul wide-body sides. Seats located in the central part of the aircraft cabin, immediately behind its wings, allow you to observe the clouds and open views of the mountains, rivers, sea and cities from above, if there is no extensive cloud cover and you managed to take a seat on the plane at the window. As a rule, passengers seated in the middle of the cabin are able to get off the plane faster than passengers from the rear of the cabin.

Rows of seats on the plane: advantages and disadvantages

Occupying first row in the cabin (immediately after another class of service or the first row located in another section of the aircraft cabin), you can be sure that none of those sitting in front will recline their back, limiting your free space. Often these rows provide a little more legroom than other seats, which is never superfluous in economy class conditions. For a disadvantage, you can take the fact that most likely you will have a toilet, a kitchen or just a partition in front of you, which will limit your view throughout the flight. I already wrote about baby bassinets, but here I will note that instead of the classic folding tables, you will have to eat from the less convenient (in my opinion) folding tables, removed from the armrests. Also, someone will be annoyed by the smells and sounds of dishes coming from the air kitchen.

Passengers last row in the cabin (or another row, behind which there are no other seats in the compartment), may be faced with the fact that the backs of their seats are significantly limited in the possibility of reclining or are completely deprived of such an opportunity. This is usually due to the presence behind the partition of the toilet, kitchen, other technical room or partition of the cabin compartment. Also, seat backs often do not recline when one of the emergency exits is located behind the row.

Chair position in a row: pros and cons

The cabins of mid-sized aircraft have a 3 + 3 seating formula. the central aisle and three chairs from it on both sides. At the same time, all experienced passengers try to immediately choose the best seats on the plane, which for them are either located at the aisle or at the window, but not in the center. And this is understandable.

Seats in the aircraft cabin at the window. The best option for those who prefer to spend most of the roads in a dream, calmly read a book in the daylight and look through the window at the beautiful night cities or picturesque mountains during the day. Of the inconveniences of a seat near the window, it can only be noted that when you try to go to the toilet or get something from the things that are in the luggage compartment above the seats, you will have to disturb the passengers sitting nearby. Also, for those who like to often contact the flight attendant with a request to bring another glass of water (or whiskey), it is not very convenient to do this (find the right moment). Personally, I always try to choose seats on the plane at the window, because I like to look “out the window” and take a nap, and I don’t go to the toilet at all on 5-6 hour flights.

Places in the center. They are considered the most uncomfortable because of the likelihood of running into plump fellow travelers who will pinch you on both sides. The person sitting in the center has to let at least one passenger pass (or two, when it comes to a wide-body aircraft with a 3 + 4 + 3 or 2 + 4 + 2 seating arrangement) if they want to go to the toilet or get something from their things. which are located in the overhead compartment. The possibility of seeing something through the window is not at all discussed (only with a strong roll of the aircraft during the climb or landing approach). Now that planes have individual LCD screens and smartphones with tablets, I have become better at the seats in the center of the row. And before, there you could only sleep and read a book, which was a little annoying.

Aisle seats on the plane. Convenient in that you can stretch your legs a little in the aisle, calmly take things (your own, of course :)) from the luggage compartment, go to the toilet without disturbing anyone, get off the plane before the neighbors in the row when landing at the airport. It is very convenient to track the movement of flight attendants and order another glass of water or other drink. As an inconvenience, I would attribute the need to let two neighbors pass through the chairs if they want to stretch their legs and go to the toilet. Also, some inconvenience is caused by stewardesses with carts and passing passengers, touching your elbow or shoulder.

Emergency exit seats. It so happened that I myself flew them more than once, so I cannot but mark them separately. These places are very convenient in that they allow you to stretch your legs as much as possible, there is no need to let neighbors-passengers pass. However, there are disadvantages: the possible absence of a porthole, a ban on carry-on luggage in the leg area (for security reasons). In general, it is believed that these places are provided to people who, if necessary, can quickly open the emergency exit door and help staff to take other passengers out. I do not know if this is true, but passengers with children and elderly people are definitely not given these seats.

I hope the information received was useful to you and now, when you exercise, you will immediately reserve the seats that you think will suit you best. Since this article came out quite voluminous, then I posted detailed information about that in a separate article. I wish you all comfortable flights and always soft landings!

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Not everyone can afford to fly in business class and take up slightly more space than a standard seat. Those who fly often know that the chance to sit with a large person or someone with different ideas about hygiene is very high. It is impossible to avoid this, but you can try to sit near the window or in the aisle if it will be more comfortable for you to survive the deprivation of the flight.

Russian Forbes gives practical advice on how not to make a mistake with a seat on the plane.

1. Learn more about the model and the location of the seats on the plane

You can find out which model of aircraft a particular flight is on on the airline's website. Airplanes of different airlines are quite different from each other in terms of cabin comfort. The websites SeatGuru, SeatExpert have all the details about the layout of a wide variety of aircraft: the presence of electrical outlets and TVs in the backs of the seats, the location of toilets, the spacing between rows (usually it is 80 cm, but some companies, for example JetBlue, have increased it by 5 cm) - this seemingly small difference during long flights is very much felt.

The first row behind the business class is considered the most comfortable: there is more legroom, no one sits in front of you - which means that no one throws back their chair on you, you will be the first to get food, drinks, newspapers, you will get blankets and pillows for for those traveling with small children, it is possible to attach a cradle for babies to the wall and put a child seat. But there are also disadvantages here - because of the tables hidden in the armrests, it is impossible to lift these armrests and turn the chair into a sofa, or put a sleeping child on your lap. And if, for example, you are going to work on the way or prepare for a business meeting, you should hardly strive to sit in the front rows: being close to children (and there are usually most of them here) is unlikely to contribute to concentration.

Seats at emergency exits are also held in high esteem by experienced travelers: the spacing between rows here is 15 cm longer than in the rest of the cabin, but depending on the layout of the cabin, the backrests of the seats often do not fall (you will regret it on long flights) and you cannot keep your hand on the floor luggage. The rules prescribe to plant only tall adults in these places.

“To be honest, for obvious reasons, at registration, they first of all look to ensure that this person is physically strong, energetic and, how to say, smart,” says Boris Rybak, director of the consulting company Infomost. "In an emergency, he must open the door and help the crew to evacuate passengers."

Although there are cases when even a fragile girl could convince an airline employee that she needed to fly in this particular row.

In the middle of the cabin, for a significant part of the flight, you find yourself "locked" carts with food, drinks, newspapers, and duty-free goods. In addition, usually rows 8-20 is the noisiest zone on the plane, where all the noise of engines and turbines is concentrated. But there is no such information on the websites and cabin diagrams, and only airline employees at check-in can help you find a quieter place - different types of aircraft have different noise distribution schedules.

In the tail of the plane there is a little narrower space (this is the geometry of the plane) - to sit there closer, shakes more, a small selection of food, newspapers and magazines (according to the principle - what is left), next to it is a toilet, which most often has a queue - which means noise. The only plus is that tail sites are considered safer.

2. Book your seats in advance

Advance booking allows you to choose your seats on the plane long before the flight. This is especially convenient for those who fly in large companies - it is difficult to expect that all of you will be able to sit next to each other. British Airways has introduced an additional booking fee since October this year: now, for the choice of a comfortable seat, Economy Class passengers will have to pay £ 10 ($ 16) on European flights and £ 20 ($ 32) on long flights, and £ 20 ($ 32) ) and 60 pounds (98 $), respectively, for business class passengers. But most air carriers (with the exception of low-cost carriers, which charge everything) still provide this service for free when buying tickets both on the Internet and at airline offices. But few people know about it - because for some reason neither the carriers themselves nor the agents advertise it.

If you book your seat in advance, you can also order special food for yourself (which, too, few people know about) - all air carriers have different dining options. Transaero, for example, offers a choice of about 30 different meals - vegetarian, kosher, Muslim, low-calorie, diabetic and others, plus 2 types of baby food.

3. Use online registration

You can also choose a place convenient for you during online check-in, this procedure is becoming more and more popular - you can check-in at the airport at special kiosks, and even on the airline's website. Thus, you save a lot of time (you can arrive at the airport at least 50 minutes before departure), however, there are a number of restrictions - you must travel without luggage, without small children, without animals. In general, this option suits the businessman traveling light. In addition, some companies, for example, Delta or Air Berlin, do not display seats near emergency exits (and they are considered good by travelers) into the online check-in system, keeping them for tall and large passengers. The second point is that in Russia, not all companies have online registration desks, and so far only in Moscow - in Dodomedovo and Sheremetyevo-2.

In the near future - the creation of a single group boarding pass, which will allow you to get seats next to each other, for example, a large family or a company of passengers - for this they will not necessarily appear to everyone at the airport at the same time, 1 person will be able to register the entire company: the data of several travelers at once will be stored on the chip of one ticket.

4. Arrive for registration in advance

Do not neglect the simplest and most proven way to get the desired seat in the salon: do not be lazy and arrive at the beginning of registration. According to the director of the press service of the airline Transaero Sergey Byhal, “the employees of the airline at check-in always try to meet passengers and take into account their wishes”. For solo travelers, the following option is also possible: take a chance and play the lottery - arrive, on the contrary, at the very end of check-in: if you're lucky, you may be provided with a seat in business class, and if you're not lucky, you will get a seat from which all other passengers have already refused.

5. Choose the days of the least traffic for flights

Experts recommend, if possible, to schedule flights for the days and hours of the least congestion at airports - this is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. The busiest days are Friday and Sunday. The busiest flights are morning and evening. In the half-empty cabins of "weekday" flights, the flight attendants themselves will offer you to change seats to unoccupied rows - it is quite possible to sleep on three seats.

6. Try "informal ways"

A few years ago, the practice of getting good seats on board or getting into business class for a bribe to airline employees was widespread (500 rubles invested in a passport can still open the way for you to a seat at the emergency exit, but we do not recommend this). American Forbes.com tells the story of a passenger who, on a flight from New York to Germany, was helped by a $ 100 bill to get into business class. True, on the way back with the German airline staff, the same trick did not work.