When you book your flights abroad, which seats do you request? An advantage to have emergency aisle or bulkhead aisle? Prefer one side of the plane over the other?

Well, I always try for aisle seats, first of all, just for the extra leg room and ease of getting up for a stroll. Then, if possible, I ask for the first row in coach, which faces a wall instead of a row of seats, and has more leg room. <BR><BR>This is where families with small children are seated -- so get an aisle seat; window seats in this row risk being trapped by a fold-down crib with a sleeping baby in it. (If you're on the aisle, there are advantages to sitting next to a child -- they take up less elbow room, and they can't kick the back of your seat if you're NEXT to them! LOL)<BR><BR>Emergency aisle seats have a little more leg room, but not as much as these front-row seats. Whatever you do, avoid the seats right in front of emergency aisle, which sometimes don't recline, and the very last row, which never recline.<BR><BR>Happy flying!

Some good general points, but seat selection is specific to the type of aircraft involved and sometimes even who you are traveling with. In some configurations, the last row in a section DOES recline. The seat that I take on a DC-10 is different than the seat that someone with much longer legs would select, for example. It is different than the seat I select on a 747. I select a different seat traveling alone than I would select when traveling with one or more people. But exit rows and bulkheads generally create nice features in almost any situation.

true about configurations of plane. I am on a 757-200 and on a connecting airbus 319 and have selected rows 24 window middle. I have a child with me (9) and want to give them window. After thinking this throw I realize I may have goofed not picking an isle seat. I am also worried about being too close the divider on that airbus and not being able to see the movie up close like that. I am afraid that I will place my printed tickets in a precarious position if I change this now. I am flying high season and I don't want to get bumped. The thinking is if the seats are printed on tickets this is least likely to happen. What do you think, I still have 4 months before travel? Should I change seats without printed ticket proof?

ttt

Really, I don't think that requesting different seats would create any problem for you at all. As a matter of fact, many airlines won't even assign them that far in advance. In my own case, I use e-tickets and I can change the seat selection among those that are open and available at any time. It's something to consider.

My preference is a bulk head seat, but specifically the window facing the flight attendant's seat. I do this for a couple of reasons: the flight attendant is usually only seated there for take off and landing so there is even more leg room than in the center aisle of bulk head seats, and with the window, I have a wall to lean on. My last two long-haul flights were on an A-330 airbus, and the seating arrangement was 2-4-2 in coach. If I can't get this specific bulk head seat, then I request an aisle seat.

Bulkheads have the following risks:<BR>No place to put stuff under seat in front of you if overheads are full<BR>They do put families there, little kids can be good or very very bad. <BR>Windows give you something to lean against to sleep. Make the person on the aisle let you up if you want to walk. I sit on aisles all the time it's not a big deal gives them an excuse to stretch (unless they're sleeping).<BR>Exit rows are almost always great. Best is window & aisle with someone you know.

This was so helpful anyone else?

Further confirmation that Morning Giggle is long-time poster.

A word of advice: go to seatguru.com to check out plane configurations for most of the major airlines. You'll see advice on which are the best seats for your own flight.

Check out www.seatguru.com On that site you can check all airlines and all model planes. A really good site.

Actually this thread's been revived by cmt to prove to Rex that Morning Giggle is a longtime Fodor's member.

I wonder if I'm one of the very few people who HATE bulkhead seats? Usually you are very close to the wall. Unlike in other rows where you can at least stretch out your legs and put your feet under the seat in front of you, in the bulkhead row you must keep your feet in close to you. Frankly I'd rather give up a little knee room to be able to stretch out my legs. But to each his own.

One side preferred over the other? Only if one side has two seats per row and the other has three seats per row. Then, of course, I opt for the two seat side.

But my big question what is this obsession going on trying to prove points about other posters and how long they've been here. Let it go, please.

Was once thrilled to get the exit row, and it turned into a trans Atlantic nightmare. Crowded, cold, leaky, wet. Seat wouldn't move. No place for personal items. AAARRGH.

By the time we landed in some hell hole end of JFK, I had the worst headache of my entire life.

Because of our captive city status we mostly fly USAirways to Italy, and I love the Airbus 330. Movies on each seat back and the 2-4-2 configuration. I try to get the 2 seater about 10 rows up from the bathroom. Either side is ok with me, but maybe I just haven't figured out if one is better than the other.

Usually are nightmare seats have more to do with fellow passengers than with the seats I've chosen. Coming back from Europe we were seated behind a guy that smelled so bad that I had to fuss at length to get our seats changed. It was not bearable, and I don't think he should have been allowed on the plane.

On a trip to Paris, a tiny child ran up and down the aisle next to me all night. ALL night. I still have a grudge against the mother.

I'll let you guess from my screen name.

I don't mind that it's an old thread. There's still lots of people that ask how to go about flight stuff, so it still seems relevant.

Lots of variables for me. In general, I prefer aisle too and I agree with you Patrick, I don't care for bulkhead. I like somewhere to put my feet, don't like the tray table/video in the armrest and I don't like staring at a wall for that long.

Other than that, it depends on the flight, the configuration and whether I'm connecting or not. If it's my wife and I, I'd rather have a 2-X-2 config and get one of the 2 sections so we don't have company. If it's a long haul 747 with 3-4-3, I like to get one of the sides in the back where the curvature forces some 2 seat rows and leaves lots of room on the window side.

If it's a non-stop, the last leg or a leg where we'll have lots of time on a connection, I like the back. You stay on the plane longer, which is a drawback, but since you board first, you're likely to find overhead space above your own seat.

On the other hand, if we have a tight connection like we will in LAX in January, I go for seats as close to front of coach as possible. That way we get off a little sooner and have a slightly better chance of making that connection. The biggest downside to that is that people tend to shove their bags in at the front before heading back to their seat, possibly leaving you without foot room with your bag under the seat in front of you. But better than missing the ongoing flight.

If we make the flight out of LAX, I'm ok with any seat, as we bought premium economy for the trans-pacific portion (only an extra $200 r/t!) I feel like we'll be ok with any of those seats.
So, I guess it all depends on the circumstances.

I always ask for an aisle seat up front in business class, even when I'm flying &quot;cattle car&quot; economy. It never hurts to try.