by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: December 17, 2008

The best seat on a flight depends on what you are looking for. There are people that are picky about where they will sit, while there are others that care less and allow the ticket counter personnel to choose for them. Picky or not picky, it is a fact that there are better seats than others. Let's take a look at some seats and evaluate some pros and cons, so that next time you may be able to choose wisely.

If you suffer from motion sickness just as I do, you want to go with a seat by the wings. This is the place where the plane is more stable and suffers the least jolts because the wings act as stabilizers.I like a window seat. However, should the flight get particularly bumpy close the window. The sight of the wings flopping up and down may be disturbing to some and make the motion sickness worse.

If you are a senior citizen that needs to use the rest rooms quite often, your best bet is a seat near the front or near the backof the plane. This way you can keep an eye on when the rest room is empty and you can quickly get there. If you do not care about bumps or you actually like them go to the rear. Not many people are fond of the rear seats, so if you are not on a busy flight you may be happy to see that you might not have many people around. Sometimes people stay away from the rear because they hate to lose time when they must stay behind lines of people getting out. However, in some cases you may win the jack pot as sometimes for convenience people are unloaded from the rear.

If you have a pet with you usually they will assign you a specific seat so you have room to put the carrier in front of you. Often the first seats are offered so there is room for fluffy and you also have some room for your legs. This seat is very in demand because of the extra leg room and this is why you had to pay that pricey ticket for your pet.

Most people like window seats because they love to look outside. However, the aisle seat has its own advantages. Have you ever had to go to the restroom badly, only to find out that your neighbor has fallen asleep and you are too embarrassed to wake him up? An aisle seat is also great for those that want to grab stuff from their stowed luggage in the bins or if they like to stroll around and keep exercised. People with toddlers should also get aisle seats so their child can get up as they please, since they have small bladders.

Emergency exit seats are particular because should an emergency arise you would be responsible for opening the door and helping evacuate. So do not take this seat if you get panicky during emergencies, only cold blooded individuals should sit there.

Some airlines like Southwest now have an open seat option. You are basically free to choose where to sit down. This is great for those picky people however, it has its downside too as the best seats will be taken first.

The best seat after all, is where you feel most comfortable. On short one hour flights you can pass for once, but on the long trans- oceanic flights you may want to think twice on what seat you get. Nothing feels worse than being stuck 17 hours (yes, like flights to China) with a neighbor snoring and a full bladder.

Learn more about this author, Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.