A nine hour transatlantic flightshould be as pleasant as possible, but it may not be if you find yourself sitting in a poor seat next to the lavatory, unable to recline properly, being bumped by a steady stream of passengers walking in the aisle while you're trying to take a nap. Sometimes getting stuck on a poor seat on an airplane is unavoidable, but most of the time, when booking, especially online, you can choose your seat. Here's how to ensure you don't get stuck with the worst seat on the plane.
Step 1
Choose which class you will be traveling in. Try to get an upgrade to first class.
First Class is the most luxurious class. Large seats, plenty of legroom, improved entertainment, and good meals can be expected. First class is also the most expensive, with tickets ranging in the ten-thousands for long trips. 
Business Class is more or less similar to First Class, though often not quite as spacious. 
Economy Class is the least luxurious class, and the least expensive. Seats in economy class receive reduced service quality, smaller seats, and average food. Usually, economy class takes up most of the airplane, and includes most of the poor seats. 
Premium Economy class is available on some flights. Middle seats are usually filled last in this section, possibly giving you some additional room to feel comfortable. Premium economy seats are typically in the economy seating area, but feature a little more legroom, better service, and possibly improved in-flight entertainment. To get a seat, you may have to pay higher fare than economy class, or it may only be offered as a free upgrade to frequent fliers or people who buy a full-fare ticket. Follow this link for a Wikipedia article listing the airlines that offer this class, and what they call it.
Step 2
Make a list of your preferences, if flying economy class (seats vary in economy class, while all first class typically comes with these features).
Do you want...
Step 3
Choose which airline you will be flying with, if not already done so. Some are better than others.
- Once you find a candidate airline, try to find out which type of aircraft usually serves the route you will be taking. Is it a Boeing 767-400ER? Or is it an Airbus A340? Make sure that you are specific (A 777-200 is different from a 777-300).
- Check an online seat guide like SeatGuru, Seat Expert or USATODAY's seat comfort reports to find out which seats...
- have the most room
- don't recline
- are adjacent to lavatories
- are exit rows (see the next step)
- have power ports
Step 4
Ask for an exit row seat. They usually have additional pitch (which is the distance between the rows, measured from the back of one seat to the back of the seat behind) and legroom, but you have to be capable and willing to help in case of an emergency. Additionally, the seats in front of the exit row don't usually recline, giving you even more room than normal. However, they may be narrower because tray tables are often stowed in the arm rests, and you can expect there to be someone in the middle seat because most people know it's a roomy row.
Step 5
Strategize for an empty middle seat. Look for an aisle seat towards the rear of the plane where someone is already sitting in the window seat (or vice versa). The reason you want a row where there's already someone in the window or aisle seat is because if you sit down in a row with two empty seats next to you, there's a good chance that a traveling pair will take them. But in general, the empty middle seats (when there are two people on either side) tend to fill up last towards the rear of the plane, so you might get that spacious advantage. If you're traveling with someone, try to reserve the window and aisle seat towards the rear of the plane, leaving the middle vacant--if, by any chance, someone does end up sitting in the middle, they're usually more than happy to switch at the last minute.
Step 6
Know which planes have the best seat pitch. Sometimes even just an extra inch of pitch can make a big difference in terms of comfort and, say, your ability to work on a laptop. While most domestic coach seats have a 31" seat pitch, some have more or less:
- A320, United Airlines - 31" seat pitch in economy class
- US Airways A320s - 32" seat pitch
- jetBlue - 34" seat pitch in the last 16 rows of their A320s
- United 737-300s - 32" seat pitch
- Southwest Airlines - 32" or 33"
- Frontier Airlines - 33" seat pitch
- AirTran B717 - 30" seat pitch
- US Airways 737-300 - reduced pitch in last row
- American Airlines MD80 - reduced pitch in last five rows
- US Airways A330 - 34" seat pitch (economy class seating to Europe)
Step 7
Book your flight. It's best to book online, directly from the airline's booking site, as you can usually easily pick which seat you want.
- When prompted to pick a seat, see which are available and which are not.
On SeatGuru, find a seat that is colored green on your specified airline and aircraft. Green indicates a good seat. Use your preferences to decide which seat to pick. - Reserve the seat that you want online.
- If the airline won't let you choose a seat, it might be a sign that the flight is overbooked. You'll probably just get whatever is left over.
Step 8
On the day of your flight, get to the airport with plenty of time to spare – if you are not checked in on time, the airline may give your seat to another passenger. Plan on arriving at the airport at least two hours before an international flight and a one and one half-hours before a domestic flight to allow time for check-in and security.
Step 9
Enjoy your flight with your good seat!
