Aisle or window? The best seats on a plane, according to a pilot

In the halcyon era of the jumbo jet, you had truly made it when your boarding pass allowed you to turn left at the entrance door. Beyond the thick curtains lay the magical world of first class, tucked neatly into the nose of the queen of the skies.

For mere mortals though, the allocated seat on an aircraft is much more of a lottery, with babies, snorers and small-bladdered travellers all adding to the rich tapestry of air travel.

The best seat in the house, but it’s not available to the public. Credit: iStock

I spend most of my time in an aircraft on the flight deck, which is the ultimate window seat. From 35,000 feet, it’s a front row to beautiful sunrises and sunsets, fantastic cloud formations and spectacular lightning storms in the distance.

But when I need to travel as a passenger in economy, there are a few things to consider.

Hunting for extra legroom

On Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s – the jets that do the bulk of domestic flying in Australia – it’s well known that the middle around rows 12 to 14 have extra legroom, as these rows are used as emergency exits. The only caveat is you must be willing to help open the over-wing exits to assist in an evacuation if an emergency does occur.

But on 737s, after the first three rows of business class, row four is underrated. It’s the first row of economy, but with almost all the extra legroom of the seats in front of it, no extra responsibilities and the added advantage of getting off pretty quickly on arrival.

Both aisle and window seats have their benefits and drawbacks.Credit: iStock

On larger jets like the Boeing 777, 787 Dreamliner or the Airbus A330, A350 or A380 superjumbo, extra legroom can be found at seats positioned next to a door. Most airlines allow passengers to pay a little extra to guarantee that seat; occasionally, they still may be available at check-in. However, avoid the window seat at the door row – the bustle holding the escape slide creates a bulge in the lower part of the door that can reduce that valuable stretching space – go for the aisle or middle seat instead.

Those who are last can become first

As airlines try to reduce the turnaround times to increase aircraft utilisation, dual boarding is used more frequently. Dual boarding is when the front and rear doors are used to board and disembark an aircraft. Suddenly boarding pass 27C isn’t so bad after all as you can find yourself among the first to disembark. Rear door disembarkation does mean navigating a couple of flights of stairs both at the aircraft door and on arrival at the terminal, which may be something to consider if lugging children and their iPads. The only catch is that dual disembarkation can be cancelled in poor weather or late at night, and you may find yourself with an extra 10 minutes to finish that movie you were watching.

The window or aisle conundrum

For me, this depends on the type of flight. For a short domestic sector, I’m all about the window seat as I still love the views and it is easier to chuck a pillow against the cabin wall to grab a nap if needed. Longer sectors are dictated more by the need to get up and have a stretch or use the bathroom. There’s nothing worse than trying to climb over a sleeping passenger next to you in the middle of the night. But the aisle has its own added downside – the increased chance of getting whacked in the elbow by a food cart with the directional stability of an old shopping trolley.

The safety statistics

A recent study of 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats had the lowest fatality rate. But with the odds of dying in an aircraft at about one in 205,000 – compared to one in 100 in a car – volunteering to be wedged between strangers down the back is probably a tad over the top, particularly given the safety record of Australian carriers.

Ultimately, it comes down to how much you are prepared to pay for a seat or at the very least, your willingness to check in early and ask the ground staff politely for the seat that you prefer. We all have our own personal preference and unfortunately, every passenger can’t be allocated 1A.

And personally, I still prefer my seat up the very front, with the best views in the house.