By Jeanti St.Clair Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 02:23pm
WHEN you’re stuck on an aircraft for 22 hours, a good spot means a lot.
Even if you can’t manage the dosh, the frequent flyer points or the charm to score a seat amid the ever-increasing levels of luxury in business class, there are ways and means to increase your comfort levels in ‘cattle class’ economy.
Firstly, selecting the best seat and row is paramount in getting the most leg and elbow room as well as peace and quiet.
The Australian’s Steve Creedy has plenty of tips on how to choose the best and avoid the worst seats on your next long-haul flight.
And as more airlines allow travellers to check ourselves in either ahead of time online or at self-service kiosks at the airport, we have more opportunity to maximise our comfort levels, which is where the Seat Guru website comes in very handy.
This nifty site, created five years ago by frequent flyer Matthew Daimler, has seating configuration maps of most of the commercial aircraft in operation. You can see which seats are the best and worst onboard – and why they are rated that way.
Contrary to Steve Creedy’s argument that the seats up the back of the plane are the worst, Seat Guru give rows 70 to 73 of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 the thumbs up. Seats A and B, as well as J and K, are the only two-somes in economy with the window seats scoring extra elbow room.
But elbow room isn’t all you want in a seat position. Being up the back means a long wait to disembark (first on and last off). Plus the rear of the plane usually experiences the worst of the turbulence in rough weather. And sometimes, the rows at the rear of a plane are a few centimetres closer together.
The trick is to make you own list of what’s important: leg room versus storage; easy access to the toilets versus peace and quiet; first off the plane or first to get fed.
Which are your most favoured and feared seats? Share your thoughts on the pros and cons of various seats and row locations?
And if you get a dog of a seat, how can you make the next ten, twelve or twenty-two hours bearable?
And can anyone tell us what are the best tried-and-tested ways to charm yourself into business class?
Even if you can’t manage the dosh, the frequent flyer points or the charm to score a seat amid the ever-increasing levels of luxury in business class, there are ways and means to increase your comfort levels in ‘cattle class’ economy.
Firstly, selecting the best seat and row is paramount in getting the most leg and elbow room as well as peace and quiet.
The Australian’s Steve Creedy has plenty of tips on how to choose the best and avoid the worst seats on your next long-haul flight.
And as more airlines allow travellers to check ourselves in either ahead of time online or at self-service kiosks at the airport, we have more opportunity to maximise our comfort levels, which is where the Seat Guru website comes in very handy.
This nifty site, created five years ago by frequent flyer Matthew Daimler, has seating configuration maps of most of the commercial aircraft in operation. You can see which seats are the best and worst onboard – and why they are rated that way.
Contrary to Steve Creedy’s argument that the seats up the back of the plane are the worst, Seat Guru give rows 70 to 73 of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 the thumbs up. Seats A and B, as well as J and K, are the only two-somes in economy with the window seats scoring extra elbow room.
But elbow room isn’t all you want in a seat position. Being up the back means a long wait to disembark (first on and last off). Plus the rear of the plane usually experiences the worst of the turbulence in rough weather. And sometimes, the rows at the rear of a plane are a few centimetres closer together.
The trick is to make you own list of what’s important: leg room versus storage; easy access to the toilets versus peace and quiet; first off the plane or first to get fed.
Which are your most favoured and feared seats? Share your thoughts on the pros and cons of various seats and row locations?
And if you get a dog of a seat, how can you make the next ten, twelve or twenty-two hours bearable?
And can anyone tell us what are the best tried-and-tested ways to charm yourself into business class?
No comments:
Post a Comment