Have you ever been to a movie theater, snagged the perfect seat and then had an 8-foot tall stranger with wild hair sit right in front of you? Oh, come on. It’s happened. You were pissed, too weren’t you? You probably thought, “I paid $8.00 for this movie and some schmuck is ruining it.”
Or have you been to a baseball game and seemingly been the only person there who people crossed over en-route to the beer stand? “If that woman steps on my foot one more time, why I’m gonna …”
It matters.
I’m not judging you …
Where you sit greatly impacts your experience. I get that. That’s why today’s Travel Tip Tuesday Tip revolves around getting the best seat on the plane.
photo credit: irishflyguy
You already know flying first class or business class will get a comfy cushion for the long haul, but if you are a cheapskate bargain traveler like me, you’re not gonna pay those prices, so here’s the deal.
>> Always reserve your seat online. Always. Don’t leave it up to the airline to select a seat for you based on preferences, either. Secure that baby yourself.
>> Here’s a fun one minute (and 27 second) video for finding secret seats. Check it out, but then come back.
>> In addition to knowing about these secret seats, your new best friend is SeatGuru.com. I kid you not. Here’s how it works.
1. Go the website where you booked your ticket so you can select your seat(s) online.
2. At the top of your ticket you will see the type of airplane that will be used for your trip.
3. Go to Seat Guru and click on the name of the airline (be sure to use the airline operating your flight. This isn’t necessarily the airline you booked your ticket with.)
4. Click on the type of airplane you will flying on and you will see a map of the plane.
5. Refer to the available seats on your airline’s website and compare them to the seats on Seat Guru. The seats are color-coded so you can instantly identify superior or substandard seats. If you slide your mouse over the seat number, you can read more details about why that seat is, or isn’t a favorable option.
6. Choose your seat on your airline’s website and save it.
Now … sometimes airlines don’t play fair … I know, I know and have more than one plane with the same number. If you are so inclined, you can call the airline (the number is right there on Seat Guru’s website) and ask which plane they plan to use. They can change the plane at their discretion, so if you want to make sure you get an ideal seat, make a list of the best choices on different planes, and ask for clarification when you check-in.
For other seat-snagging ideas, see
Seat Expert
Find YOUR Best Seat
Snag the Best Seat
FlyerTalk Forums
Also visit Robin today at My Melange for ideas on how to get comfortable once you find that great seat!
What’s your best, or worst, seat experience? Oh, do tell!
And until next time … Buon Viaggio!
America must start drilling to save economy
Post-Tribune (IN) June 23, 2008 | MICHAEL REAGAN THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM PRINTED VERSION I’m in Europe to join the Reagan Legacy Foundation in observing the 21st anniversary of my dad Ronald Reagan’s immortal words spoken at the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987, when he demanded that Russia’s Mikhail Gorbachev demolish the wall. My dad looked at the wall and electrified Berliners when he said, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Just more than two years after the speech, the wall did come down; the brutal East German Communist government and the Soviet Union came down with it.
Today there is another wall, one that stands between energy independence for the United States and continued reliance on foreign oil at a time when skyrocketing prices at the gas pump threaten to wreck our economy.
That wall must come down, and come down now. go to website global warming hoax
And, God willing, should Republicans shrug off the rotting carcass of the global warming hoax and summon up the courage to tell the Democrats who built that wall that they must tear it down, they will drive the huge numbers of Democrats off Capitol Hill in the November elections.
The American people are enraged over the gas-price crisis and ready to respond to any party that will step up, lay the blame where it belongs, and do whatever is necessary to open the gates of domestic oil drilling and production — a gesture that will tell the sheiks and the rest of OPEC that their days of gouging the American people are numbered and that they had better increase production now.
Finding the cause of the crisis is a simple matter. For decades, we have deprived ourselves of the plentiful domestic supplies of petroleum in the continental U.S., in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore. Had we availed ourselves of this bonanza, gasoline would be in plentiful supply and cheap. And we would not be beholden to filthy-rich Arab sheikdoms and the likes of Hugo Chavez.
Today we are denied the huge benefits of our own oil riches because the Democrats, in the grip of wealthy environmental groups that enrich their party coffers, and wedded to the false belief in global warming at a time when the planet is rapidly cooling, obdurately refuse to allow the American people to avail themselves of our own copious supplies of oil.
If John McCain and the rest of his party’s spokesmen fail to understand they have been handed the very weapon that not only will save them from a humiliating defeat in November but also will revive their chance to regain control of Capitol Hill, they will deserve to fail. website global warming hoax
As one, Republicans must stand up and echo my dad in saying to the Harry Reids and Nancy Pelosis and all their fellow Democrats now standing in the way of energy independence: “Tear down this wall and open the gates to our domestic oil supplies, and do it now.” The American people are ready to heed a call to arms to fight for energy independence and exploitation of the abundance of our God-given natural resources. Show them where the real blame for our present predicament lies and they will react in fury.
Mike Reagan is the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan. Contact him at Reagan@caglecartoons.com.
MICHAEL REAGAN
Really good tip today, Cherrye! We’re going back to Canada in August and travelling with two small kids. Are there any sites that suggest the best seats for kids?
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I ended up in one of the secret seats last summer It would have been just perfect, but the video screen didn’t work!!
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Linda, Seat Guru actually says “good for some people (like kids, traveling with kids, etc) and explains.
That is just wrong, Joanne. You shoulda got a discount for THAT! lol
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Cherrye~ Yeah, I like seat guru! We used it last time we booked our flight…I liked it because we could pick a seat NOT right next to a bathroom and without the electronic box under our feet. Worked liked a charm
My worst…surrounded by an entire family taking up a whole row..and they all wanted to keep switching seats to sit next to Mom or Dad!! Oh yeah, it was bad
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Ouch, Robin. That DOES sound like a bad one. My worst was when I sat beside a man, who I noticed earlier in the airport and who, I am sad to say, had a strong personal scent. After a 9-hour plane ride, I was used to the odor, but my head was killing me!
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Great post, Cherrye! Another thing… if you don’t get the seat you want, check in exactly 24 hours before your flight and snag the good seats that have opened up.
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I had to give up my seat once for the Grand Duke of Luxembourg who decided at the last minute to take a commercial flight. We ended up sitting behind him and my daughter who was a baby then cried loudly all the way.
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Great tip, Jen. Thanks for sharing.
Scintilla – THAT is funny! I can imagine the scene right now.
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Another great tip. I always select my seat when I book my ticket.
Once I flew from Switzerland to Los Angeles ( a very long flight) next to big person (who spilled over into my seat) with a strong personal scent. Plus I was in coach. Not fun. ha
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Thanks, NYC. That flight sounds like my worst, too. I had seen this guy in the airport b/c we were phone using the pay phones and I told P, I have seat XYZ-a, I bet you anything this guy standing next to me has XYZ-b … he did.
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I’ve used SeatGuru for years – they are very helpful indeed. One of our worst experiences was coming back from Italy this past November. A big guy and his wife sat in front of us from Rome to Newark… reclined their seats AND snored. And wouldn’t you know it, they were also on the Newark-to-Houston leg too, in the same damn place. Ugh. So, you can pick the seat but you sure can’t pick your seat-experience-influencers.
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My husband flies alot with his job from March to October, if he can, he always books his seat..he has his ipod, his bosch headset, and away he goes. Normally he sleeps most of the way. He is a big man, in height, and needs leg room, and woe betide anyone with a child if they are next to him
or a bigger person than him!!!
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Oh that is a bad experience, AmyEmilia. I can’t believe they were on BOTH legs … who did you offend??
Anne – he sounds like a professional traveler with all of that gear! I am NOT a tall gal at all, but I need leg room, too. I dont know HOW tall people do it!
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