Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Life Hacks, Travel, Holiday
Jess Hardiman
Many of us have a preferred seat on the plane, whether you’re someone who likes the extra leg room in the middle (even if it means you’ll have to be on hand to open that emergency exit if the time comes), or a traveller who will always opt for somewhere at the front to try and be first to the bevs... only to see the trolley service start at the back.
But according to one expert, the best place to sit might actually be a spot most people avoid.
Travel writer John Burfitt explained why he ‘always’ picks the ‘worst seat on the plane’, admitting he’d even pay extra or change his travel dates to bag it.
Writing for escape.com.au, Burfitt recalled how a difficult journey led him to finding the ‘best seat’, having made it his personal mission to find out, once and for all, where he should be.
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“When debating where to sit on a plane in the past, I used to determinedly stick up for my favourite spot, but not any longer,” the journalist said.
“I don’t want this overlooked gem to suddenly find itself in hot demand. That seat with the image problem suits me just fine.”
It all began when Burfitt was travelling from Sydney to Los Angeles one time.
“Every few minutes, the passenger behind me would cross her legs, stretch out or wriggle about,” he wrote.
“As she did, her knees or feet would smack bang in the middle of my seat. I was jolting my way to the USA.”
He asked ‘politely’ if she could be a bit more ‘careful’, but received ‘disinterested reply’.
“No, yeah, um, I just can’t get comfortable,” the stranger told him, adding: “Can’t promise ya nothing, mate.”
He even tried to speak to the flight attendant, but was told he was ‘stuck with it this time’ as there were no spare seats.
“As I later walked down aisle to the bathrooms, I spotted the solution in the look of contentment from the people in the back row of the cabin,” Burfitt said.
“For the first time, I noticed those seats had a wall behind them, and no one was getting kicked there. No wonder those people looked relaxed!”
Burfitt said he decided the back row is now the ‘only place’ he would choose for a long flight, adding how a spot next to the window creates the ‘best seat on the plane’.
“Here’s what it has going for it. It’s impossible for anyone to kick the back of your seat,” he continued.
“You are tucked away, so you will also never get king hit by a flight attendant wielding a trolley, be bumped by passing passengers or have them grab your seat as they pass. And when you want to sleep, lean into the corner against the wall and doze off.
“I have happily paid extra to book the back-row-of-cabin-in-the-corner-seat and, on occasion, even changed my travel dates to secure it. Depending on the cabin configuration, there can also be a number of these seats available throughout the craft.”