New flyer ? - Where are the best seats on a plane?

[traces7]

I am traveling with my 6 year old daughter. Is there any better part of the plane to sit in, as far as noise or safety, etc.? Thanks

 

[ducklite]

Safety, no, they are all the same. Noise it depends on if the engines are wing or rear mounted.

When our son was younger, we tended to book the back of the plane, it gave us more time to get on and organized while the others were boarding. Now that he's an adult, I want the seat closest to the door. I usually fly alone, no checked bag, and the faster I can get off the plane and away from the airport, the happier I am.

Anne

 

[bicker]

You might find this interesting:

http://www.geocities.com/khlim777_m...0and%20safest%20seat%20in%20an%20airplane?%A0

Seats near the rear of the airplane tend to be a little noisier and the effects of turbulence are more pronounced than those near to the front.

Practically, there is no solid evidence to point to any specific area of the airplane that is safer than the other. Some believe that it is safer to sit near the wings. Conventional wisdom has sometimes influenced safety experts to conclude that sitting at the rear of the airplane provides a higher survival rate in the event of a crash. This is one of the reasons why the black boxes are always installed at the tail portion of the airplane. However, I would caution to say that the safest seat during an emergency evacuation is probably one near the aisle and emergency exits.

 

[puffkin]

It is mostly a matter of preference.

I tend to like about 3/4 back. Get on the plane towards the beginning which means more room for overhead storage. Also, fairly close to rear bathroom, but not right next to it. As two adults, we also like to try for the exit rows for more leg room. The rear of the plane does seem to be noisier though.

 

[Chuck-PA]

You can checkout this website. It provides the seat info for most airlines.

http://www.seatguru.com/index.php

 

[safetymom]

The seat guru link is always at the top of the transportation board. It's great if you like to see how the plane is configured.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

I am traveling with my 6 year old daughter. Is there any better part of the plane to sit in, as far as noise or safety, etc.? Thanks

I would have to say that the best place to sit would be in first class.

However since we can never afford that, we aim for as close to the front as possible so we can get off quickly. We haven't had any problems when sitting there either.

 

[traces7]

This is a lot of good info!

 

[DebbieB]

It is mostly a matter of preference.

I tend to like about 3/4 back. Get on the plane towards the beginning which means more room for overhead storage. Also, fairly close to rear bathroom, but not right next to it. As two adults, we also like to try for the exit rows for more leg room. The rear of the plane does seem to be noisier though.

I flew Delta this week. Their zone boarding is kind of different. They seem to jump back and forth between different parts of the plane. They board some in the back, then some in the front, then in the back, etc. I was in row 15 going to Atlanta, I was in zone 5. After I was seated for a couple minutes, I noticed a long line of people going to the seats behind me. On the way home, I was in row 17 (same model plane - MD80), I was in zone 7. There were people already seated in rows in front of mine, so it was the same situation. It was a mess this afternoon. People whose zones boarded later who were seated towards the back could not find overhead space. I saw people dump luggage in the front and then go to the back. Then those people in the front who got on last had no overhead space. The boarding order didn't seem to make sense, people were all over the plane trying to find space. It seemed like when it was back to front it was more orderly.

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

Truthfully safety does not seem like it would concern me. First of all, getting in a plane crash is extremely slim. Also if you are in a crash, the chances of survival are terribly. Some say the back is safest but I feel it really depends on the crash.

Matt

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Engine noise also depends on the age of the plane. Newer models like the 717s have quieter engines than older models like early 727s and MD80s.

 

[fran99999]

Sitting at the back or front is a personal choice. The entire plane get there at the same time. I wait for all the people that push their way off the plane to get off. If it makes them feel better getting off first let them. Its funny its those same people that bring there luggage on the plane and take all that extra time to get it out of the overhead that want to hurry off the plane. If they allowed no carryons in the overhead we would all get off the plane much faster IMHO. Most of the time dont U wait for those people that SAVE time by bringing their luggage onboard and put in the overhead. Saves them time takes more of my time. I am on vacation the 10 min extra it takes me to get off is immaterial. I then go at my pace to get my luggage then off to ME to the resort and guess what I am on the same bus as those that took their luggage and amost killed themselves to get off the plane faster.

 

[Hef4545]

I flew with my son many times from when he was 3 months old. I think you are better off towards the front. You don't want to have to go down a long isle with them. The sooner you get to sit and get them settled, the easier things are. As he got to be your daughters age, he had his own backpack with something new to keep him busy , some favorite snacks, gum for the take off and landing or a lollipop so they have no trouble with their ears. Now with the TV's on the planes, it is great. He also loved a window seat. As far as difference in turbulence, from my personal experience, I found in front of the wing the less of the nasty. If you end up on a rocky flight, don't ever act alarmed - I used to tell my son - Wow...we are so lucky, we are on a flight just like Peter Pans ride in Disney....and would keep my concern to myself. Have a great trip.

 

[cruiseonmagic]

In my extensive travels, I've found that the front and rear seats tend to arrive at my destination at the same time.

 

[safetymom]

But you wouldn't know that from the way some people act.

 

[ducklite]

Sitting at the back or front is a personal choice. The entire plane get there at the same time. I wait for all the people that push their way off the plane to get off. If it makes them feel better getting off first let them. Its funny its those same people that bring there luggage on the plane and take all that extra time to get it out of the overhead that want to hurry off the plane. If they allowed no carryons in the overhead we would all get off the plane much faster IMHO. Most of the time dont U wait for those people that SAVE time by bringing their luggage onboard and put in the overhead. Saves them time takes more of my time. I am on vacation the 10 min extra it takes me to get off is immaterial. I then go at my pace to get my luggage then off to ME to the resort and guess what I am on the same bus as those that took their luggage and amost killed themselves to get off the plane faster.

That's if you can't handle your bag or are taking mass transit to a tourist destination.

In my case my roll on is a smaller one, and I'l tall and strong enough to have it in and/or out of the overhead in one second. I don't hold up the boarding process at all. 99% of the time when I fly, either DH is waiting outside to pick me up, or I'm taking a cab someplace, or my car is parked in the deck at MCO. So for me, getting off the plane first and not having to wait for ten minutes or more while people struggle with carryon's they can't manage, car seats, children, etc. is ten minutes of my life wasted.

If I ever get to the point where I can't get off the plane as fast with my carryon as I can without it, I"ll start checking.

Anne

 

[Super 27]

As far as noise goes, it depends on the plane and where the engines are mounted. The far front, though, is usually a safe bet for a quiet spot.

As far as convenience goes, that depends on the individual airlines and how they board the planes. TED, in their infinitie wisdom (at least the last three times I've flown them and United), has adopted a policy of boarding the front of the plane first. This is completely rediculous, because then they've got the aisles blocked and the people in back can't even get into the plane to get to their seats until everyone loads their giant carry-on suitcases into the overheads and gets all of their kids into their seats. I'm not 100% sure what all the other airlines are doing. The one certain thing, though, is that you will get off the plane first if you're in front (unless, of course, it's a heavy with two jetways, which is usually only on transcon or intl flights).

As far as safety goes, it doesn't matter. Every plane crash is different. There is no way to be able to say in advance what the safest place to be for any particular accident would be. So, my advice is to relax knowing that the odds of ever being in a plane crash are about as good as being struck by lightning with a winning lottery ticket in your pocket. MUCH more important than picking a specific seat, is knowing the location of the exits near you (there is a reason the flight attendants say that, because it's true) and KEEPING that seat belt fastened when the sign is on and ANYTIME you're in your seat.

Cheers,
MG