Tried and True
Travel expert Johnny Jet answers your most common questions.
How can I avoid the dreaded middle seat? NO ONE LIKES THE MIDDLE SEAT ON ANY airplane. After all, who wants to get stuck between two strangers in a cramped space? But when airlines began cutting back capacity, flights began going out with very few empty seats, which means the chances of getting a middle seat are much greater. However, if you follow these tips, you can almost guarantee you won’t be the sucker stuck in the worst seat on the plane. 1 RESEARCH To find out which seats are the best on a particular aircraft, go to Seat-Guru. com or SeatExpert.com, which highlight the best seats, list exactly how much legroom and pitch each has, and indicate if there are power ports or personal TVs. Keep in mind, airlines can change aircraft types at the last minute so there are no guarantees.
2 PICK A SEAT AT BOOKING The simple strategy to avoid a middle seat is to assign yourself an aisle or window seat the moment you buy your ticket. Better yet, before plopping down your money, look at the flight’s available seats. If the flight is full, pick another.
3 PAY EXTRA Most airlines will allow you to upgrade your coach seat to premium economy (usually five extra inches of legroom). Just make sure you are getting something for your money because some airlines charge just to be seated toward the front of the cabin with nothing extra. Don’t be fooled.
4 KEEP CHECKING Even if you’re a frequent flier, if you book a ticket last minute, chances are the golden seats will be gone. But don’t fret. The good seats will still open up — I can almost guarantee it. The trick is to keep checking your reservation and seat chart often, because the best seats are usually being held by frequent fliers, who will either be upgraded or will cancel. 5 WAIT TO CHECK IN Don’t check in for your flight 24 hours in advance unless you already have the seat you want. If you check in and a better seat opens up later, you can’t make the switch until you get to the airport. That’s why I almost always wait until the last minute. 6 SET AN ALERT If you don’t have time to keep checking your reservation, set a seat alert with ExpertFlyer.com. They don’t charge for a single seat alert but if you want more at once, you can buy more Seat Alerts for 99 cents each or sign up for a Basic or Premium account, which start at $4.99 per month. 7 BE FRIENDLY One of the best ways to get a great coach seat for free is to be super friendly to the gate agents ( I usually bring them chocolates) and kindly request that if they upgrade any of the frequent fliers, to give you their plush coach seat, which is usually in the exit row or bulkhead. It sometimes takes time to get out of the dreaded middle seat, but doing so can really ight.• make or break your fl