As air travel has evolved, so has the way we book and choose our seats on a plane. In the past, passengers were simply assigned a seat on the plane with the rest of their party as part of the cost of their ticket. However, savvy travelers have come to realize that not all seats are created equal.
When it comes to choosing the best seat on a plane, there are a number of factors to consider. Of course, extra legroom is always a plus, and many travelers know to ask for an exit row or bulkhead seat for this reason. But there are also other factors to consider, such as the orientation of the seat or the proximity to other amenities on the plane.
For example, some seats may be located near the lavatories or the galley, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your preferences. Other seats may be located in a row where the seats in front of you can’t recline, which can be a benefit if you value your personal space.
When looking for the best seats on a plane, you need reference material. That means having an accurate map of the seats on a plane. Up until recently, there was only one website you needed to know: SeatGuru.
SeatGuru was a combination of reference and crowdsourced material. The website provided seat maps and allowed members to comment on specific seats on a plane, telling whether they were good or not. SeatGuru listed seats as preferable, average, or ones to avoid, and provided reasons for each. For instance, they would indicate if a seat couldn’t recline or had a misaligned window.
But then I noticed that SeatGuru’s maps were starting to get out of date when I compared them to the maps on the airline websites. For example, I couldn’t find a plane that matched the seating arrangements on several Delta planes.
When I did some searching, I found many posts on Reddit and FlyerTalk about how SeatGuru was no longer being updated. In fact, the SeatGuru app is no longer available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
I’m trying to figure out what happened. SeatGuru was purchased by TripAdvisor back in 2007. TripAdvisor was spun off from Expedia in 2011, so there’s no corporate buyout reason to kill the website. The only thing I can figure out is that there’s no profit in keeping the website updated. You head to SeatGuru after you’ve already searched for a flight and have possibly purchased a ticket. All you’re doing at this point is picking out your seat assignment.
But I’m not going to pick a seat based on an out-of-date map. Thankfully, there appears to be a new website that has taken up the mantle of providing updated seat maps. In fact, they actually provide more information than SeatGuru.
The website is AeroLOPA.
AeroLOPA is a portfolio of aircraft seating plans, carefully developed and uniquely detailed to help you make the very best decision about where to sit on-board your next flight.
Starting with the airlines we know most intimately, American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia, our aim is add new airlines in the future but we will only ever publish information that we know is accurate and reliable.
The website is easy to navigate and provides information about each plane including the number of seats in each cabin, and the types of seats and shows an accurate diagram down to the window alignment.
For example, I used AeroLOPA to check out the seat map of the Delta 767-400ER we flew from Orlando to Atlanta.
If I was paying more attention, I would have seen that row 22 has a misaligned window.
One of the nice features of AeroLOPA is a description of the seats. This is important when flying in premium economy, business or first class. On our Delta flight, here is the description of the Premium Select cabin seating:
Delta Premium Select
Twenty Collins MiQ premium economy seats configured 2-2-2, with a retractable leg/foot rest, and a 4-way adjustable headrest
Seat width: 19″
Row pitch: 38″
Seat recline: 7″
13.3″ touch screen display
Universal 110V AC (shared) and two USB-A sockets
Final Thought
When SeatGuru launched, passengers weren’t charged extra fees for most seat assignments. However, now, airlines have started charging passengers for reserving seats of their preference, including aisle or window seats, and even seats towards the front of the cabin are labeled as “preferred” and come with a higher price tag. Knowing the layout of a plane has become more important than before. It’s unfortunate that SeatGuru has been neglected and is no longer updating seat maps, but I’m glad that AeroLOPA has taken over and is providing passengers with more comprehensive and accurate information than before, enabling them to make informed decisions when it comes to selecting their seats.
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21 comments
I noticed that out-of-date/erroneous/missing info SeatGuru was often providing/not providing too. Which was very disappointing as I’d depended on them for my seat selection fairly often. So thanks very much for the heads up on this new site!
AeroLOPA is missing some information. For example, on AA’s aircraft, Main Cabin Extra seats have a colored stripe shown on the back of the seat…but there’s no legend anywhere showing the user what color represents MCE. The 737-MAX shows rows 16 and 17 with a stripe colored differently than other coach rows. If I hadn’t looked at Seat Guru, I wouldn’t have known that 16 and 17 are MCE rows.
The thing I liked about SeatGuru were the reviews of individual seats. Even if I wasn’t looking at that specific seat, it would give me a little more data about the row or area. I’d love to see AeroLopa introduce that feature. Totally love them even without it, though!
Seatguru has been garbage for years
Agreed. Quite like AeroLOPA.
Can’t find AeroLOPA FOR Apple app store
Any thoughts about seatmaps.com for that purpose?
This is old news – I’ve been using Aerolopa since it was first launched. It does have its’failings but is very comprehensive compared to SG.
I could not find AeroLOPA in the Apple App Store today.
I agree Kevin. The flyer reviews were really great. I didn’t see any great, average or bad seat indicators on the AeroLopa site for AA aircraft.
The site does not show you the version of the plane that is to be used on a future flight.
It was also nice to have comments as to what seats to avoid.
Perhaps these will be added later
Where can you find a legend that explains what the various bars on the seat backs represents? One airline has 4 or 5 different colors on one aircraft type.
There seems to be a trend that when a web site becomes a good go-to for consumers, it gets bought and either fades away for becomes less consumer-friendly and more industry-friendly. Seat Guru was like having an industry insider. And although unrelated, I remember getting some AMAZINGLY great deals on NICE hotels using Hotwire and Priceline. Of course, they got bought and with new ownership, away went the deals. The meager savings are usually eaten up by the service fees, and then there’s the intangible cost of paying up-front for an unknown hotel, often located in a very (VERY) liberal interpretation of your selected neighborhood. I haven’t used Priceline or Hotwire now in YEARS after having been a very loyal customer for a number of years.
Aerolopa may have nice diagrams of the plans, but unlike SeatGuru there is no information on the seat. Is it good or bad. down the bottom there is a green or red circle which do nothing. How can I make the best decision on which seat I want if it won’t say if it’s bad or good… does it have a window missing…does it have an entertainment box at my feet??? You put your cursor over the seat, and nothing happens??? Tried on the red or green dots, nothing happens???
“AeroLOPA is a portfolio of aircraft seating plans, carefully developed and uniquely detailed to help you make the very best decision about where to sit on-board your next flight. ”
Am I missing something…
Not sure what you are talking about with Aero LOPA. I have used the site before (or rather, tried to use it) and got zero information. I just tried it again for my 2 flights tomorrow on UAL and once again the site provided nothing but a picture of the plane. No seat dimensions, pitch, good or bad. I find it worthless.
Not in Apple app store
As the article states, it’s a website. You can make a web app from it if that’s important to you.
Unless I’m missing something AeroLopa doesn’t give you the aircraft for your specific flight. I’m taking a Delta flight that uses a 757. They have 4 models. How don’t know which one my flight uses? Seatguru used to let you input your flight brand and number and it would show the specific aircraft.
If you look at the map of your plane on the airline website, you can see how many seats in each class and then match it to Aerolopa’s map. It’s not as user friendly but it still works.
The Aerolopa site gives no indication on where the plane’s exit rows are. Also no comprehensive review of individual seats like SeatGuru did and no map of floor mounted communication boxes that could restrict foot space.
My desire for seat maps is actually more rudimentary: I know the exact aircraft and want the seat map for it. Neither SeatGuru nor AeroLOPA will display any seat map for a flight that has already been completed. I find that disappointing. I have wanted past maps for other reasons, such as reading some of the comments, or comparing a past flight’s seat map with a coming one. I realize I am an outlier in this, yet it surprises me that with thousands of seat maps available, the only way to actually find one is to search by the flight number and date.