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But then I noticed that SeatGuru’s maps were starting to get out of date when I compared them to the maps on the airline websites.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When I did some searching, I found many posts on Reddit and FlyerTalk about how SeatGuru was no longer being updated.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But I’m not going to pick a seat based on an out-of-date map.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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