What Happened To SeatGuru? And Where To Now Look For Airplane Seats

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 realized that not all seats are created equal.

Several factors must be considered when choosing the best seat on a plane. Of course, extra legroom is always a plus, and many travelers know to ask for an exit row or bulkhead seat for this reason. However, other factors, such as the orientation of the seat or the proximity to other amenities on the plane, must also be considered.

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 in a row where the seats in front of you can’t recline, which can 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. Until recently, you only needed to know one website: 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.

However, when I compared SeatGuru’s maps to those on airline websites, I noticed they were starting to get out of date. For example, I couldn’t find a plane that matched the seating arrangements on several Delta planes.

When I searched, I found many posts on Reddit and FlyerTalk about how SeatGuru was no longer being updated.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. I can only figure out 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But I won’t pick a seat based on an out-of-date map. Thankfully, two websites have taken up the mantle of providing updated seat maps. In fact, they actually provide more information than SeatGuru.

The websites are AeroLOPA and SeatMaps.

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. It also 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 were paying more attention, I would have seen that row 22 has a misaligned window.

One of the great 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

They’ve also addressed a major gripe many users mentioned: the lack of a key to decipher the maps. Now, that information is at the top of each post.

Delta Air Lines operate twenty-one Boeing 767-400ER aircraft, configured 34J 20W 184M, including 28 Comfort+ seats in Economy, and located at rows 30 to 33. These are indicated in the seat plan with red accents.

SeatMaps

Launched in 2022, SeatMaps.com also provides information on many different airlines.

SeatMaps is a company founded by Fred Finn, a Guinness World Record holder for passenger miles, and Djois Franklin, a tech veteran from AMD and Microsoft. Based in London and Munich, we combine Fred’s experience with the weekly updated seat map data for over 700 airlines. Our 360° panoramic technology helps to get an immersive view of any cabin from (A) Airbus to (Z) Zlin Aircraft. Read flight reviews of others and rate your own experience. Use SeatMaps to find the most comfortable seat for your next flight!

Here’s the seat map for the Premium Economy seats for the same Delta 767-400.

One advantage of SeatMaps is that they color-code the seats to indicate which ones provide more comfort and which ones have issues. For example, here’s the summary for seat 22A with the misaligned window.

Unlike AeroLOPA, SeatMaps allows you to find which plane you’ll be flying on by entering your flight information. The SeatMaps website has a more extensive list of airlines, ranging from JetBlue‘s E190 to the A320 we flew with Cambodia Angkor Air. It also provides links to reviews of the aircraft from sources around the web.

My only fault is that the descriptions are rather generic, to the point they’re mostly useless. For example, here’s a description of the seats on the E190.

The Embraer E190 series, offers an economy class that’s optimized for comfort. Catering to 84 passengers, the environment is spacious with practical seating. A diverse range of entertainment options keeps passengers engaged, ensuring a smooth journey.

Final Thought

I’m not sure which site is better, as both have their strengths. SeatMaps presents information in a more user-friendly format, while AeroLOPA offers more detailed insights about each aircraft, including the types of seats and the Wi-Fi systems available.

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. Unfortunately, SeatGuru has been neglected and is no longer updating seat maps. Still, I’m glad that AeroLOPA and SeatMaps have taken the mantle and are providing passengers with more comprehensive and accurate information than before, enabling them to make informed decisions when selecting their seats.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary