A FORMER flight attendant has revealed the best seats to book on flights and the one she always avoids.
Staying comfortable during flights can be difficult, but some seats are better to sit in than others.
In an article for Insider, ex-cabin crew member Beth Windsor has revealed that the emergency exit is the best place to sit on a plane.
She said: “These seats usually come with an extra fee, so you’re less likely to have people sitting next to you here.”
They also tend to have more legroom, for safety purposes as they need to be roomy enough for passengers to make their way through in an emergency.
Unfortunately, that row might be a little colder next to the door and you would be expected to perform certain duties in case of a crash, but overall it is a more comfortable seat.
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If the emergency exit rows are taking, opt for the seats at the front of the plane.
She said: “Sitting in the front of the aircraft often makes for a smooth and quiet ride.”
Planes experience turbulence less than seats towards the back.
This is due to the way the air ripples through the aircraft from the front down towards the tail, so if you’re towards the back, you’ll feel it more.
The front also gives you a better chance of a decent meal, with Beth saying: “The crew usually starts serving food and beverages there before working their way to the back, which makes you more likely to get your preferred meal choice in the front.”
When it comes to the worst seats on a plane, Beth recommends avoiding any rows near the toilet, as people tend to gather there and you risk being on the receiving end of bad smells.
To complicate matters though, a previous aviation study revealed that a seat at the back of the plane could be the safest place to sit.
According to a 2015 study, seats in the middle of the cabin had the highest fatality rate at 39 per cent, followed by a 38 per cent fatality rate in the front.
Seats at the back of the cabin had the lowest fatality rate at 32 per cent.
The Aviation Safety Network analysed 65 plane crashes and found seats in the back to be safest in over half of the incidents, based on survival rates.
Harro Ranter chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network, told the Express: “I cannot think of anything that would make sitting upfront safer [and] in an actual accident, best chances of survival are usually in the rear.”
A middle seat at the back of a plane was found to be the safest, with a 28 per cent mortality rate – compared to the worst, an aisle seat in the middle of the cabin, which has a mortality rate of 44 per cent.
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Meanwhile this mother upgraded her seat while leaving her children sitting in economy.
Another passenger refused to swap seats with a family because it was one she had booked earlier.
