Checking for the perfect seat

My husband and I like to book opposing aisles, with him on the right of the aisle and me across. I frequently recheck the website just to be sure they haven't changed planes and reassigned us to dreaded middle seats or something dire. Beyond that, I try to not be too close to the bathrooms.

Yes to away from bathroom!
When we fly as a family (3), my kid and I seat in the 2 seats side and husband on an aisle around us, usually front or back.

And smart to occasionally check. They switched planes once and I ended up next to the bathroom.

My preferred seat is an aisle seat somewhere away from the bathroom.

But I pick it and usually don't look again until getting really close to the flight to see if there are any possible aisle seats away from the bathroom with an empty seat next to them (knowing that that seat may well get taken anyway - but I have scored a few times that way).

I hate the bulkhead because I hate not having ANY of my stiff with me and having to get up and get it out of the overhead once we are at flying altitude. Imam short, and it is a pain to get into the overhead bins the two times I have to. I don't want to add to the number of times.

Edit to add: This is all in Main Economy.

I don't fly Economy if I can help it, and prefer BC for long haul. I get a window seat, and DH gets the aisle seat across from me. If flying PE, we try to avoid the bulkhead rows. That's often where families with infants are put, and I'd rather avoid all that. Also not a fan of the fixed armrests and articulated trays and entertainment screens. Plus there's no where to put your personal item ( no underseat space in front of you.) We try to get a seat one or 2 rows behind the bulkhead row, with me at the window and DH on the aisle.

We select our seats at time of purchase and leave it alone - unless the airline changes aircraft and we need to re select seats.

Kim - I hear you. I usually go for bulkhead when traveling alone and long haul flights. I am average height but I need my legs stretched. I usually keep a small crossbody with essentials for take-off, and grab backpack if needed later. I also like that extra separation to a stranger with armrest.

When traveling with child, I like easy access to our backpacks at all times so I go for standard seat. And movable armrest so she can lean on me for sleep.

But I hate the trays.

Cjean good point with the infants. I have been lucky to avoid them. But I am a magnet for little kids or babies seating close to me when in standard seat.

I often fly BA premier econ, and go for an aisle seat in the middle block of 4 seats, because the middle seats in those blocks are the last to go and I’ve often had an empty seat next to me. But generally I go for aisle seats on longhaul, window seats on shorthaul flights.

What I prefer is Delta Main Classic aisle on the left side of the plane because leaning towards my sleeping window-seated husband takes some of the pressure off my bad right hip. I do need to be near the bathrooms and I am always awake for the whole trip, so people coming and going doesn't bother me.

I actually like to choose seat 54B for the somewhat silly reason that it's my birth year and I can remember the number easily. Since early March, I have been checking the seat map since booking the tickets for November because even though the plane was almost 100% empty then, two ratfinks had already booked 54A and 54B --- that has never happened before! If they are still sitting there in November, I feel like asking them why they'd want such an unpopular row.....

@nancys8 two ratfinks had already booked 54A and 54B --- that has never happened before! If they are still sitting there in November, I feel like asking them why they'd want such an unpopular row.....

You made me laugh. These are indeed unpopular rows. Probably someone who forgot to pick a seat when booking and system automatically put them there.

I hate the bulkhead because I hate not having ANY of my stiff with me and having to get up and get it out of the overhead once we are at flying altitude.

I'm not a bulkhead fan either, but mostly because I like having a moveable armrest. I usually pull it up before the other person gets there in hopes they won't notice. 🤣

I also like the left side (I think because I'm right handed and like having more open space near by right arm, lol), but that's not a dealbreaker for me. That said, I do try to get the seat right behind an exit row, since those cannot recline.

I also check seats about every 2-4 weeks, and more frequently as the date of departure gets closer.

Mardee - picking seat right behind exit row is great and I've done that before. But once I got unlucky on Delta domestic flight where my seat also didn't recline and it was not marked as exit row so no extra leg room. I don't like exit rows because of the no recline and it gets freezing.

I always lift arm rest for long haul with my daughter next to me. And, when she was a baby, a flight attendant taught me how to lift the aisle armrest. And I do it in every single flight when leaving seat. I've had a few people look at me and try to replicate, others ask me how to do it. It varies by plane but the option is there (if not bulkhead).

And I'm fine with either side of the plane, I guess I slightly favor right side. But for flights during the day, I do choose opposite direction of the sun when flying with family since kid has window seat. I also enjoy glancing at the window and hope person on the window seat leaves it open when possible.

Yes, I check regularly for better seats, but am very discouraged right now. My usual approach is to buy regular main cabin seats and then check about upgrading the seat just on the overnight leg on the flight out. This worked in the past for me but not this year. I booked Delta Main seats in March to Rome for a trip in late September. A month or so later, I started checking for an upgraded seat for the Atlanta to Rome leg in Delta Comfort. To my chagrin, the cost was $800 or more. Today it’s almost $1000! I’m prepared to spend a few hundred dollars, but that is outrageous. I can upgrade both legs of my outgoing flight for $790, but that’s still too much. I’ll keep checking, though.

Kathy H. - good luck. I know how it feels. My flights for some reason are not allowing any upgrades, everything seems blocked with X. And you can't even purchase those seats on new flight (I tried to see what was going on).

I actually tried to switch my flight to day before but Delta told me that my whole itinerary would be repriced on the current price. I have a fantastic return flight/PE seat and I would lose it and it's what is driving my ticket price higher. Per Delta, my whole itinerary right now costs about 3.2x what I paid for!

Kathy H. I've heard that the "better" class tickets went up sharply. Doesn't seem to have impacted the po-folk section. I can still fly to the US and back for about 2 goats. I have a trip in about 2 weeks that I bought tickets for about 6 weeks ago and it was no more expensive than 4 years ago. Given inflation and wars, I say that's good. But tgere are so many variables at work maybe a better seat would have been cheaper on a different flight, while the cheapest seat was best on my flight.

My ideal seat is a fare class where I can pick or buy a seat when I book and an asile seat as far forward in the cheapest seat catagory. Usually gets me between row 15 and 24 on 45 row +/- planes.

From January when I booked my April/May flights to Paris I checked EVERY. SINGLE. DAY to look for an upgrade from Comfort+ to Delta ONe. Some days it was $6000. Some days it was $2000. My cut off was $1500 since my original ticket was stunningly cheap. I eventually pounced on an upgrade for the SEA->Paris leg for about $750 and then just a few weeks out got an upgrade on the return International leg for about $800. I purchased both of them when I saw that price as I was afraid it was a computer error and wanted to grab it when I could. I do generally check every week to look at the flights and make sure my seat assignment is the same.

And yes some days everything in Delta One was X'd out. They will eventually open up and be available.

On Delta, I've been given to understand they update their computers on Saturday so I started checking Saturday afternoons and scored both on the original ticket price and one of the upgrades.

So, no, I don't think you are crazy BUT....as Mama used to say, consider the source, hahahaha!!

@Pam - I am glad I'm not the only one 😂. I also got a flight that I think was a glitch (return ticket, direct on KLM on Premium Comfort). The ticket price went up $1,000 little after I pressed buy. But it's crazy expensive now.

Pre-accident, I never had an issue with seats or getting the seats that I liked, I was content in economy, and absolutely preferred window seats. Since then with a non-flexing knee, economy is pretty much out, Premium Plus is in and I kinda obsess over. My favorites are on United's 777 at 20L (love that bulkhead) and CRJ550 at seat 7A. They really have the best leg room for me. If on their 767 its 22L. Thankfully in PP there's enough seat pitch along with clearance under seats that my leg fits, I have space and comfort, and i still absolutely love window seats. In October do I have to experience a rj145, thankfully in seat 1A.

I usually pull it up before the other person gets there in hopes they won't notice

Better hope you never get seated next to me because that arm is going down and it will stay down.

As for bulkhead on Delta’s subpar Premium product it’s the only row I want as the risk of the person in front of me reclining into my lap is removed. (Delta increased reclining without allowing enough space between rows)

Carol, As for bulkhead on Delta’s subpar Premium product it’s the only row I want as the risk of the person in front of me reclining into my lap is removed. (Delta increased reclining without allowing enough space between rows)

You are so right. I only flew once on Premium Select and noticed how it made me feel with less space because person in front of me had extra recline. My return flight is on KLM and I got a fantastic deal on their Premium Comfort (which I think is similar to PS on Delta), but I got the bulkhead!

Edited: Saturday 6/27 and still no open seats for purchase upgrade. It has been like this since I bought flight earlier this year. I see lots of seats x'd out in PS and FC. I guess Delta anticipates selling those out as trip gets closer.