As most of my friends from OU recall, I used to fly fairly often (and still do to a limited extent). Through most of my life I’ve flown Northwest, and gotten to know the quirks on various aircraft. For example, seat “6D” in the first full row of coach on a DC-9 gets four feet of leg room, since the airplane goes from 2-2 seating in first class to 2-3 seating at this point. In other aircraft, the emergency row may give you extra leg room, but the seats are stiffer, and they may not recline.

SeatGuru.com has tips like this for many of the major carriers. The site shows interactive maps of each aircraft’s cabin, along with tips on which seats are most desirable, and which seats should be avoided if possible. Take a look next time you book your tickets, or check in and are given an option to change your seat location.

This site is yet another example of the power of “crowd sourcing.” By consolidating the knowledge of the masses of frequent fliers into a single, easy-to-use resource, each of us can make more intelligent decisions.

Time for me to fly home for the weekend. Unfortunately the CRJ I’m flying on has no “good” seats… just seats to stay away from. Adios!