Relax - The perfect airplane seat

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The perfect airplane seat - 6A

AsiaOne | Wed, Jul 11 2012

Surprisingly, the survey found that 60% of passengers preferred the window seat over the aisle.

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WHICH is the most coveted seat on an airplane?

A poll conducted by flight search website Skyscanner revealed that the first six rows of a plane are the most popular with 46 per cent of votes.

While that is not too surprising, the survey found that almost 60 per cent of passengers preferred the window seat over the aisle, which scored only 40 per cent. Less than 1 per cent of respondents chose the middle seat.

Only 7 per cent of respondents said they would choose the back row.

Over 1,000 airline passengers were asked to state their seat preferences, aside from extra legroom seats in the survey. It also sought to understand if choices were influenced by lucky numbers as well as odd or even row numbers.

Results show that 62 per cent of passengers said that they preferred an even seat number.

Combining these responses, Skyscanner concluded that seat 6A is the most sought after seat on a standard aircraft.

Which is, then, the 'worst' seat? Apparently, 31E - a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft - is least favourable.

"Anecdotally some passengers seem to opt for the middle section near the wings where they are less likely to feel turbulence, while others want to be near to the front for ease of getting off the plane, less engine noise or even to get a better choice of food available," Skyscanner’s Travel Editor, Sam Baldwin, explained.

"The window seat seems a popular choice for those looking to sleep, especially for long haul flights, while those who take more trips to the toilet prefer the aisle so as not to disturb fellow passengers."

Mr Baldwin also added that aisle seats are also popular among tall passengers looking to stretch their legs.

"Frequent fliers have also reported that the left hand side of the plane is best as the windows are off centre, allowing for wall space to lean on," he said.

maryanns@sph.com.sg