I get a lot of questions from readers along the lines of ‘what seats should I choose on my flight?’ And I certainly have opinions on this, but I’ll either respond with a long discussion of the different seat choices or I’ll answer the question with a question – because there are always tradeoffs, and people have different preferences balancing those. There’s no right answer most of the time!
I have a bit of an idiosyncratic preference for the bulkhead seats at the front of the cabin when I’m flying business class. And most people would disagree. In fact, in many cases the first row of business class is going to be unpopular, for two reasons:
- It’s usually right behind the galley. You’ll be more likely to hear galley noise, and on a long flight in business class when you’re trying to sleep that may be disturbing. (The light from the galley may also be bothersome, as it shines through the curtains separating it from the cabin.)
- It’s also frequently right behind the lavatory. That means there will be more foot traffic going past your seat and back as passengers get up to use the loo. Some people find that, too, disturbing.
And I agree with those criticisms! I just have a stronger preference not to see as many people.
Many business class cabins feel like an endless sea of people. It’s not coach, to be sure, but it’s not a serene and uncrowded environment. Here’s the forward business class cabin on a British Airways Airbus A350:
British Airways Airbus A350 Business Class
One of the things I like best about first class, even subpar first class products like on American Airlines, is that there aren’t a lot of people in the cabin. You don’t see many people! I find the absence of crowds far more peaceful, and a crowded cabin not to be relaxing. As I say, this is my own idiosyncratic preference.
Of course sitting in row 1 of a British Airways Airbus A350 you’re still in a very large cabin with a lot of other business class passengers, but most of the time you’re facing forward and you do not see them. The walls of the seats aren’t very high, and if you’re seated farther back you’ll realize just how surrounded you are any time you get up (to go to the lavatory, to get personal items out of overhead bins).
Sitting in the back of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 similarly feels like you’re in a morass of people, which you won’t notice in as pronounced a way seated at the bulkhead.
Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class
Another feature of the bulkhead is that you may get extra room. Singapore Airlines is one example, though of course many airlines also now sell the bulkhead in business class as a separate premium product – the Virgin Atlantic ‘Retreat Suite’, JetBlue ‘Mint Studio’, and the new American Airlines Flagship Suite Preferred seat that we’ll see in the coming months.
Credit American Airlines
I think Singapore though is the best illustration of this difference. Seats feel like they aren’t spaced very far apart. Sitting in a regular business class seat your feet angle underneath the seat in front of you. I get claustrophobic (first world problems to be sure, most passengers are in coach). Here’s business class on a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777:
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Business Seat
In contrast, business class in the bulkhead row on the same aircraft is much more spacious with no seat in front to angle under.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Bulkhead Business Seat
At a minimum you may just get a counter in front of you if you’re seated in the bulkhead row. That’s still something! Here’s Air France:
Air France Business Class
Sometimes that space is used for a snack set up, such as here on KLM. Many will consider that a disadvantage but honestly it doesn’t bother me.
So I’ll always pick the front row bulkhead in the business class, but if you are more averse to galley noise or lavatory foot traffic and don’t mind having a wider view of more passengers in the cabin then your seat choice will be different.
It’s a choice of seeing people or looking at a wall.
As long it is lay flat you are gonna survive.
For domestic 1st class, seat 1A or 1F are by far my favorite, because
A) You get a window (I love a window seat- always have on my first flight when I was in 3rd grade and still do today)
B) Because no one can incline in front of you, it is very easy to get out of the window seat without disturbing the aisle seat- and even if they are asleep and you can contort a little bit it works.
C) Usually, but sometimes not, the first row is first to be served for beverages/food.
D) You are the first few off of the plane.
E) Finally, depending on the orientation of the aircraft when flying vs. the sun, I will always the non-sunny side once at cruising altitude. 🙂
So for all of those who hate bulkheads, GREAT! 🙂
I’d rather have less people seeing me (and walking past me) and the privacy that entails, than see less people.
In any case, in modern aircraft seats when you’re in ‘lounge’ mode you can’t usually see anyone anyway – especially if there’s a door.
Even better – some airlines offer a mini cabin.
This all more than outweighs sitting next to the galley and the toilets.
Quicker service might be a consideration though – not that you mention it.
Unless there are suites, if I can’t fly in bulkhead aisle, I don’t go. I don’t want anyone reclining into me and I need to grip something in order to rise gracefully from my seat … I get up as often as I can to move around. Yes, the galley noise is loathesome, the FAs jabber away like they’re at a church supper. Lav doesn’t bother me. I realize now, reading your article, that ‘not seeing the seemingly thousands of people on the plane’ is another good reason. Thanks for the most interesting insight!
Gary,
Yes, I see you have a people issue. Ever try to understand it or get help to resolve it.
From following you, I note you are always working. So people shouldn’t be an issue. The noise and smells from the galley and toilets would be most distracting. At nite it should be quite dark. Who would you see.
Well, maybe you should fly first class. Never saw issues you see while 1st class on LH.
Wide bodies. I always select the first “true” window seat in J. So, 2A on DL A330ceo, but 3A in DL A330-900 or A350. On UA it’s 1A on the 787or 777. Obviously, I’ll do the starboard side equivalent. I always pre-order the meal, so that’s not an issue.
Narrow bodies. I’m a row 2 aisle seat guy. The reclining pax in row 1 doesn’t bother me, the video screen is better and can be used prior to takeoff, and I have space for my only carryon under the seat in front. I will often put my backpack in a bin, but I need not worry if they’re full if I board late.
In domestic F I used to love the bulkhead, but AA’s Oasis-ing of aircraft left bulkheads without device holders. Really disappointing.
Everytime I’ve flown in the front aisle my “stuff” has gone missing before I got to my seat. Headphones, sandals, snacks, whatever. I don’t like to be the first one on the plane and those who embark before me often grab my things on their way to their seats. The second time this happened to me I marched my way down to coach and took my things back from a surprised couple who thought they were so clever. I loudly grabbed my things saying things like, “Yeah, I bet you bought these striped sandals in the airport lounge didn’t you? Yeah, and you probably got the headphones there as well!”… That was on Condor where everything was blue and white striped like the outside of the plane.
On domestic, we always fly 2A and 2B
On lie-flat international: almost always 3A and 4A (sometimes 4A/5A)
Unless of course there is a Mini Cabin as James stated. in that case I take the first row of that
Reason:
I can’t see anybody from 3A/4A unless I stand up. The picture you showed above is only what you see if you stand!
If it is a larger Biz class flight, people waiting for the bathroom wait/stand right by row 1. No thank you.
I don’t care about the *lights* from the galley. I care about the *smells* from the lavatory!
Interesting.
1) What do you do when you’re traveling with family?
2) Do you pay extra for the bulkhead seats as many airlines charge extra or do you hope and check back when the bulkhead seats are no extra charge?
My interest is not purely hypothetical since my size 15 feet don’t do well fitting in many cubbies.
It’s not because you lieke to put your bare feet on the bulkhead? 🙂
Ok, so I might be weird but I always choose the very back of business class when there are lie flat seats, because there is no lie flat seats behind me. Why? Because when I lie my seat flat and the person behind me lies their seat flat, that means that, on the other side of that little plastic wall where my head is, are their feet! Think about it! Their feet are right there just inches from your face with a little.plastic wall between your face and their feet. I can’t handle it.
morass
mo·rass
/məˈras/
noun
1.
an area of muddy or boggy ground.
“in midwinter the track beneath this bridge became a muddy morass”
2.
a complicated or confused situation.
“she would become lost in a morass of lies and explanations”
Could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s what you meant to say.
That’s funny, I pick the back for the opposite reason. I like being able to see a nice big open space in front of me. Feels more airy. Bulkhead feels more claustrophobic.
I actually like seats with lower suite walls too so the open views are better.
Don’t like to see other people, fellow passengers on the plane?
Fly private!
Problem solved!
I tend to choose 2nd row, solo seat if available, otherwise aisle.
@Al LeFeusch. Since you can afford business class, you could probably avoid some therapy.
What a bunch of OCD introverts in Business Class! On a 9 hr flight, I enjoy breaking up the monotony of the flight with some people watching. Can’t do that starting at the bullhead – or at best people watching those in desperate need to relieve themselves. Seems I’m in the minority…
Gary, I prefer to have people in front of me than hearing the FAs talking and laughing all night long. It just happened to me on a UA flight from Houston to São Paulo.
I found that attitude a total disrespect to the paying customers that chose to buy business class in order to be able to sleep.
@Luis – Allow me to mention the great technological innovation called ear buds. Or cotton balls in ancient times. 😀
We regularly fly Business Class between Costa Rica and the states. On our most recent trip on American Airlines we were surprised to see Economy passengers filing past us to use the front bathroom. We mentioned it to a flight attendant who told us that flights originating in the U.S. could not discriminate with the bathrooms. We can’t recall this ever happening before. There was a line for the front bathroom going through first class. Is this new?
I sit in 1A because having 1A on my boarding pass makes me feel like the king of the pissants