In an effort to save money on airfare, I once waited until the eleventh hour to book our family’s annual flight to Hawaii. My intent was to score a last-minute deal that could potentially save me hundreds of dollars.
It turned out to be one of the worst travel-related mistakes of my life. Not only did I not get a rock-bottom price on the tickets, but because I waited so long to book, I got stuck with an antsy toddler smack in the middle of a five-seat row surrounded by perturbed passengers who suggested my daughter and I would be more comfortable walking to Hawaii.
Clearly, if you are planning to fly to a popular vacation destination, such as Hawaii (especially during the busy holiday season) it’s best to book early. Even if you don’t get the absolute best rate available, at least you’ll be assured a decent seat.
And let me tell you, if you are planning on being trapped onboard a plane for more than nine hours straight during a flight to a tropical destination, you’ll want the best seat possible, or, at the very least, a seat that has a working audio system and reclines properly.
Fortunately, there are a slew of free resources that will assist you in finding the best seat. One of the most popular is Seatguru.com. The site features 700 seat maps, backed by 45,000 flyer reviews. To use the system, simply enter your airline and flight number and Seatguru provides a map detailing which seats have been rated as “good” by previous flyers. It also lists the seats to avoid, such as ones that don’t recline or have faulty armrests. Another option is Seatexpert.com. The easy-to-navigate site offers a list of best and worst seats on specific flights with details on legroom, proximity to bathrooms, plus locations of power ports, overhead televisions, closets and galleys.
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