SeatGuru Review: How to Find the Best Airplane Seat

SeatGuru is a website owned by TripAdvisor with one of the largest seat-map databases on the internet. Read through this SeatGuru review to see how you can benefit from the information while booking a flight.

To some travelers, the journey matters as much as the destination while taking a vacation. If you feel the same way, nothing can be worse than spending a six-hour flight crammed in a middle seat next to the bathroom.

You can barely access the amenities or view the overhead TV; every flush disturbs your sleep. Such seats can make your journey a nightmare and turn your mood off for the entire vacation.

What if I told you you could check out these details beforehand and choose the best seat for yourself while booking flights? Check out this SeatGuru review to find out how. Let me take you in on a secret. While airlines charge the same amount for each seat in a particular cabin, not all seats are built similarly.

Believe it or not, if you don’t make an informed decision, you can end up with a seat having less legroom, no power port, and limited access to entertainment.

Not to mention the irritating aspects such as sitting beside the bathroom, vanity section, or emergency exit. Yes, you cannot avoid it if a parent with a noisy toddler is seated next to you, but you can surely prevent the abovementioned aspects.

But how? Do airlines give away the secrets about their cabin arrangements? Although airlines let you choose your seats, they don’t spill all the beans for you on their seat maps.

Enter SeatGuru. This is the ultimate portal that collects detailed information about the seat maps from every aircraft from almost every airline you come across.

Apart from its database, the website managed by TripAdvisor uses passenger reviews to provide a realistic rating for each seat available to you. If you’re picky about your seats, you’re probably already excited about using the platform.

Let’s dive into my detailed review of SeatGuru to see if it is worth your time.

What is SeatGuru?

SeatGuru was created in 2001 by Matthew Daimler, a travel enthusiast who was fed up with getting lousy flight seats. At its advent, the website served a single purpose, to indicate which seats were good, bad, and average.

Initially, it stored information from more than 1200 aircraft from 160 airlines. Later in 2003, the website sought external intervention to keep the venture running. Eventually, in 2007, it was taken over by TripAdvisor.

Combined with the broad reach of TripAdvisor services, today, SeatGuru includes an entire database organized by airlines and sub-classified according to each aircraft. This means wherever you want to travel worldwide, you can choose the ideal seats for yourself while booking your flight.

Apart from displaying color-coded charts and amenities each airline and aircraft provides, the website also displays flight booking options and car rentals for frequent travelers. 

How SeatGuru Works

The platform works like a typical online search engine. As soon as you land on the website, you will see an intuitive landing page designed as an address bar. All you have to do is jot down your flight details, including the airline, date, and flight number, and click enter.

Almost immediately, the website will display all the details you need in front of you. You can use the research key provided to determine the good seats from the bad ones and check the other amenities like pets and baggage allowance. Besides that, you can also check the reasons for the seats’ rating by hovering your cursor on your desired seat icon.

The real question is, where does the website generate all this information from? Simply, it pulls the data from the original database of these airlines to provide high-quality, accurate details for you.

This way, you can assess aspects like window and lavatory access, entertainment options, reclining ability, and power availability on the seats before you book your flight.

Most importantly, the website combines information provided by the airlines with frequent flyer reviews. This helps you dig into the obscure aspects of flight seats, such as legroom and seat pitch.

Find out what in-flight amenities you’ll get

SeatGuru lets you find the best seats on a flight. It also ensures that you’ll have a Wi-FI access port and a television screen next to you. Simply enter your flight information – check the menu of in-flight amenities on the plane.

Explore Airline Seat Maps

The airline seat map is often very different. Each aircraft may have its distinct variety of seats, features, and capacity. Look at cabin maps for any specific flight on the route you wish to travel to find the most suitable flight for your particular cabin.

This can help you avoid those dreaded middle seats and the best seats possible. Using the view map feature is an excellent technique to be more aware of what you are getting into before you fly.

How to Sign Up for SeatGuru

What I love about SeatGuru is that it is free for everyone who needs it. When you’re booking a flight for your next vacation, you don’t have to go through a tedious sign-up process or part with your hard-earned money to choose the ideal seats.

Log into the user-intuitive website, choose the airlines you’d like to travel with and explore the seat maps for any aircraft you choose. The website offers other resources, such as the latest travel blogs, updates, and informative newsletters for travel enthusiasts. If you’re interested in the content, you must provide your email address and receive regular updates in your inbox.

See Related: Snaptravel Review: Is it Legit?

Pros of SeatGuru

Now that you know how the platform works for viewing seat details and booking a flight, you are probably excited to try it. But before you do, check out this list of benefits to make an informed decision.

No Membership Fee

SeatGuru does not charge its users any membership fee for its service. Moreover, you don’t even have to create an account or enter your details to choose the ideal seat.

Just put in the details you know about your flight, or select an airline from the list to get started.

Easy to Navigate

The website has a catchy interface and is relatively easy to navigate, even for first-time users. The front page lets you conduct basic searches for your booked flights while you can explore the other sections for customized seat searches.

Verified Information

The database is generated first-hand information through its team of travelers who professionally fly with airlines worldwide.

A Plethora of Airlines to Choose From

You can easily find your target flight on the website regardless of destination or departure location. SeatGuru is affiliated with a long list of airlines worldwide that provide their seating setups and cabin guidelines to the website.

This way, even if you don’t plan your trip, you can select a particular airline from the website and book your flight based on the seating availability.

Creatively Presented Seat Guides

Let’s face it; there are many websites out there that offer seating guides for travelers. However, this site stands out because of its creative seating guides for each aircraft, which will help you find the best seats for your flight.

The seat map is color-coded with green, red, and yellow indicators and specific icons for other information, such as the emergency exits, lavatory distance, and window availability. This gives users a clear understanding of the aircraft to select their seats without hassle.

Informative Comparison Charts

Detailed comparison charts are another benefit you won’t get with any other seating information website. SeatGuru displays individual seating charts with specific seats and seat descriptions from a long list of airlines. This way, you can get all the information at a glance and choose your airline accordingly.

Great Resources and Customer Service

Positive user reviews show that the website offers prompt customer service and valuable resources for travel enthusiasts.

Numerous Other Tools

The website has other features for its users, including booking car rental options, discounted flight booking, ways to find amazing flight deals, and a detailed site map.

See Related: RVShare Review

Cons of SeatGuru

Although this platform has many great options for finding the best seat possible, it also has a few disadvantages. Read this list to see if any downsides are significant turnoffs for you.

Delayed Updates

Although they have an impressive collection of seat maps from multiple airlines, it can fall short on some updates. For example, if you’re searching for a seat map of a new aircraft, you might not find it on the site.

Inaccurate Information

In some cases, SeatGuru displays inconsistent and incorrect information regarding aircraft seat pitches and legroom.

Although they can be honest mistakes, as measurements on cutting-edge seating arrangements cannot be deciphered easily, they can still lead to wrong booking decisions.

Unreliable Seat Indications

With their color-coded system, SeatGuru marks each seat in green, red, or yellow. This marks whether the seat is highly preferable, average, or a no-go.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the yellow or red seats assigned by the website are off-limits for you. In the end, it all depends on your personal preferences.

No Mobile App

Although the website is mobile-friendly and can use on the go, SeatGuru does not have a dedicated mobile app.

See Related: Outdoorsy Review

Key Features

Now that you have all the necessary information, benefits, and drawbacks, it is time for a detailed overview of SeatGuru. I have explained each feature individually in this section to represent the site.

Seat Maps

You can refer directly to SeatGuru’s seat maps if you have already picked the flight you want to take. All you have to do is enter the airline, flight number, and date to get the complete seat map of your aircraft.

The creative presentation of the data on the seat map is one of the most appealing features of SeatGuru. The seats will be labeled as green, yellow, or red.

According to traveler reviews and other specifications, Green indicates the seat is good. Similarly, yellow shows that the seat has mixed reviews. You should check the seating chart by hovering your cursor on the seat to see if it fits your needs.

Lastly, red alerts you about the bad seats near restrooms, with minimal legroom, aisle access, and no power or WIFI availability. Here is an example of their seating details and the seat map key.

The seat map also includes crucial information about your flight—baggage restrictions, pet allowances, cabin set-up, and other amenities.

All this information is neatly organized in different tabs so you can quickly look up the areas you’re interested in. These color codings will help you avoid the worst seats possible when flying.

Airline Seat Maps

If you’re still planning your vacation and haven’t booked a flight, you can pick your target airline from SeatGuru’s list and check out the seat maps.

Once you choose an airline, you’ll be directed to a page showing all the aircraft available. These include wide-body and narrow-body options. Now, you can click on any aircraft you like and get a detailed seat map.

This helps a lot when you know the route you want to travel but want to compare the seat facilities with price ranges on multiple flights. By checking out various airline options, you can see which flight offers the best facilities in the cabin you want and get the best value for your money.

Seat Specification Comparison Charts

The comparison charts on SeatGuru are easily the most comprehensive information regarding every airline imaginable that gets paired with a seat map.

Constructed alphabetically, the chart includes legroom, seat pitch, and even in-flight amenities such as entertainment, WIFI, and power connections alongside each airline.

When you select the comparison charts section, you will see six options, from short-haul to long-haul flights. After you choose one, a comparison chart of all the airlines with the respective flights will come up.

From here, you can shortlist the ideal flights for your vacation. Then, check out the seat maps to book a perfect seat.

Customer Service and Resources

SeatGuru offers impeccable customer service and other support for flying. If you have problems operating the site, refer to the neatly organized FAQ page for the necessary answers.

If you have a more specific query, you can go to the contact page and email the SeatGuru team. Usually, a representative reaches out to you through email within one or two days.

Besides that, the website has exciting news alerts, blog posts, and travel guides. These can help you plan a memorable trip.

Overall Rating

• Ease of Use – 5 / 5
• Features – 4 / 5
• Value for Money – 5 / 5
• Customer Service – 4 / 5

SeatGuru Review: Is It Worth It?

So what is the conclusion to my review? Is it worth your time? With multiple accessible features without any fee, using the SeatGuru website is definitely worth it for travelers looking for a relaxing in-flight experience. You can explore the site from your couch and get help choosing an airline, aircraft, or seat according to your preferences.

Although the website isn’t 100% accurate every time, you can still get some beneficial information and hit an excellent find most of the time. Remember, you don’t have to pay anything for the service, so there’s nothing to lose if you try it out.

Bookmark this site for future reference if you’re a frequent traveler or prefer comfort during your journey.

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