Skip to Main Content

Choose a Seat in the Back of the Plane For Better Service


Whenever I fly I always opt for an aisle seat near the front of the plane, the closest aisle seat to the front of the plane I can get.

My logic behind the selection is that I want to avoid climbing over as many people as possible when getting to my seat, and avoid getting held up disembarking the plane by as few people as possible. Really that makes me sounds pretty impatient. Maybe I am.

According to The Independent, my seat choice may be negatively impacting the service I get on board.

According to a flight attendant, flight attendants actually provide more attentive service to passengers that have chosen a seat in the back of the plane to those who are sitting in the front. Sure, you might end up with whatever’s left when it comes to your meal option, but when you need a refill on that coke or any extra assistance, you’ll be more likely to get the flight attendants attention. That’s in part simply because you’re closer to where they’re sitting and prepping meals service and other things for the flight. But there’s also another reason: they can help you more discretely.

“The reason is simple: We like to avoid responding to call bells from the front of the plane because answering one means potentially flaunting whatever item the passenger has requested to everyone else along the way,” she says. “This can cause a problem since planes often don’t have enough extra vodka, pillows, earplugs, and toothbrushes, or the time on shorter flights to deviate from the service schedule.

“For passengers sitting near the back of the plane, however, it’s much easier to slip in that second mini bottle of wine,” she wrote.