Choosing where to book your seats on an aeroplane can be a difficult experience for many people when jetting off on their holidays.
Not only are passengers often torn between choosing a window or aisle seat – there is also the conundrum of whether or not to pay for the benefit of extra legroom.
A flight attendant has weighed in on the debate, revealing why she chooses to always book seats in the fifth row of the aircraft when not travelling for work.
Rosie Awad, who has worked for Virgin Australia for the past decade, has shared which seats she would always book – and which ones to avoid – when travelling on a Boeing 737-800.
A flight attendant has weighed in on the debate, revealing why she chooses to always book seats in the fifth row of the aircraft when not travelling for work (File image)
Speaking to Escape, via Tyla, she said: ‘I would always choose row 5 [on our B737-800] at the window.
‘There are great views, you can see the airplane wing, you get extra leg room, there are no emergency exit responsibilities, you’re able to put a bag under the seat in front, it’s close for disembarking, and is one of the first rows to be served for inflight service…see why I chose it?’
Rosie also shared the worst seat for both passengers and crew, which can lead to awkward situations for staff members.
She added: ‘The worst seat (for crew) is the 1R jump-seat (at the front of the aircraft).
‘You’re facing the cabin, looking at the passengers… they’re looking at you… it can turn into an awkward staring contest.
‘The worst seat for passengers would have to be the last row, or any row next to a lavatory (I’m so sorry to those who get any in that row).
‘I think it’s pretty self explanatory why this is chosen!’
Rosie Awad, who has worked for Virgin Australia for the past decade, has shared which seats she would always book (File image)
It comes after a flight attendant shared three ways that customers can sneak themselves a free upgrade into the first class cabin.
Cierra Mist, who posts videos on TikTok about her life as an air stewardess, gave some handy advice for viewers on how they might be able to pull off an upgrade.
Sharing her first tip, she advised that the simple gesture of being nice to your gate agent or flight attendant could get you a golden ticket to a more lavish part of the aircraft.
She said: ‘We can work miracles if given some Starbucks or a bag of chocolate when we haven’t even had time to stop for food from working on back-to-back flights’.
Moving on to her second tip, Cierra shared one that could be somewhat out of your control, but may still be achievable.
Cierra said: ‘Another common way we that we move people all the way up to the front of the plane if the flight isn’t full to make sure the aeroplane is balanced’.
This means that if you sit at the back of the plane in an area that is heavily booked-out, you might get lucky and be asked to move all the way up front to first class.
Revealing her third and final tip via Instagram, Cierra said that you might be in luck when it comes to an upgrade depending on your job.
She commented: ‘If you are what we call an ”able bodied person” such as a doctor, nurse, firefighter or police – basically anyone who can react to help cabin crew – then you might be able to get a free upgrade if you tell staff how you can assist if needed when boarding’.
‘Even if we cannot upgrade you to first class, we will always try and put you in an exit row – where you have more legroom – so you can react more quickly if we need your help during an emergency’.
Flight attendant Cierra Mist, who posts videos on TikTok about her life as an air stewardess, gave some handy advice for viewers on how they might be able to pull off an upgrade