OK.  So you don’t fly 100,000 miles every year, on the same route, on the same planes, week-in and week-out.  How would you know what’s a good seat?

You start with a little research.  Then you go to SeatGuru.com.

FIRST.  The equipment (type of aircraft) you’ll be flying we’ll be available when you pull-up your itinerary, on-line.  If you have problems figuring it out, you can always call the airline reservation number and ask.

SECOND.  At SeatGuru.com, you can easily navigate the site.  Click on the alphabetical airline box, click on the airline, chose your aircraft!  There will be a brief description of the plane, as it relates to the airline’s configuration and a straight-forward, easy-to-understand diagram of the plane cabin.

For each class of seats, you can learn the seat pitch, width, and the amenities (video, audio, etc.).  By using colors, the diagram shows you the good seats, seats to be aware of, and poor seats.  You can learn where power ports are located as well as lavatories (bathrooms), closets, galleys (kitchens), and exits.

This is all just very, very cool and I feel like a kid when I use this site.

BEWARE!  I suggest checking your reservation 48 hours to a week ahead of time.  You never know when and if the airline might change the originally scheduled equipment.  If the equipment does change, start over again and find a new seat.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Frequent flyers are the ones who usually get upgraded, as they check-in for the flight.  If you want a different seat, chances are the seat a frequent flyer just got upgraded from is better than the one on your boarding pass—check at the gate.

Have a great flight!