It’s not your imagination, nor is it the holiday rush—the back of the plane tends to be more crowded these days. According to Bill Mosley at the Department of Transportation, the measure of passenger miles as a proportion of available seat miles for U.S. airlines rose from 72.61 percent in 2002 to 82.53 percent last year—and it continues to creep up.
Compounding this issue, new aircraft often have less legroom and seat space, down to 17 inches from 18.5 inches in coach.
Before you get discouraged, know that there are silver linings to this bleak landscape. First up: The DOT reports that the second-quarter 2013 average fare was down 18.4 percent from the average fare of $463 in 1999. What does that mean for travelers? Inflation-adjusted airfares are falling, making travel more affordable for more people.
Second, tarmac delays are becoming far less frequent thanks to recently implemented DOT rules. For example, between January and August this year, there have been 61 tarmac delays longer than three hours on U.S. domestic flights. That may not sound so impressive, but then compare it to the whopping 693 three-hour-plus tarmac delays between May 2009 and April 2010, the last 12-month period before the rule took effect.
Finally, last year the rate of mishandled baggage by airlines—which includes lost, stolen, late and damaged baggage—was at its lowest level in 25 years.
We’ll admit that it’s hard to keep this good news in mind when you’re sandwiched between passengers by the airplane bathroom. With a little planning, though, there are ways to make the experience more pleasant.
According to John Walton at the flight data website and search engine Routehappy, there’s no one answer to finding the best flight or seats—it’s all relative to your preferences. “Flyers should consider a number of factors when choosing a flight,” Walton explains. “Can they trade off an inch of legroom for a great on-demand entertainment system or in-flight Wi-Fi? My answers will, I’m sure, be different than yours, just like someone who’s 6’4” will have a different opinion on legroom than someone who’s 5’4”.” Cabin layout is also important—a 2-3-2 layout in economy is far better than a 3-4-3, because you don’t have to pick your way over as many people. And solo travelers will often find themselves with no neighbor in the middle seat in the center section.
Mosley also considers timing: Late morning and early afternoon flights typically have lower fares and the most seats available, so consider traveling at off-peak times, such as Monday afternoon to Thursday afternoon or Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. You’ll get more space in the overhead, and there’s less of a chance of being stuck in a middle seat.
These 12 tips will help you navigate the pitfalls of flying coach.
![Virgin America coach full]()
1. Know your legroom.
1. Know your legroom.Flying an airline with lots of legroom may be the simplest way to get cozy in coach. If you’re comparing U.S. airlines, JetBlue and Virgin America economy class seats tend to offer about an inch or two more than the average in most cases. Across the globe, Thai Airways is one of the most generous airlines in this regard, with seat pitch ranging from 31 to 34 inches, and topping out at 36 inches for an economy seat on its A340-500. United and American are on par with other U.S. airlines, but for an extra fee, flyers can book an Economy Plus (UA) or Main Cabin Extra (AA) seat for a few extra inches.
2. Score the best seat.
This may seem like a daunting decision, but three services are simplifying the search. Veteran SeatGuru.com’s color-coded airplane maps make it easy to spot the roomiest seats farthest from the bathroom on long- and short-haul flights. The site’s new Guru Factor (or G-Factor) “comfort rating system” grades the in-flight experience with the tags “love it,” “like it” or “live with it,” with scores based on legroom, comfort (defined as type of seat, seat pitch, width and recline), Wi-Fi, in-flight entertainment and more.
Routehappy, meanwhile, tracks more than a dozen seat “Happiness Factors,” from legroom and chair width to layout and connection length. Finally, Hipmunk.com initially sorts your search results by “agony” factor, which is a combination of the price, duration and number of stops. The only inconvenience is that none of these three sites are booking platforms, so you’ll have to take your favorite routes and reserve them elsewhere.
3. Snag your seat immediately upon booking your flight—or 24 hours before boarding.
Choose your seats as soon as possible, and check back once a month to make sure your seat hasn’t been changed. Sometimes, plane models change and automatically move you for operational reasons. Checking back may also help you notice seat openings from unexpected cancellations (this is especially true the week of travel). At the 24-hour marker, airlines sometimes start moving elite flyers into first and business class, allowing you to pounce on bulkhead, aisle or extra legroom seats.
![ExpertFlyer seat tracker]()
4. Download seat alert apps.
4. Download seat alert apps.If you’re unable to get a good seat upon booking, don’t give up hope—there are two great apps made for just that. Trip organization app TripIt Pro’s new Seat Tracker tool allows Pro members ($49 per year) to log in, create an alert for a future flight, select their criteria (a window seat in the exit row, for example) and the number of seats if traveling with company (up to four) and then receive a text or email if the seat(s) open up. The more affordable option is ExpertFlyer, which offers monthly membership (from $4.99 per month), but also allows you to sign up for one seat alert at a time for free. You won’t be able to actually book a seat when it becomes available—for that, you’ll have to turn to the airline’s own site.
5. Consider springing for comfort.
If you’re willing to pay a fee or use loyalty points, more than 40 percent of U.S. flights offer “extra legroom economy” seating with extra legroom and a few perks, such as free drinks, early boarding and so on. “Premium Economy” is a mostly international concept and is a great option for longer-haul jaunts. But flyers don’t always need to pay for a little extra room. According to Routehappy, 13 percent of domestic flights have spacious seats in regular economy class. Southwest has the most flights with the site’s “Roomier” designation (on some of its 737 fleet), but that’s on only 31 percent of its flights overall. JetBlue and Virgin America have smaller networks and fewer flights, but every seat is a “Roomier” one; 96 percent of Alaska Airlines flights have “Roomier” seating, too.
6. Skip the lines.
For frequent travelers, the Clear Card—at $180 per year, plus $50 for a spouse or child—may be well worth the investment. It lets you jump TSA security lines at select airports, including San Francisco, San Jose, Calif., Denver, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Texas, and Westchester, N.Y. Another, more affordable option may be the TSA’s PreCheck program, which gives eligible flyers an expedited pass through security by letting them walk through a traditional scanner without removing their laptop, coat, shoes, belt or watch. It’s a new program, so it’s available only through seven participating airlines at certain terminals in about 40 airports so far—but is expected to reach more than 100 airports next year.