Where to sit: Front or Back?
After you have chosen to target a window or an aisle seat, where would that be? At the front or at the back? Where would you like to be? Which front by the way, the front of the aircraft or the front of your class? What?
Well, “front” or “back” can sometimes be confusing. For many airlines, the front of the plane is business class and the aft is economy class. So if you were on business class and you say you were seated at the back that means you are still just in front of all economy class passengers! So let’s talk front and back…
Why front or back?
So many people I have asked have so many reasons why they choose the front of the plane or otherwise. Some are ridiculous, some are funny, some are ridiculous but funny, some are valid, some are valid but unlikely and some are respectable! I will assure you that how valid ever is the concern for choosing front or aft, no one answer is “the best” choice so that we can say “go and grab that seat”. Let’s do this by talking about some of the “remarkable” responses I’ve collected.
I want the front seats so I can be ahead of everyone
Ahead of everyone for what? Do you depart and arrive ahead of anyone else in the same flight? Oh so you mean you want to be ahead of everyone else when you disembark! What for? So you can retrieve your luggage first at the terminal? Wrong! By coming in early so you can grab a front seat, you checked you luggage in ahead of everyone else, so that would be the first to go into the deepest recesses of the cargo hold, and that would come out last! Beh buti nga! Remember too, if you follow the correct airline procedures, you must board last if you are assigned a front area seat. That is so that you do not impede the proper and faster flow of passengers boarding your aircraft. So think about it!
I want the front seat so I can be as far away from the toilet
For majority of travel within the Philippines, this is almost a stupid answer. Most airplanes have lavatories at the very front of the cabin. So if you are in front, you are nearest to it hehe!
I don’t like the smell of cigarettes so I always choose front seats
Gaga! Air travel anywhere in this archipelago does not allow smoking of any kind anywhere inside an aircraft unless it was your very own private jet! But let’s take that comment for what it is and let’s pick a flight that does have a smoking section (like flights to Japan or Taiwan). If you sit at the very front section of the economy cabin, you are nearest to a smoking area – which is the rear section of the business class cabin!
It’s noisier at the back
Hmm, true but… I have a different approach to this. I tried the front, middle and the back of many airliners many times over and found out that the noisiest engine noise I ever experienced was bearable enough to not bother me that much. Also did some reading about research on this topic and it looks like it’s really true that the back of the engine area would have more engine noise. But as I said, that was bearable – probably because it’s a consistent drone so that the hum-like sound becomes part of my environment and I tend to not consider it as noise? Probably so! I have observed too that sitting by the wing area (near the engines) was/is just as fine except that when the flaps of the wings or the landing gears start moving, I thought they were more horribly audible in this portion of an airplane hehe! Why, if anything got stuck, I’d be the first to discern it hehe – ayaw ko! Now the front. Since many people say and suggest the front (plus all of the above comments), the fore or front section of the aircraft usually get full. But, this is what I have observed and am now trying to avoid: yes, I think I also believe/imagine that there is less engine noise in front, but being always full, the front area teems with children and babies and infants and talkative ladies who try to “outsound” the noises so they shout, plus the clanging and banging of things that flight attendants do in their galley. Thus I now hate the front! In many of my flights, I am happy with 3 to 4 rows away from the last row but with shorter flights, I go for the middle exit area by the wings! When a flight is not full, expect that the back rows would be empty – and that is where I get to have a whole row for myself (and I flick the arm-rest up) while my backpack also sits in its own row! Plus, on arrival, the aft door is opened and I am first to disembark hehe! Quite Royal, don’t you think?
It’s safer up front
Really?! Who told you? I browsed up on the veracity of this claim and stumbled upon a research that said all airline staff won’t give you a precise answer as obviously they’d be advertising a mad scramble for a certain section of the aircraft so they would usually say that the safety factor is the same from front to rear. But, that same research dove into some statistics and found out that most crash and accident survivors were seated at the aft section of the aircraft – or if we reverse it… most of the crash/accident fatalities were passengers from the front.
So, have a nice flight? Please?! Hehehe!
Well, “front” or “back” can sometimes be confusing. For many airlines, the front of the plane is business class and the aft is economy class. So if you were on business class and you say you were seated at the back that means you are still just in front of all economy class passengers! So let’s talk front and back…
Why front or back?
So many people I have asked have so many reasons why they choose the front of the plane or otherwise. Some are ridiculous, some are funny, some are ridiculous but funny, some are valid, some are valid but unlikely and some are respectable! I will assure you that how valid ever is the concern for choosing front or aft, no one answer is “the best” choice so that we can say “go and grab that seat”. Let’s do this by talking about some of the “remarkable” responses I’ve collected.
I want the front seats so I can be ahead of everyone
Ahead of everyone for what? Do you depart and arrive ahead of anyone else in the same flight? Oh so you mean you want to be ahead of everyone else when you disembark! What for? So you can retrieve your luggage first at the terminal? Wrong! By coming in early so you can grab a front seat, you checked you luggage in ahead of everyone else, so that would be the first to go into the deepest recesses of the cargo hold, and that would come out last! Beh buti nga! Remember too, if you follow the correct airline procedures, you must board last if you are assigned a front area seat. That is so that you do not impede the proper and faster flow of passengers boarding your aircraft. So think about it!
I want the front seat so I can be as far away from the toilet
For majority of travel within the Philippines, this is almost a stupid answer. Most airplanes have lavatories at the very front of the cabin. So if you are in front, you are nearest to it hehe!
I don’t like the smell of cigarettes so I always choose front seats
Gaga! Air travel anywhere in this archipelago does not allow smoking of any kind anywhere inside an aircraft unless it was your very own private jet! But let’s take that comment for what it is and let’s pick a flight that does have a smoking section (like flights to Japan or Taiwan). If you sit at the very front section of the economy cabin, you are nearest to a smoking area – which is the rear section of the business class cabin!
It’s noisier at the back
Hmm, true but… I have a different approach to this. I tried the front, middle and the back of many airliners many times over and found out that the noisiest engine noise I ever experienced was bearable enough to not bother me that much. Also did some reading about research on this topic and it looks like it’s really true that the back of the engine area would have more engine noise. But as I said, that was bearable – probably because it’s a consistent drone so that the hum-like sound becomes part of my environment and I tend to not consider it as noise? Probably so! I have observed too that sitting by the wing area (near the engines) was/is just as fine except that when the flaps of the wings or the landing gears start moving, I thought they were more horribly audible in this portion of an airplane hehe! Why, if anything got stuck, I’d be the first to discern it hehe – ayaw ko! Now the front. Since many people say and suggest the front (plus all of the above comments), the fore or front section of the aircraft usually get full. But, this is what I have observed and am now trying to avoid: yes, I think I also believe/imagine that there is less engine noise in front, but being always full, the front area teems with children and babies and infants and talkative ladies who try to “outsound” the noises so they shout, plus the clanging and banging of things that flight attendants do in their galley. Thus I now hate the front! In many of my flights, I am happy with 3 to 4 rows away from the last row but with shorter flights, I go for the middle exit area by the wings! When a flight is not full, expect that the back rows would be empty – and that is where I get to have a whole row for myself (and I flick the arm-rest up) while my backpack also sits in its own row! Plus, on arrival, the aft door is opened and I am first to disembark hehe! Quite Royal, don’t you think?
It’s safer up front
Really?! Who told you? I browsed up on the veracity of this claim and stumbled upon a research that said all airline staff won’t give you a precise answer as obviously they’d be advertising a mad scramble for a certain section of the aircraft so they would usually say that the safety factor is the same from front to rear. But, that same research dove into some statistics and found out that most crash and accident survivors were seated at the aft section of the aircraft – or if we reverse it… most of the crash/accident fatalities were passengers from the front.
So, have a nice flight? Please?! Hehehe!
I just read somewhere that the back of an airplane is the safest during a fatal accident at least statistically... and it also claimed na kaya nga at the back nilalagay ang black boxes kse mas likely it will survive a crash. Well, ako I don't mind khit saan umupo basta window seat :)
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