How to Use SeatGuru for Plus-Size Travel

Throughout April we’re going to be focusing on what it’s like to fly while fat! We’ve got a whole bunch of tips and tricks to share with you, as well as some guests posts and interviews from experts in the industry! To kick start everything, we wanted to talk about our FAVE tool when it comes to booking flights as plus size person – Seat Guru.

Flying while plus size is something we all know to be uncomfortable and often painful, but we’ve discovered that there are tips and tricks that can make it that little bit easier.

One of those handy little tricks is using Seat Guru before you book your flight and choose your seat. With Seat Guru, you can look at the entire seat map for the plane and identify which seats you should 100% be avoiding. The website is a great resource for finding out information about seats on airlines all over the world and honestly, I recommend everyone does it before they fly, even if just for that peace of mind in terms of knowing what to expect. You can see photos of different seats from passengers who have flown before, and find out whether or not the seat reclines or has extra legroom.

So, what exactly is Seat Guru?

It’s a website that has seat maps for over 700 different aircrafts from almost 100 different airlines. You can use it to find out the size of your seat on a flight, as well as other important information like customer photos and whether or not a seat reclines.

To find out the size of your seat on a flight, simply follow these easy steps:

First, go to SeatGuru.com.

Once you’re on the homepage, you’ll see a search bar in the middle of the screen.

In the search bar, type in the airline and flight number that you’ll be flying on. If you haven’t booked your flight yet, you’ll still be able to find this information online.

For example, if you’re flying on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Los Angeles, you would type “Virgin Atlantic” into the search bar and then enter the exact date and flight number of the route you plan to take. If you don’t know the flight number, there are alternative ways to search.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be taken to a page with a seat map of the entire plane.

To the right of the seat map, you will see a list of the different seats that are available, along with the width and seat/bed pitch of each one. This will show you exactly how much difference there is between economy, business and first-class.

Below this, you’ll also find an overview of the plane. This is definitely worth reading just to get an idea of what to expect.

On the seat map, each seat is colour-coded to indicate whether it’s a good seat or a bad seat. Here’s a full guide to the key Seat Guru uses:

A green seat means it’s a good seat with extra legroom, while a red seat means it should be avoided if possible. These usually have very little space or have something that may be blocking the amount of space you will have.

You can also hover over each seat on the map to see a photo of the seat, as well as information about whether or not it reclines and how much legroom you can expect.

Some things you may want to look out for (let’s call them seat red flags) are:

• Whether or not the tray table is stored in an immovable armrest
• If the bulkhead wall behind reduces how far you can recline your seat
• Whether there is a box under the seat in front of you that reduces foot space
• Where the windows line up as some seats have reduced space as a result of this (this will be in reviews, not the main seat map

Once you’ve found a seat that you’re happy with, simply click on it to select it when booking your flight.

And that’s all there is to it! By using Seat Guru, you can easily find the seat that’s going to be the most comfortable for you on any flight.

Using Customer Photos To Weigh Up Your Options

One of the best features of Seat Guru is that it includes customer photos for most seats. This means you can get an idea of what the view is like, as well as how much space you’ll have. This is something we also do when looking at public transport, hotels and excursions, so it’s always handy to find customer photos for your flights too!

To find these photos, all you need to do is scroll down to where it saves “travellers photos” on the right hand side of the page. Note: not all planes will have traveller photos, as this depends on people submitting them!

Customer Reviews on Seat Guru: How Can They Help?

The reviews on Seat Guru can be really helpful, as they’re written by people who have actually flown in the seat that you’re thinking of booking.

These reviews can be really detailed, and will often mention things that you wouldn’t think to look for. For example, a reviewer might mention that there’s a gap between the window and the seat, which means you might get cold on a long-haul flight.

To find these reviews, simply click on the “review” icon next to the photo icon when you hover over a seat on the map.

What Else Can Seat Guru Be Used For?

The great thing about Seat Guru is that it can also be used to find out what facilities your plane will have. From where the bathrooms are to whether or not you’ll be able to charge your phone, it’s handy to know all of this in advance.

Seat Guru is an amazing resource that can be really helpful when booking your next flight. By taking the time to find a comfortable seat, you can make your flying experience so much better, and who doesn’t want that? Happy travels!

Do you have any flying while plus size tips? Let us know in the comments below! Also, don’t forget that we’ll be sharing lots more tips in our Flying While Fat series throughout April. You can find all of the posts here.