Article: The Benefits of Sitting at the Back of the Plane

[Mr Bill]

Well.......back in the days of TAA and Ansett, I was living in Darwin and had to travel to the southern capitals quite often. When I was not upgraded to F by my airport friends, my preference was for (I think it was 28D) anyway the last D seat down the back of the old B 727 workhorse. Hardly had anyone sharing my row, the engine noise did not bother me, I was next to the galley so was more often than not served drinks and meals first (incl the odd freebee beer or wine.). No trekking to use the toilets and upon landing, because of the internal rear stairs, I was usually first off the plane and into the terminal . How Things have changed........except the wait for baggage !!!!

 

[dmgale1960]

I've always tried to avoid them on long haul flights but the number of times where we have been (shamefully) forward and squashed in economy and seen passengers with entire rows further back.... I have wondered why I have avoided them.

 

[Tiki]

Sometimes I will sit in the very back if I think there will be an empty middle seat or I can have a wall behind me. Only if I don't have a tight connection or will be arriving at some ridiculous hour and have to hang around the airport until a more decent hour.

 

[offshore171]

On the A380, sitting in “steerage” is actually quite good. QF used to put a mini economy cabin there on the upper deck behind J.

Now it’s PE.

On narrow bodies, up the back can be fairly noisy and subject to more pitch and yaw oscillation.

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:17 PM

old B 727 workhorse.

and upon landing, because of the internal rear stairs,

Or in the case of DB Cooper, why wait until landing to exit via the rear stairs!

 

[bussyboy]

Not sure I'd be keen on on surviving in the rear cabin, but less seats and more free space certainly welcome!

 

[p--and--t]

When partner and I travelled on 747s in Y, would always select the second to last row. Two seats by the window. Loads of storage space on the side and rarely anyone in last row which the crew liked to sit in occasionally between services. Just that little bit further away from the toilet Q but close enough to be convenient, also to the galley for a snack or drink top up and chat with crew during quiet periods.

 

[Bad Seed]

I have no status so often choose the rear seats for all the reasons you have posted. I go to Hawaii regularly and the second to last seats have only crew seats behind which often remain unoccupied so you can recline to your hearts content. I have posted this here before and its only happened to me once but I will post again as a cautionary tale. I was flying domestically and my close-to-the back seat beeped on check in and I was re-allocated to a seat in the very back row. I was a bit surprised and then I worked it out. There was an unaccompanied minor flying and I believe as a woman, I was reallocated to seat next to her. Pretty much everyone in the back half of the plane was male so I think it was just one of those things that they put a solo girl child who needed to travel near the crew next to a mother-aged traveller.