How to choose the best seats on the plane for families

Window or aisle? Front or back? Line up or split up? If you're wondering about the best ways to choose your seats for family members on a flight, here are some useful tips to keep in mind.

Top seating options for families

It can be a good idea to choose seats near a window. This gives you control over whether the window blind is open or closed – helpful if you want to sleep, or encourage your kids to. The family member with the window seat will have the added comfort of resting a pillow against the wall to sleep, or the distraction of looking out at the view.

Sitting near the galley and toilets gives you easy access to both bathroom and crew – useful if you’re travelling with younger children and need help with heating bottles etc. But remember, there can be more noise and disruption in these seats with passengers queuing for the bathroom and crew preparing for meal service.

Line up or split up?

If there are four (or more) of you and the plane’s seats are in a 3-3 configuration, you’ll need to think about how to organise yourselves. The obvious choice is to put three family members in one row of seats, and the other (most likely a second adult) just across the aisle next to them.

Another option is to choose two sets of two seats, one in front of the other – for example, 8D and 8E, plus 9D and 9E. One benefit of this is that the family members in row 8 can refrain from reclining their seats, which is really helpful if a child in row 9 is in a car seat (these can leave their legs very close to the row in front). It can also be a good choice for high-energy kids who have an uncontrollable need to stretch their legs – sometimes into the seat in front!

Choosing upfront seats means you’re well positioned to get on and off the plane quickly, which can be helpful at the end of a long flight or if you’re on a short flight with only carry-on luggage.

For the long-haul flights

If you’re travelling with an infant on your lap, you can request a bassinet for international long-haul flights aboard the Boeing 787. Please contact us as soon as possible after booking.

Choose your seats as early as possible

If you want to be sure of sitting exactly where you want, select your seats as early as possible, such as when you book your flight. If you’ve already booked, you can go back and add seats to your booking before you fly by going to Manage booking.