The Worst Becomes the Best Seat in the House
Can the worst seat in Economy Class actually become the best? You may ask, “how can that be so?”
Well this happened to a female passenger on my return flight from Rome (FCO) to Singapore (SIN) in late January this year. The exact same seat that I labelled the worst seat ever (see my article “The Worst Seat Imaginable”) about a year ago when I flew in the opposite direction SIN-FCO.
On that flight I took a gamble. I moved from the seat I had previously chosen, way back in the middle tail section, to the forward section. At the time when selecting this seat, around 48 hours before flight departure, the row was empty. I chose the aisle seat just in case. As it happened a passenger was allocated the window seat at check-in. This denied me the whole row. So I was stuck in what I considered to be the worst seat in Economy. Seat 46H. There are other seats down the tail end that are similar; close to toilets and the galley. These are just as bad for noise and traffic. Sister seat 46C on the opposite side of the cabin should also get a mention.
The story about 46H and the adjacent seats gets more elaborate since I also happened to score this row (46H/J/K) to myself on the outward flight, SIN to FCO two weeks earlier in mid-January. I had actually selected an aisle seat (43G) in the middle three just a couple of rows ahead. The row I chose was empty when I booked but the other two seats were taken before check-in. When boarding I asked the FA if I could change seat and she replied the flight had around 50 odd empty seats and the row in front of the lavatory was empty. She added I could go there when the doors closed. When this happened I went straight there. In this forward section there was another row that was empty. The first row (row 41D/E/G) in the middle section where families with babies usually go. In this row one armrest remains fixed making stretching across all three seats impossible. Another row (45D/E/G) in the middle with the lavatories right behind had one of the aisle seats taken. The person there had two empty seats (45D/E) to one side. He took full advantage and slept lying down during the flight.
By scoring these empty seats I turned what was the worst seat into something decent. It was great that now I could lie down and rest. Unfortunately for me I had a sore back which made it hard getting flat without pain. Besides on this flight the seats were older and not yet updated. They were a little harder and bumpy which didn’t help. I was still grateful though I got to stretch out and also have a window to look out from.
On the return flight I didn’t look if there were any empty seats when checking in online. I was convinced the seat I chose still had two empty seats alongside. I wasn’t worried so much as on this flight sleeping is not necessary. If you get some it’s a bonus but not necessary, as the time of arrival in Singapore is about the time you’d go to bed in Rome. So getting sleep, after a shower, in a proper bed in a hotel is a better proposition. Something I do regularly on the way back to Oz stopping at the Ambassador Transit Hotel (in T3) Changi Airport.
While at the gate before the flight to SIN from FCO, I happen to talk to a young lady and during our conversation she gave me her seat number, the dreaded 46H. I replied immediately that it was the worst seat on the plane, next to the lavatories, a service closet and protruding into the aisle. I told her the story of my first experience with this seat and the one of the outward trip a couple of weeks earlier when I was lucky to have the row to myself. I said it could work out in your favour. She was preoccupied the flight would be full. Looking around the gate area it may have seemed that way to her. I had a different opinion I could see that possibly 20 to 30 seats could go empty. My calculation was about right. There were empty seats scattered around the Economy cabin. But for her it turned out she scored the whole row. Probably the only empty row on the plane.
She did get some shut eye. Perhaps several hours. Just enough to kill off sleepiness. To boot the seats on this flight were new. Better than those I stretched across with the sore back two weeks earlier. So it is possible for this row of seats including what I consider the worst seat in Economy, the aisle seat 46H (and 46C on the other side), turning out to be one of the best. This is what I was hoping on the flight a year ago. Thinking surely, no one would want to sit next to the lavatories? Unless of course the check-in agent sends someone there. That’s what happened to me sadly.
Note: The toilet flushing is not so bad if you can block the sound out. There is some vibration from the vacuum system but this is nothing compared to any turbulence you may experience. Also wearing an eye mask would alleviate the stray light from the service closet opposite. If you come prepared and have the luck this lady and I had earlier, this row and the dreaded aisle seat sticking out into no man’s land can become the best row of seats in the house.
