Why I Like Sitting In The Back Row Of Airplane Cabins

Out of the many widebody flights I’ve flown, a vast majority of them are spent in the window seat in the back of the cabin. That’s because I have a very strong preference for sitting in the back of the plane, at least on a widebody flight. Yep, I’ll even choose it over a bulkhead seat. This is true regardless of which cabin class I’m flying in, though the preference grows if I’m flying in economy or premium economy class.

I figured I’d dedicate a post to why. My preference is mainly for flying on widebody aircraft – I don’t necessarily have the same preference when flying a narrowbody aircraft within Europe, as many of the below observations don’t apply as much.

1. You don’t recline into the person behind you

Here’s the biggest reason why I have a strong preference of sitting in the back of an airplane cabin, especially in premium economy and economy class. I don’t usually particularly mind when my space is impinged by the person in front of me reclining, though I have a strong preference for being able to recline at my own will. Airplane cabins these days aren’t designed recklessly, and I don’t remember the last time I’ve been on a longhaul aircraft where recline was impinged by the bulkhead behind.

Obviously I like keeping my seat reclined at points throughout the flight, because it’s more comfortable, and being able to do this guilt-free is nice enough on its own. However, sometimes I want to get some work done upright, then scroll on my phone for a bit in the reclined position, then pull the seat back up to do more work, then take a nap, then get a snack, etc.. That’s all quite annoying for the person behind me if they’re trying to watch a movie, and I’m usually acutely aware of that on flights.

On a recent Cathay Pacific flight, I was (very nicely) asked whether I could swap seats to accommodate two people that didn’t realise they’d be on the same flight. I was happy to oblige, though did say that I’d chosen the seat specifically so that I could keep it reclined. The two friends were extremely friendly and assured me that I could keep my seat reclined at my own will, though I still felt uncomfortable doing so during mealtimes (I was still asked to pull my seatback upright before breakfast by a flight attendant during mealtimes anyway). I even felt bad when pulling the seat back up so I could go to the bathroom, especially if the person behind me was playing a game or watching a movie.

I have a strong preference for sitting in the back row in premium economy and longhaul economy class

Obviously it would be a different story if there isn’t a bulkhead between you and the cabin class behind you (such as in intra-European business class), though even then there might be a bit of space separating you and the seat located behind you, such as in Lufthansa’s premium economy.

2. You have the most private seat in the cabin

While I don’t need full privacy when I’m onboard an airplane (and love a fun chat with a seatmate), I’m not a fan of being easily seen by lots of people when I’m resting or relaxing. People tend to be quite observant on planes (myself 10000% included), and I generally want to pick a seat where I’m not very easily visible by the rest of the passengers in the cabin. The back of the cabin is my preference for that reason, as all of the other seats in the cabin are facing away from you. Obviously this isn’t quite true if you’re in a business class configuration with seats that face backwards of course, such as British Airways’ old business class, QSuites, Etihad’s 787s, etc..

This is probably especially true of me as someone who takes lots of photos on flights. Even after reviewing 200+ flights, I’m quite self-conscious when I photograph onboard planes. I make an effort to avoid getting people’s faces in photos (especially close-up), and try to get all of my cabin photos in one go whenever possible, so I can quickly settle down and be a normal passenger.

Everyone in the cabin is facing away from you when you’re sitting in the back row

Personally I also prefer the back as I can easily take cabin photos without getting anyone’s face in them, though I understand if this is a less common reason for people to want to choose seats onboard flights.

3. The seats around you are more likely to be empty

While this is a bit of a moot point on most longhaul flights these days (as yields on longhaul flights tend to be much higher than they were pre-pandemic), sitting in the back of an airplane cabin hasn’t really caught on yet. Generally, a vast majority of people still have a preference for the front of the plane. This means that you’re more likely to have an empty seat next to you.

The only empty non-middle seat was the one next to me on this Lufthansa premium economy flight

Noteworthy caveats

As you’d imagine, preferring the back of the plane is a bit of an aviation hot take. There are some caveats to my seat preference:

• Many narrowbody planes are missing a window in the last row of economy class, so I avoid those seats
• While a vast majority of planes have no recline limitation in the last row, you might want to double check that that’s the case for your specific flight
• On many airlines you’d be served food and drinks last, so they may run out of your preferred option, and your meal will also be the latest to arrive and take the longest to clear (especially if you’re in a large economy cabin)
• Obviously you do have to factor in if there’s a lavatory immediately behind your seat, in which case you might struggle to get rest if you’re sensitive to light and noise (especially if you prefer the aisle seat)
• Sometimes when sitting in the back of an economy cabin I feel like the rumble from the engines is much louder – I don’t mind this as it’s consistent white noise, though others may take issue

My love of window views surpasses my preference for a back-row seat

Conclusion

The back row is my strong flight seat preference when flying a widebody aircraft, especially in premium economy and economy class, to the point where I’ll pay just to get one of those seats. It’s more private, you get much more control of the flight experience without bothering anyone behind you, and it’s more likely to have empty seats around. While I’ll still select my seat on each flight on a case-by-case basis, generally you’ll find me as a happy camper in the back row of an airplane cabin (unless I’m flying on a narrowbody plane within Europe, where many of the above observations don’t apply).

What’s your favourite seat onboard a flight?