My Unusual Business Class Seat Preference

On my recent review of Turkish Airlines, reader Jason D asked the following:

I’ve noticed that you so often choose your seats as far back in the business class cabin as possible. Just being nosey as to your reasoning why as I guess it’s more common for flyers to choose seats as far forward as possible.

It's true. I have a strong preference for business class seating, and it is almost always the same regardless of the configuration. I like to sit in the last row of business class on the right side. The goal for most people is to sit as far forward as possible, and this is the opposite of the preference that most people have. Let me tell you why.

The benefits of sitting in the back of business class

There are so many different cabin configurations out there that there is nothing that will be the same across airlines and planes. I prefer to sit in the last row of business class.

• Business class seats start filling up from front to back, so your best chances of scoring an empty seat next to you are to sit in the back of the cabin (this is of course a moot point on US airlines, where there’s no such thing as an empty premium seat)
• There’s virtually no foot traffic during the flight, since the lavatories are in front of you, and passengers don’t really move between cabins
• As an aviation geek, I love having a view of the engine and wing, and those are generally better the further back you sit
• I always prefer having a bulkhead behind me, since it adds a bit of privacy, and it also means you won’t have someone seated behind you who is constantly pushing their entertainment monitor, resting their feet on your seat, pulling your seat to stand up, etc.
• Since I review airlines, I love being able to observe the service flow throughout the cabin, and that’s easier to do when you’re further back; it’s also easier to snap pictures of the entire cabin while everyone is seated when you can observe the cabin constantly

I prefer sitting in the back of business class.

I like to sit in the back of business class on wide body aircraft with two business class cabins. The rear cabin feels more private since there are usually just a few rows.

The downsides of sitting in the back of business class

There are many positives to sitting in the back of the cabin, but there are also some drawbacks.

• Often times the first row of economy (right behind business class) is for bassinets, so there’s a risk of having a screaming baby behind you; fortunately I’ve rarely found this to be an issue
• For situations where there are two business class cabins, generally everyone boards past you in the rear cabin, making the boarding experience much more hectic
• It can be louder in the back of business class, since you’re closer to the engine
• Every airline has a different policy on how meal orders are taken, though on some airlines meals are prioritized front to back, which is tricky if you’re seated in the last row

Everyone has their own seating preferences. Most people in business class try to sit as far forward as possible, while I try to sit in the back. Whether we are talking about a narrow body plane or a wide body plane with multiple business class cabins, this applies.

When sitting in the back you have a better chance of having an empty seat next to you, and I like watching the service flow in the cabin.

Do you prefer business class seating?