Five airplane seat layouts that may disappoint unsuspecting travelers

Business class seating also presents challenges for families traveling together. Unlike economy cabins where entire rows can be booked together, premium cabins often prioritize privacy with few adjacent seats. Privacy dividers further separate parents from children across multiple rows. Patrick Smith discusses these issues in his article "Should kids be banned from first and business class?" He writes: "These tickets cost thousands of dollars, yet it seems there’s no shortage of travelers well-heeled enough to be jetting around in the forward rows with two, three, even a half-dozen small children."

Exit row seats are popular among economy passengers seeking additional legroom without upgrading to premium classes. However, these seats often come with fixed armrests that limit usable width and may be located far back in the cabin—such as row 41 on Delta's 757-300 or row 33 on United—which can delay deplaning during tight connections. Additionally, exit row eligibility is restricted to able-bodied passengers who can operate emergency exits; those traveling with pets are usually excluded.

Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Upper Class uses a herringbone configuration—a pattern introduced by British Airways in its first-class cabins during the 1990s and later adopted by Virgin Atlantic in its Upper Class Suite. In this arrangement beds angle away from or toward aisles rather than windows. According to Head For Points: "You have to really strain your neck to see out the window and end up with little to no privacy as you gaze lovingly into the eyes of whoever is sitting opposite you." Despite drawbacks for solo travelers seeking privacy or window views, couples may benefit from so-called "honeymoon" seats that allow them to sit together.

This herringbone pattern remains prevalent on Virgin Atlantic's fleet operating major routes between London-Heathrow and destinations such as Los Angeles—with up to 40 flights scheduled for March 2025—as well as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Las Vegas, and Male—all seeing over thirty flights each month according to Cirium data.

Many passengers now prefer staggered layouts introduced by airlines like Delta and Etihad Airways in the mid-2000s. These arrangements optimize space by offsetting footwells beneath side tables rather than positioning beds directly behind one another.

Passengers are advised to study seat maps carefully before selecting their next flight seat due to these varied layout considerations.