We’ve all been there. You’re on a business trip, you’ve had a long day, and now it’s time to get on the plane to go home. The fun begins as you claim your middle seat in the back of the plane with your knees clutched to your chest. If you are one of the lucky travelers with frequent flyer status, your seat selection might be better. But what can the rest of us do to have better odds at snagging a more appealing seat?

8 Tips for Getting a Better Airplane Seat

1. Book early to get a better selection of seats.
2. If you are unable to get a seat at the time of booking, once you get your confirmation number, go to the airlines website, enter your confirmation code and see if you can select seats at that time.
3. Check online 72, 48, and 24 hours before departure. That is when frequent travelers typically get upgraded to better seats and you can get their previously reserved seats.
4. Once you’re at the gate, request an exit row. If those seats are still open the gate agent will typically not charge you the extra fee to sit there.
5. Sign up for seat alerts on ExpertFlyer.com, which notifies you when seats become available.
6. Fly during off peak days/times for more seat availability.
7. Not sure where the good seats are on different carriers? Go to seatguru.com, seatmaestro.com or seatexpert.com where you can find seat maps to help you.
8. Some airlines charge extra for premium seats like those in the first five rows, aisle seats, bulk-head seats, or exit row seats. It might be worth it to pay extra on long-haul flights.

The good news is that by booking travel through Christopherson Business Travel, our expert travel agents will do their best to get you the best seat possible at the time of booking.