Plane Seat Picker

The seat map is a puzzle and the airline's legend won't tell you that 24A doesn't recline. This tool decodes seats to actual position per aircraft family, flags the structural traps (rows ahead of exits, last-row recline, lavatory bounce), and picks strategy by flight type — because the right seat on a red-eye is the wrong seat on a daytime flight with kids.

Overview

1. decode — seat number + aircraft family → window/middle/ aisle, side of plane, and known traps for that zone.
2. aircraft — family quick facts: typical pitch/width, cabin layout codes (3-3, 3-3-3), what changes comfort.
3. choose — flight type (red-eye/day/short-hop) + party size + preferences → ranked strategy with concrete seat patterns.
4. families — infant (bassinet/bulkhead, lap-child rules) vs toddler (split across aisle) vs older kids (any window); car-seat onboard rules of thumb.
5. traps — the master trap list with WHY for each.

Stdlib Python, offline. Aircraft data is by FAMILY (A320ceo/neo, 737-800/MAX8, A321neo, 737-900, A220, E195, 787, A350, 777, A380) — airlines configure individually, so verdicts are zone-logic that holds across configurations.

When to Use

• Any seat selection at booking or check-in
• "Is exit row worth the $45?" — the trade-offs, honestly
• Flying with an infant/toddler and need bassinet math
• Couples/groups on a 3-3 or 3-3-3: which pairs maximize odds of an empty middle
• Red-eye strategy: sleep vs aisle access

Don't use for: specific airline subfleet seat maps (airline config varies; use this for the logic + zone traps, the airline's map for exact rows), premium cabin selection (different game).

How It Works — Numbered Steps

1. Decode a specific seat:

   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py decode --seat 32F --aircraft a320
   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py decode --seat 21A --aircraft 737-800
   

2. Aircraft family facts:

   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py aircraft --type 787
   

3. Strategy for your flight:

   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py choose --flight red-eye --party 1 --pref window
   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py choose --flight day --party 2 --pref quiet
   

4. Flying with kids:

   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py families --kids toddler --adults 2
   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py families --kids infant --adults 2
   

5. The trap list (why that cheap seat is cheap):

   python3 scripts/seat_picker.py traps
   

Aircraft Family Table (excerpt)

The Trap List

1. Row ahead of an exit row — seats don't recline (must keep exit clear). Common on 737/A320 at over-wing exits.
2. Last 2 rows — limited/no recline, near lavs (door slam, queue hover, smell), galley light, meal service reaches you last (choice gone).
3. Lav-adjacent — one row of buffer minimum; the aisle seat beside a lav gets bumped all night.
4. Bulkhead trade — legroom yes, but: no under-seat storage at your feet (all overhead, boarding-race), armrest-mounted trays (fixed, narrower), often bassinet territory = babies.
5. Exit row trade — legroom yes, but: no floor storage during takeoff/landing, colder at doors, tray in armrest (wider gap, no lift-over), must be able-bodied (no lap infants, often no under-15s), seat ahead of you is the recline trap #1.
6. Missing-window rows — some rows on 787/A350 have a blank wall panel or misaligned window; row maps rarely mark it.
7. Over-wing rows — engine noise peaks + view is all wing; on short-hops irrelevant, on 6 h flights it matters.
8. "Premium" row scams — first 2-3 economy rows priced as "preferred" are just... rows, sometimes WORSE (bulkhead traps) — check what you're actually buying.

Strategy by Flight Type

• Red-eye solo: window + front third (deplane fast at 6 AM, meal cart passes early) + away from lavs. Eye mask regardless.
• Red-eye pair on 3-3: window+middle SAME side (keep the pair intact) or the window+aisle gambit on a light flight.
• Day flight pair: window+aisle across… no — window+middle together; people take the empty middles LAST, so if flight is <80% you often get the middle free ("poor man's premium").
• Family + toddler: SPLIT across the aisle (adult+A, adult+child across) — toddler gets window entertainment, two adults tag-team, no trapped stranger.
• Family + infant: bassinet bulkhead (book early, limited) or any window pair; lap infant can't sit in exit rows — the whole party.
• Big group: split 2+2 pairs rather than a full row — full rows get broken up by equipment changes more often.
• Anxious flyer: over-wing = smoothest ride (near center of lift); aisle for control, not window.
• Motion sickness: over-wing, window for horizon reference.
• Tall (190cm+): exit row or bulkhead genuinely worth paying; standard pitch puts knees into the seatback mechanism.

Common Pitfalls

1. Paying for exit row without checking the row AHEAD. You bought 21A; if 20 is the last row before exit... you ARE 21A. But buying 20A to save money = no recline for 4 h.
2. Bulkhead with a lap infant assumption. Bassinets are limited, weight-capped (~11-14 kg), must request in advance; showing up with a baby does not get you bulkhead.
3. The 3-4-3 middle. On dense 777s, D-G block middles (E/F on 3-4-3) are picked last for a reason. Take a 2-side window.
4. Back-of-bus for quiet on a wide-body. Galley + lav cluster zones beat "engine noise" placement every time — the engines are far away on a 777; the lav door is 40 cm away.
5. Trusting the airline map's "good seat" color. Those colors sell inventory. The trap rows are usually colored fine.
6. Ignoring equipment change risk. Sub-fleet swaps (737-800 → MAX8, A320 → A321) silently move your carefully picked row; re-check at T-24 h check-in.

Example

$ seat_picker.py decode --seat 14C --aircraft a320
SEAT 14C — A320 FAMILY (3-3)
  POSITION: aisle, LEFT side (A window | B middle | C aisle | D aisle | E middle | F window)
  ZONE: over-wing rows on A320 typically 10-16...
  WARN: engine noise band; exit rows often right behind (check
  14-vs-15 recline on YOUR airline's map)

$ seat_picker.py choose --flight red-eye --party 2 --pref sleep
RED-EYE, PARTY OF 2, PRIORITY: SLEEP
  1. window+middle together, same side, front third, ≥2 rows from lavs
  2. if flight likely light (<80%): window+aisle gamble (middle
     fills last)
  3. AVOID: exit rows (armrest trays are narrow, cold at doors),
     row ahead of exit (no recline), last 3 rows (lavs+service)

Verification Checklist

• Aircraft family confirmed (booking page or Flightradar-type lookup); seat letters re-decoded for THAT family
• Trap list checked against chosen rows (recline, lavs, bulkhead)
• Flight-type strategy applied (red-eye ≠ day-flight logic)
• Party layout chosen (together vs split for kids)
• Re-verify at T-24 h — equipment changes move rows