This post will change your life…at 30,000 feet.
If you’re like me and have to travel long distances from time-to-time, you’ve probably needed the assistance of an airplane. You know, those big mechanical flying machines that Snoopy and the Red Baron used to dart around in.
And, just like the game Operation, (I never could take out the breadbasket, by the way), when it comes to air travel, everything is connected to something else.
So let’s connect the dots, shall we?
- You need to fly
- You buy a plane ticket
- Plane tickets are connected to airlines
- Airlines are connected to airports (read: HUGE buildings with lots of people in them)
- Airports are connected to delays
- Delays are connected to your life (inconvenience/hassle/pain in the a$$)
- Your life is connected to you
- You’re pretty important (and so is your breadbasket!)
So what? This isn’t going to change…and I know that. I can hear you thinking…Where do we go from here? Where have we gone from here? What are you going on about?
Simple…in 2001 a guy named Matthew Daimler stumbled on a neat little idea and has transformed that little idea into something that can help you and me make the pain of air travel just a little bit more bearable (just like what water wings did for swimming lessons as a kid…kinda sorta). What’s that, you say? It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane (but it’s about them), it’s:
I really like what this guy did…talk about providing customer service. Get this:
- He travelled a lot
- He travelled on a lot of airplanes
- He realized that not all airplanes are the same (some are horrible…some are great…you and I both probably know that too)
- He thought thought that a really useful tool would be a repository of airline seat information to be able to share with others
Well…he built that tool and after six years and over ten million visitors later, SeatGuru has enjoyed incredible success and has expanded to over 275 airplane seatmaps from over 40 different airlines! And yes, for those of you reading this in Canada…Air Canada is on there…big time.
What I also think is cool about Matthew’s site is that everyone contributes and builds on this database, including his staff, other travellers, and pilots, flight attendants, and airline personnel! Sharing is a powerful thing (it’s central to www.timinganddelivery.com)…and it’s done incredible things for SeatGuru.
That’s enough from me, though. I’ve just started to use it recently and it’s already helped me on some of my upcoming travel plans on international airlines…it’s amazing stuff.
So go on…get a green seat and start flying. Enjoy.
T&D Rating - 5 in-seat TVs (out of 5)
I think this is one of those ideas that hangs around every travler’s mind…SeatGuru is the manifestation of what we already know — that some seats simply suck and some are great.
Small planes, def get close to the front. Larger ones, try to get to the middle near the toilet/kitchen.
Nicely put, and I agree. Despite what I think, though…SeatGuru definitely blew the doors off as their traffic is absolutely shocking.