My Favorite Economy Class Seat on an American Airlines Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is the aircraft I probably fly most, probably because it’s the aircraft that’s utilized the most in American’s current domestic operation. Living in Washington DC, connections to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and even a once daily flight to JFK, are all on the Boeing 737.

When it comes to flying the 737, I have a particular favorite seat.

Let’s look at the seat map below, taken for an upcoming flight from Washington Reagan to Chicago O’Hare. You’ll see I’ve selected seat 7C.

This, and 7D are my favorite seats on the 737 aircraft. It’s the bulkhead aisle seats on either side. On some flights, you’ll notice the right hand aisle and middle seat blocked – these are technically blocked for elite passengers and can only be released under airport control, though many times these will be released early and/or you can ask an airport agent to seat you in them. 7C, however, is always available at time of booking.

Here’s Why I Love These Seats

They’re considered Main Cabin Extra seats, but the bulkhead in front does in fact block unlimited legroom (the 737-800 version 1 planes have more legroom in these bulkheads seats than the version 2 planes; you’ll notice these planes because they only have 86 seats in economy vs. the 114). That said, there’s a decent amount of legroom to be had, and even more so on the aisle where you can extend your feat out just a tad to the side. On the newer aircraft, the distance between the seat and bulkhead becomes even greater.

In these bulkhead seats, you’re pretty much guaranteed overhead bin space, since you can’t store any bags in front of you. Good flight attendants will reserve a bin over these seats just for this purpose.

The best benefit, however, is getting off the plan just after First Class. If you’re in an exit row, midway back of the plane, it takes forever to disembark as passengers before you slowly exit, retrieve their bags, etc. Being in a front bulkhead row, I can quickly get off just behind First Class, and it’s a compromise I’m willing to have even if there’s just a little less legroom.

You can secure these seats for free if you have oneworld Ruby status or also American Platinum status, both of which are included for free with this membership card anyone can get.

What’s your favorite Main Cabin seats on American’s 737 aircraft?