Finding Your Sweet Spot on the Plane

"All of the airlines have different policies. United reserves the back part of the plane for its best customers," explained Daimler, whose site, SeatGuru.com, offers detailed commentary on 142 planes flown by 17 carriers. "The usual formula is that 60% of the plane is available for pre-reservation. It depends, but the front and aisles go first, with the back and middle seats last."

But 24 hours before your scheduled flight time those seating restrictions begin to ease, giving you free run of the plane. The number of seats that open up varies depending on the number of seats sold and the number of elite passengers scheduled to fly, but ultimately, it pays to be early. Thanks to the Internet, it's possible to pick your seat and print out a boarding pass from the privacy of your own home, completely bypassing the kiosk -- and lines -- at the airport.

Both United and Continental Airlines allow passengers to pick seats using the Web -- and nearly every airline has basic maps showing how their planes are configured. And even if you can't seat yourself from home, showing up at the airport 90 minutes before a flight instead of 15 can be the difference between riding the hump and riding shotgun.

Tip 2: In a Rush? Sit Up Front. Plane Is Packed? Sit Way Back.

It goes without saying that the last people on the plane are usually the first people off the plane, since the airlines tend to board the rear of the plane first ahead of takeoff. So, you want to sit in the front of the plane if you're in a rush. Once the "fasten seatbelts" light is turned off, all you'll need to do is stand up, grab your bag, wave to the flight attendants and get on with your life.

"Sitting on an aisle can give you a fast way out of the plane, too," said Daimler. "But some planes board and exit in the back as well as the front. Those are kind of rare. It's usually the MD-80s and smaller airports that don't have jetways, like San Jose, where you exit using the stairs at the back of the plane."