Finding Your Sweet Spot on the Plane

Tip 4: Some Seats Have More Legroom.

When the airlines were regulated by the government, more than 25 years ago, the Civil Aeronautics Board set legroom dimensions on planes. But today, legroom -- known as "pitch" in the industry -- can vary from 30 inches to 36 inches, often on the same flight. In fact, certain areas of the coach are coveted by expert travelers.

"The best seat in the house is still the emergency seat row in coach," Parsons said. "In an evacuation you need more room. However, there can be problems with the emergency row. Sometimes the seats don't recline, but you could get 50% more legroom out of the deal."

Another area perfect for stretching out are the bulkheads, the row of seats right behind the partitions that divide the cabin into fare classes. With no seats in front to recline, there's often more legroom -- sometimes as much as five feet -- but as with the emergency exit row, this space does come with a trade-off.

Because luggage must be stored under the seat in front of you, bulkhead passengers must put their carry-on bags into the overhead bin and may not be able to access their things during the flight. And on some flights, especially international, the bulkheads are equipped with bassinet holders. All the legroom in the world can't offset the two crying babies in front of you for a 10-hour flight.

Tip 5: Working on a Plane Takes Preparation.

When it comes to power outlets, airplanes are sorely lacking.

Most don't have outlets, and those that do rely on either cigarette lighter sockets or special power ports that were created for airplanes. Outlets are only now being rolled out into planes -- American Airlines, unit of AMR, just announced a goal to have power ports in every plane by this time next year -- but you'll still need an adapter if you plan on working from 30,000 feet, because standard outlets are even rarer than good in-flight movies.

"A lot of the newer planes have outlets installed," said Daimler. "But it costs money to put them on. US Airways has them in their Airbus planes, United has them in first class and American has them scattered in coach."

Plan ahead when you plan on working during a flight. Not only should you check ahead to see what kind of power outlets are on the plane, you need to see where they are, since they are often placed in alternating rows. Check SeatGuru.com for your specific flight and aircraft to see exactly how the plane is configured -- oftentimes, an airline's Web site will not offer detailed information on outlet placement.

And remember -- pick your seat accordingly.

"Most business travelers like the aisle, but I'm a window person," said Dave Cerino, general manager for Orbitz for Business. "I don't like to be bothered, and if you're on the aisle you deal with flight attendants and people getting up and down to use the bathroom."