SeatGuru is Gone: Which Other Seat Map Tools Remain?

For many years, almost every frequent flyer knew the website SeatGuru.com. If you had a flight planned, you could look up the seat map there and especially see which seats were good or bad.

Unfortunately, the site has been heavily neglected in recent years. Ever since the app was shut down five years ago, the website has also stopped being maintained, e.g. no new seat maps have been added. The usefulness of the website steadily declined. Still, it could occasionally be helpful when looking up details about specific seats.

That’s over now. The website has officially been shut down. Only a short message appears now, before users are automatically redirected to Tripadvisor.com (SeatGuru was acquired by Tripadvisor in 2007):

For those who never knew the site, or want to indulge in nostalgia, here is an old screenshot from our archive:

Alternatives to SeatGuru

There are several websites that can theoretically replace SeatGuru. Unfortunately none of them offer such a large collection of user reviews and user photos.

AeroLopa

AeroLopa.com is still a fairly new site, and the best source for detailed and, above all, current seat maps. Even small details are usually accurately drawn, like window positions or how far the emergency exit door extends into the cabin. We’ve already introduced this site in detail.

Scrolling below the graphical seat map, you will often find info such as seat pitch, seat manufacturer and model, power outlet availability, in-flight entertainment, etc. However, AeroLopa is not a direct one-to-one replacement for SeatGuru. You cannot directly see if a seat is considered “good” or “bad”, for example, because the recline is limited. And there are no individual seat reviews.

SeatMaps.com

SeatMaps.com functions closer to what SeatGuru used to offer. The seat maps themselves are fairly simple, often just coloured rectangles. On the other hand, they are usually kept up-to-date, information like seat pitch, etc., is clearly listed, and often reviews from well-known blogs and YouTubers are linked. You can also enter a route or flight number, and you will be directed straight to the correct seat map.

The colour scale of each seat indicates whether a seat is considered positive or negative. Clicking on a seat will show more information. However, these indications often rely on assumptions, and you’ll see statements like “Recline might be limited.”

In theory, there is a SeatGuru-style review function that allows you to rate individual seats. But reviews are usually very sparse because the platform is not widely used yet.

SeatMaestro

SeatMaestro.com launched in 2004 and is almost as old as SeatGuru. The feature set is very similar, but both platforms share the same major weakness: outdated data. For example, you won’t find any configuration of Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabins.

It can still be worth a look if you are specifically interested in seat reviews. The database in this regard is larger than SeatMaps.com.

Google

You’re looking for experiences on a very specific seat and couldn’t find anything on the platforms above? Often, a Google search is worth it. If you want to know whether row 31 on Finnair’s A330 (bulkhead) is any good, search something like: finnair a330 “row 31” or finnair a330 “31L”. You’ll frequently find posts on Flyertalk or flight review sites where specific seats are mentioned in passing.

Translated by Ditmar

Cover Picture: Seatmap (©SeatGuru.com) | © SeatGuru