Little-Known Reason Why You Should Always Avoid Seat 11A When Booking a Flight

If you're booking a flight, there's one seat you might want to steer clear of—seat 11A. While it may seem like just another spot on the plane, passengers who end up here often find themselves in for a disappointing surprise.

Rather than being treated to a scenic view of the sky, those in 11A are met with a nearly windowless wall. Unlike most seats with a standard-sized window, 11A only has a tiny, hard-to-see circular opening. But why is this the case?

The Reason Behind the Missing Window

According to an expert from Flight Radar 24, the missing window in seat 11A on Ryanair’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft is due to the plane’s air conditioning system.

Here’s the problem, basically every other ‘window seat’ gets at least some view of the window, but not seat 11A (AeroLOPA)

“The air conditioning on modern commercial jets is provided by two ‘packs’ that regulate airflow and temperature in the cabin,” they explain. “Air travels from these packs to the passenger cabin via a series of ducts built into the aircraft’s sidewall. One of these ducts is located alongside seat 11A in the Ryanair 737-800 cabin.”

Essentially, the duct placement takes priority over a full window, leaving unfortunate travelers in 11A with little more than a blank wall.

A Tough Break for Some Passengers

Adding insult to injury, passengers seated just across the aisle in 11F get a perfectly positioned window with a clear view outside. Meanwhile, those in 12A and 12F don’t have the best view either, but it’s still better than the non-existent one in 11A.

If you want to avoid a disappointing window seat, websites like AeroLOPA offer detailed seating maps for different airlines, showing everything from window placement to legroom.

Speaking of legroom, here’s an interesting quirk: if you’re flying on a Boeing 737 and sit on the right-hand side of the plane (seats D, E, or F), you might get slightly more space due to the aircraft’s asymmetrical design.

So, next time you book a flight, be sure to check your seat choice carefully—especially if you're hoping for a view!