By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
On a plane, there are good seats and bad seats.
In first class, it is said that competition to take the ``2A'' seat is keen.
Among seats there is an ``upper seat'' or ``seat of honor,'' reserved for the highest-ranking or most honored guest.
It is quite a strict rule in Korea, a country strongly influenced by Confucian principles, to offer such seats to high-profile seniors.
Such rules apply to all kinds of vehicles. In the case of a jeep for example, the upper seat is the seat in the front right; in regular cars it's the seat in the back to the right.
Many mid and large-sized flights have 12 to 16 first class seats. From the front to the back, they are numbered from 1 to 4, and from left to right, A to D. So, 2A is located next to the window on the left side of the plan in the second row.
Those seated in the first row may feel slightly claustrophobic as their view is blocked by a wall, while seats in the third and fourth rows are close to the lavatories and galleys, which is why second row seats are preferable. Of these, 2A is considered the best, at least in Korea.
Top VIPs, such as presidents, prime ministers and National Assembly speakers, are usually given the 2A seat on business trips.
As there is only one 2A seat on a plane, the secretaries of high-ranking people vie to get their bosses the seat.
In economy class seats, those next to the emergency exits are highly preferred, as there is a lot of legroom.
However, airlines distribute these seats mostly to young and healthy male passengers rather than women, children or the elderly, as passengers there need to help others escape in emergency.
A disadvantage, however, is that passengers there need to crane their necks to watch in-flight entertainment on their screens.
Seats considered the second best are so-called ``bulk seats,'' the seats in the very front row that faces wall.
Legroom there is greater than in the other economy class seats. However, these seats are usually reserved for passengers traveling with babies or the elderly.
According to airline staff, the least desired seats among passengers are those sandwiched in the middle.
Between the window seat and aisle seat, statistics show passengers with more flight experience prefer aisle seats, as they do not need to wake up other passengers when going to the lavatory.