SeatGuru has shut down, so is there an alternative?
Is there a new go-to site to help travellers choose the best seat for their next flight?
By David Flynn, November 3 2025
After nearly two decades of helping travellers choose the best (and avoid the worst) seats in the sky, the popular SeatGuru website has closed down.
SeatGuru.com now redirects visitors to parent company and travel colossus TripAdvisor, which in 2007 bought SeatGuru from founder Matt Daimler for an undisclosed sum.
A frequent flyer himself, Daimler created SeatGuru in 2001, transforming his own first-hand notes and spreadsheets into a website with colour-coded seat maps and pop-up details covering the different planes flown by airlines around the world.
The acquisition should have had plenty of upside for TripAdvisor, which at the time was itself an arm of Expedia, in targeting a travel-minded audience.
Unfortunately, as we’ve seen time and again in so many corporate buy-outs, SeatGuru steadily grew stale.
The user experience never really advanced into the modern and mobile-first Web era, while updates became less frequent.
With out-of-date fleets and seating configurations still showing but newer aircraft and refits nowhere to be seen, and plenty of inaccuracies and blanket assumptions on the seat maps themselves, SeatGuru became increasingly unreliable over the years.
(For what it’s worth, you can still access an archived version of SeatGuru here).
So is there a worthy successor to SeatGuru?
Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Many people cite AeroLOPA as a spiritual successor to SeatGuru.
And while AeroLOPA is both beautifully presented and richly detailed, it’s more for ‘seat geeks’ than actual travellers because it lacks any useful information about the practical pros and cons of specific seats on the plane.
SeatMaps and SeatLink aim for more of those SeatGuru-style seat-by-seat recommendations, alongside passenger feedback, but neither seems to nail that immediate utility which made SeatGuru such a go-to for travellers.
ET readers: what’s your go-to website or app for determining the best and worst seats ahead of a flight?
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 612
There's no real substitute for SeatGuru. I don't understand why so many people suggest AeroLOPA, yes the layout images are lovely but that's where this site begins and ends, there is nothing about which seat to pick!
I can't understand why TripAdvisor fumbled the ball so badly with SeatGuru. Apart from some updates in the early years they pretty much left it to "die on the vine."
Seriously, if I am using SeatGuru to look up some seats on a Cathay Pacific flight then the website should be promoting CX Asia Miles credit cards to me, along with any ads or other content relevant to Hong Kong, ads for roaming eSIMs, luggage brands etc. This was a massive opportunity with a best-in-class brand which they totally botched up.
08 May 2020
Total posts 67
The successor might need to be integrated earlier into the buying process so users know the deal before purchasing. LH and BA charge incredible amounts for seat selection and their seat experience varies significantly.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 Jul 2014
Total posts 62
Whilst obviously lacking subjective commentary, the accuracy and level of detail provided in AeroLOPA's seat maps is superb (e.g. windowless rows, direction in which lavatory doors open) and in many ways more useful than the somewhat generic comments that tended to proliferate in SeatGuru (e.g. 'proximity to the lavatories may be bothersome' - who would have thought?). For many airlines, AeroLOPA also informs you of the manufacturer and model of each cabin's seats, which can aid in seat selection too. The historic seat maps are fascinating.
11 Sep 2015
Total posts 270
Yeah, I can't get too excited over. AeroLOPA as a SeatGuru 'replacement'. It's a far superior website for checking the layout, don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's not the sort of site I would recommend to most of my friends etc who were more of the SeatGuru 'market'.
30 Aug 2013
Total posts 443
The issue with Seat Guru is that is was so woefully out of date. For example, it still shows Qantas operating 747s, when the last operated flight was, what, 4 years ago?
It's very difficult to trust any information that is so out of date in what is a constantly evolving industry.
Aerolopa is much better, but would be great if it added user rankings for seats.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Sep 2017
Total posts 172
Going back in history it was a helpful go-to and very good for trying to max the best out of flying long distances in a metal tube. Concurring with other readers - it became woefully out of date and has now left quite a gap.
03 May 2013
Total posts 712
Here's a primo opportunity for Trip Advisor to become even more relevant. That said, what an amazing opportunity for ET to have this as a value add for its readers!
12 Sep 2024
Total posts 16
On some airline websites, you can see the configuration for the seating arrangements on the sector chosen. However these are highly inaccurate as the actual aircraft used for the sector changes depending on actual operations. Never mind choosing the seats you want to sit in; they change if the aircraft used if different.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Oct 2016
Total posts 163
I Just use the seat maps on the respective airline and some brain power based on past experience! As mentioned by DrSK apart from the map itself, I didn't find seatguru particularly helpful - the comments attached to seats were too generic.
28 Aug 2015
Total posts 27
These days I tend to look for seat guides like those from this website and others. For example, if I was wondering which are the best business seats on a Qantas 787. guess which Executive Traveller guide I would use :)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Nov 2019
Total posts 96
Hello
Etihad - Etihad Guest
09 Jun 2019
Total posts 14
I agree with MKS11 -- I just use the seat maps for the aircraft type provided by the airline. It's not hard to see that the bulkhead seat in J-class, or the aisle seat nearest the toilets, are best avoided.
28 May 2022
Total posts 7
If anyone has info on where I can get the details for the plane's seating arrangements, etc... I'll create a website :-)
While I'm an aviation enthusiast and create data-driven websites, I don't have the AV knowledge at my fingertips... so researching everything from scratch would be very time-consuming.
Happy to collaborate.
28 Sep 2022
Total posts 30
^ Yeh I was going to suggest similar, it would be relatively easy to make the website, but how on Earth do they get such comprehensive information about all possible layouts of all airlines?
28 May 2022
Total posts 7
Just bought the domain seat.guide
Give me 6 months and we'll be live.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 195
I like the fact aeroLOPA gives the seat make and model, that helps me assess an airline I am new to because I have probably flown it before, I also like they identify the variant type. I know if I have a Stella Symphony like SQ regional or TK I can't see much anyway and I am going to be touching in every direction! Where to sit, you look at the aeroLOPA maps and you can see the missing windows, and the footwell details, and I expect most people know galleys and toilets, can be louder, but you should get quicker service.
I like the tabs that allow you to cycle through the different seating versions on SeatMaps better than aeroLOPA, where you have to go back to the Airlines landing page each time.
29 Aug 2018
Total posts 17
I use Expertflyer but the info is limited, based on seatguru reviews.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 Jul 2014
Total posts 62
The AeroLOPA website now indicates it will be expanded during 2026 to include "peer-to-peer seat ratings and heat maps to highlight the best (and worst) seats. We are also excited to welcome those of you who have migrated to AeroLOPA from SeatGuru. We will be adding its most popular features so you can feel more at home here."
So I think this answers the question in the article's headline!
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on SeatGuru has shut down, so is there an alternative?