First Time on the ATR - Front or Back?

Where do you prefer to sit on the Virgin Australia ATR?


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Noob

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Hey everyone, I am just about to book my first ATR flight with Virgin Australia and wanted to know what the general consensus is regarding sitting at the front or the back (as the current ATR-72 only has a rear passenger door)?

Hopefully this will be a good resource for other new ATR flyers as well.

Thank you,
Noob
 
Front row, but if you can’t get it then probably as close to the back as you can get.

Front Row is no longer available for allocation AFAIK, it shows as occupied on all my bookings at T-14 days

atr.jpg
 
Row 17 for first off the plane and first for inflight service. Rows forward of 9 tend to have most engine noise. Seats further forward also have 1 inch less legroom.
Auto platinum seat assignment is row 17.
 
Front Row is no longer available for allocation AFAIK, it shows as occupied on all my bookings at T-14 days

View attachment 6658

Correct. row 1 can be purchased as an exit row. Although for gold and above this can usually be allocated free of charge at time of checkin by the lounge angels.
 
Best seat on an ATR is on the next flight on an Embraer or 737 :)
Seriously though, I prefer row 9, its under the wing, the ATR tends to YAW a LOT in any crosswind, and this obviously is extreme at the rear. Front row has great legroom, plus the spare seat, but as stated above row 17 is first served, and first one off the sauna, once the engines stop :)
 
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Row 17. But don't expect to get a shadow as WP. Weight and balance seems to dictate that row 17 gets filled even if spare seats elsewhere.
 
You don't have to, the OP is seeking guidance for their flight, not yours.

Yes and no Sam! Noob also said the thread might be good info for others new to the ATR as well and he also set up a poll. What the poll could have also optioned is "Neither, Choose another aircraft"......which is the one I would have chosen if it was there.

DJ angels tell me opinion on the ATR runs about 50/50 so comment that the plane sucks is also opinion that can't be ignored or written off as "bias from a few disenters" and it may help others in their decision as well.
 
I have sat in Row 17 and Row 3. For comfort row 3 was way in front with regards the crosswinds. I am a leisure flyer so I don't fret so much about the few minutes difference in unloading. The food and drinks to/from PQQ are not worth considering when I am thinking of where to sit
 
Back. Even If you select front as a plat Velocity the staff automatically move you to the last row (so you get out first)!

Which is a nice touch by DJ to care and to 'fix' premium pax seats but as the check in chick described 'a total administrative nightmare' for those DJ staff on the ground dealing with the new ATRs being back door only.
 
Yes and no Sam! Noob also said the thread might be good info for others new to the ATR as well and he also set up a poll. What the poll could have also optioned is "Neither, Choose another aircraft"......which is the one I would have chosen if it was there.

DJ angels tell me opinion on the ATR runs about 50/50 so comment that the plane sucks is also opinion that can't be ignored or written off as "bias from a few disenters" and it may help others in their decision as well.

The threads purpose was to get an idea of where other members prefer to sit when they are flying on the ATR, not whether they like the aircraft. Sorry for the confusion :oops:
 
the front seats being blocked is only tmp until CASA approves the second seats
from what i hear, the new ATR's will have dual front and back doors- further complicating it for us

FWIW, back row. Auto allocation keeps the back rows free so you will have less ppl around you.
 
Yes and no Sam! Noob also said the thread might be good info for others new to the ATR as well and he also set up a poll. What the poll could have also optioned is "Neither, Choose another aircraft"......which is the one I would have chosen if it was there.

DJ angels tell me opinion on the ATR runs about 50/50 so comment that the plane sucks is also opinion that can't be ignored or written off as "bias from a few disenters" and it may help others in their decision as well.

I guess, but I would have seen the poll as more of a "I’ve booked my flight, now I want to know where to sit" rather than "I’ve booked my flight, who should I change to a different aircraft/airline". Another poll could easily be set up for "Should I fly the ATR on this route", but the actual issue here is if you’re in the ATR, where should you sit.

I can just see every question/poll now having the option "I wouldn’t take that aircraft", "I wouldn’t take that airline", etc… seems silly almost?

I’ll start a poll on my new car purchase, it’s a BMW and I’m not sure if I want it in red or black. However I know I want a BMW. I wouldn’t then expect to get answers suggesting I need a third option for "Buy a Mercedes". :p
 
Yes and no Sam! Noob also said the thread might be good info for others new to the ATR as well and he also set up a poll. What the poll could have also optioned is "Neither, Choose another aircraft"......which is the one I would have chosen if it was there.

DJ angels tell me opinion on the ATR runs about 50/50 so comment that the plane sucks is also opinion that can't be ignored or written off as "bias from a few disenters" and it may help others in their decision as well.

This thread is about where to sit, not why sit in the first place, there has already been discussion about why ATR 72 -500 flights are not liked by some, which will probably become redundant when the 600s arrive I suspect, although the folks of GLT probably don't care now they have some competition and it's likely to stay since the economics make sense unlike those of the previous jet competition.

Feel free to start a new thread/ poll but don't hijack the topic of a current one please.
 
The threads purpose was to get an idea of where other members prefer to sit when they are flying on the ATR, not whether they like the aircraft.

but the actual issue here is if you’re in the ATR, where should you sit.

This thread is about where to sit, not why sit in the first place,

Fair enough. For the record, I did vote in the poll and I did choose "back", but that was based on one flight only so I can't really say whether the other two options were perhaps better or not.
 
Say what you want about the ATR, but it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than the Dash 8 IMO
 
Say what you want about the ATR, but it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than the Dash 8 IMO

Agree 100% until the engines stop (Preferably on the ground at the terminal :) ) (Or until around 10 mins after they start) on a stinker of a day. Actual seat wise, though, I do like the seats. Even on the 2 1/2 hr PQQ-GLT sector it was nice.
 
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Say what you want about the ATR, but it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than the Dash 8 IMO

How? I didn't notice any major difference worth noting between the two.

Q400 was quieter but probably because I'm in row 1 normally on QF and in the DJ ATR last row so behind the props.
 
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