AeroLOPA’s New App Is The Best Tool For Choosing Airplane Seats

I’ve written in the past about AeroLOPA, which I consider to be the best resource for picking airplane seats. AeroLOPA publishes airplane seat maps that are on a completely different level when it comes to detail and accuracy, and that’s something I really love (both from a practical perspective, and also just due to how nerdy it all is). Along those lines, AeroLOPA has just launched an app, which takes these capabilities to the next level. While the app is paid (with a free 14-day trial), I think many frequent flyers will find this to be useful. AeroLOPA launches app, adds SeatGuru founder to teamPlaying around with the new AeroLOPA appBottom line AeroLOPA launches app, adds SeatGuru founder to team AeroLOPA has made a couple of major announcements today. First of all, SeatGuru founder Matt Daimler has joined the AeroLOPA team. As many will remember, SeatGuru used to be the go-to website for airplane seat maps. It ended up being acquired by TripAdvisor, only to formally be shut down in late 2025 (after not being updated for years). That struck me as such a wasted opportunity for TripAdvisor, but fortunately we now have AeroLOPA, which is like SeatGuru 2.0, as I see it. For context, AeroLOPA was founded by Gregor Milne, an architect who started the site as a hobby (which explains why the drawings are so incredibly accurate and detailed). He then teamed up with Jonathan Shapiro, and together they formed the current version of AeroLOPA. As part of the growth of AeroLOPA, they’ve just launched a mobile app for both iOS and Android, making AeroLOPA the only major seat map service with a native mobile app. This comes with a 14-day free trial, and after that, it costs either $5 per month or $29 per year (so that’s quite a discount for buying the annual membership). The AeroLOPA website continues to be free to use, with everything we’re used to — that includes architectural drawings of real aircraft, with a level of detail you won’t find anywhere else. What makes the AeroLOPA app worth paying for, compared to the free website? For one, the idea is that this is easier to use when on the go, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Exclusive features include route-based seat map searches across multiple carriers, a “Sunny Side” feature (showing which side of the aircraft the sun will light up on a specific flight), stored seat maps for when you don’t have internet access, and push alerts for day-of-travel airplane changes. AeroLOPA has also introduced “Super Schedule,” which compares every aircraft flying between two airports. For each route, it shows what differs from flight to flight, from Wi-Fi speed and availability, to cabin layout, to which lavatories serve each cabin. This also shows what aircraft have really flown each flight over the past 30 days, taking into account any aircraft swaps, which sure can be helpful if you want to maximize your odds of actually getting the product that you booked. Big picture, what I love about the folks behind AeroLOPA is how wonderfully nerdy they are. I had the chance to speak to them recently about the app, and their enthusiasm for talking about just how much they can do with data, and measuring every little aspect of the passenger experience, is next level. Those are my kind of people, and I’m sure they have even more in store for us. Playing around with the new AeroLOPA app The AeroLOPA app is super easy to use. Once you’re on the main page, you can choose how to search seat maps, either by entering your flight number, or by simply browsing by airline and aircraft type. AeroLOPA currently supports over 200 airlines and nearly 1,600 aircraft types across those. Just to give a sense of the level of detail, AeroLOPA publishes the seat maps for all three variants of Air Peace’s hodgepodge of 777s… how great is that? 😉 AeroLOPA app AeroLOPA app If you choose to search by flight number, you’ll have the option of receiving alerts for that specific flight. And if it’s within 24 hours, AeroLOPA will even try to show you the exact tail number that’s expected to operate your flight, providing even more certainty to the type of experience you can expect. AeroLOPA app You can then see seat maps, with seats marked as green, yellow, or red, based on whether they’re recommended or not, with an explanation for why. You can also enter your exact seat, and then it will have a circle around where you’re seated, for even easier viewing. AeroLOPA app AeroLOPA app The level of detail provided about the exact product is also impressive, with a tier rating. Honestly, rating Delta’s 767 business class as “middle tier” is generous, but I understand that’s because they’re going off of objective facts like bed length, rather than the overall state of the product, which is harder to quantify. AeroLOPA app AeroLOPA app Those who are less familiar with products will also appreciate the ability to search a particular route without entering an airline or flight number, and have AeroLOPA rank the products based on various attributes. AeroLOPA app Not only is this app useful, but as an avgeek, it’s also just really fun to play around with. Like I said, the level of detail here — down to the exact location of windows and everything else — is just unlike what you’ll find anywhere else. Bottom line AeroLOPA has just launched a new app, which is no doubt the best resource for airplane seat maps. While the website continues to be free to use, the app adds some cool new features, and is also handy if you’re on the go, especially while traveling. The app has a 14-day free trial, and then costs either $5 per month or $29 per year, so I’d consider that to be pretty reasonable pricing. If you’re an AeroLOPA fan, definitely check it out. Though if you’re happy with the website, you can always just keep using that. If you have the chance to give it a try, what do you make of the new AeroLOPA app?