The best seats to pick on your flights in and from Australia

We're often asked what the best seat is to pick on a reader's flights -- on Qantas, Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and many other airlines from Australia.

We've pooled our collective decades of business travel experience, pored over seat maps and cabin plans, and snapped pictures across more than a dozen airlines from AirAsia X to Virgin Australia -- that's nearly A to Z!

So if you want more legroom, easier access to the aisle, a quieter flight, and undisturbed sleep, here's the full list of our insiders' guides to picking the best seats in first class, business, premium economy and economy on the planes you'll most frequently see on your trips.

Note: Rachel Weisz not included.

AirAsia X

• "Premium" business class, Airbus A330 

Air Canada

• "Executive First" business class, Boeing 777-200LR 

Air France

• "Affaires" business class, Airbus A380

Air New Zealand

• "Business Premier" business class, Boeing 777-300 (LA, London)
• "Business Premier" business class, Boeing 777-200 (Hong Kong, London)
• Business Class, Boeing 767

• Premium Economy Spaceseats, Boeing 777-300ER
• Premium Economy, Boeing 777-200

American Airlines

• First Class (domestic US business), Boeing 757
• First Class (domestic US business), Boeing 737-800

British Airways

• Club Europe (European business), Airbus A319
• Club Europe (European business), Airbus A320
• Club Europe (European business, Airbus A321)
• Club World (long-haul business), Boeing 777-300ER
• Club World (long-haul business), Boeing 777-200
• Club World (long-haul business), Boeing 747

Get some good sleep -- or relax quietly with your tablet or ereader -- on the very best of Cathay Pacific's new business class seats.

Cathay Pacific

• Business Class (new seats), Airbus A330
• Business Class (old seats), Airbus A330
• Business Class (new seats), Boeing 777-300ER
• Business Class (old seats), Boeing 747
• Premium Economy, Airbus A330
• Economy Class (new seats), Airbus A330

Emirates

• Business Class, Airbus A330
• Business Class, Airbus A380
• Business Class, Boeing 777-300ER

• Economy Class, Airbus A380

Etihad

• Pearl Business Class, Airbus A340-600

Garuda's new A330-200s on the Sydney-Jakarta route are generally great, but the bulkhead seats at the front give you extra legroom.

Garuda Indonesia

• Business Class, Airbus A330-200

Jetstar

• Business Class (old Star Class), Airbus A330

Lufthansa

• Business Class, Airbus A321

Malaysia Airlines

• Business Class, Airbus A330

If your seat doesn't fill you with joy, think how much comfortable and productive you'll be than the people in this Qantas 1979 business class seat!

Qantas

• Business Class, Airbus A330 (all versions)
• Business Class, Airbus A380 (new version)
• Business Class, Airbus A380 (old version)
• Business Class, Boeing 737-400
• Business class, Boeing 737-800
• Business Class, Boeing 747 (two-class)
• Business Class, Boeing 747-400ER (refurbished three-class)
• Business Class, Boeing 747 (four-class)
• Business Class, Boeing 747-400ER (four-class)
• Business Class, Boeing 767

• Premium Economy, Airbus A380 (old version)
• Premium Economy, Airbus A380 (new version)
• Premium Economy, Boeing 747 (all versions)

QantasLink

• QantasLink Boeing 717 (economy only, old version)
• QantasLink Boeing 717 (economy only, new version)
• Qantaslink Bombardier Dash-8 Q200, Q300 and Q400 (economy only)

Scoot

Some Singapore Airlines flights from Australia have fully flat beds -- some of the best in the sky -- while others have these less spacious angled lie-flat seats.

Singapore Airlines

• Business Class, Airbus A330
• Business Class, Airbus A380 (where there is upper deck Economy class) 
• Business Class, Airbus A380 (all business class upper deck) 
• Business Class, Boeing 747
• Business Class (long-haul fully flat beds), Boeing 777-300ER
• Business Class (regional angled lie-flat seats), Boeing 777-300

South African Airways

• Business Class, Airbus A340-300

Thai Airways

• Business Class, Airbus A340-600

United has a unique forwards-backwards business class seating configuration on Australian flights, so pick well to max out your sleep and in-flight productivity.

United

• First Class (domestic business), Airbus A320 
• "United Business" and "BusinessFirst" business class (domestic and p.s.), Boeing 757
• Business Class, Boeing 747 

Virgin Atlantic

• Business Class, Airbus A340-600
• Premium Economy, Airbus A340-600

Virgin Australia

• Business Class, Airbus A330
• Business Class, Boeing 777
• Business Class, Boeing 737-800 (refurbished)
• Premium Economy, Boeing 777
• Economy Class, Boeing 737-800 (new seats)
• All-economy class ATR 72 (Capital Connect service)

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John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.