They are monetizing it to an extent. E.g., Expertflyer uses their maps. Probably does not bring in much.

I posting less to disagree with (because ultimately, you may well be right) but more to point out that it's surprised Expertflyer so unexpertly relies on them.

I go somewhat overboard, and use a combination of Seatguru, Aerolopa, and sometimes - SeatMaestro. As many have recognized, Seatguru has some questionable map content, but as you mention the annotations about specific seats is useful. Aerolopa has fantastic graphics, but lacks that extra value-added commentary. SeatMaestro I have found occasionally can validate or invalidate data on other sites (particularly with more obscure non-American carriers).

There's no downside to using more than one source. Nobody is required to pick just one.

I wonder if TripAdvisor is willing to sell it, and if so, how much they want for it. I have a bit of an idea for a website I'd like to run (but like Seatguru, it probably wouldn't make much money)

Multiple sources are always preferred. I wasn't aware of SeatMaestro until today. Thanks!

TripAdvisor, by policy, does not post on any threads in their forums. The closest they get is to say they are moving a post to a more appropriate forum, but they never ever reply or comment beyond that.

Honestly, there is a case to be made that Expertflyer is beginning to circle the toilet bowl as well. So frankly, I'm actually not surprised at all...

Regards

True, On the other hand, AeroLopa makes it up with accurate seat maps. The location of windows is a nice touch and appreciated by anyone who has had the "pleasure" of a window seat without window. And if you want a quiet seat away from any smells, then picking something away from any galley and restrooms is fairly easy with the AeroLopa.

What good is the commentary if the seat maps are out of date?

As an example, SeatGuru does not have the current seat map for American Airlines fleet of 219 Airbus A321-200 with the 20F/170Y configuration. Their maps still show the old LAA 16F/165Y and LUS 16F/171Y configurations which haven't been around for almost two years (they do have the correct seat maps for the approximately 70 A321neo's that are configured at 20F/176Y).

What good is a seat map website, no matter how accurate, if it won't tell you whether the front row of economy has a foot cutout to store your carry-on, or if a row of seats has reduced recline? The airline's website will always have the most up-to-date seat maps for their fleet (well, most of the time). I really don't need to know how the window is aligned to my seat within a tenth of an inch.

So let me bring back the example of the American Airlines seat maps.

aeroLOPA has notes the bottom of the seat maps concerning limited recline and footwell storage for the front row of the main cabin.

For the A321ceo, the notes include the following:For the A319, the notes include the following information:For the 777-200ER, the notes have the following information:For the Boeing 787-8, the following is noted:

There's also seatmaps.com which has comment for each seat individually, and is mostly up-to-date. Although I personally find aerolopa being the most accurate and would do some cross check from all sources.

SeatGuru alternative
 

Hi, are there any websites similar to SeatGuru? There doesn't appear to be any way for users to add photos, new reviews, etc and it's becoming outdated. I've emailed them with my contribution as well and no reply.

SeatGuru is no longer supported - updated.
Travel tools forum-- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-tools-701/
Thread--- > https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trav...u-defunct.html
By a BA forum FTer -- https://www.aerolopa.com

Thanks! I guess the search didn't like the term "alternative" -- Is there any alternative that you are aware of? Aerolopa looks like a great start with pretty renderings but it doesn't appear to make any effort to help identify good or bad seats.

Look at post 25 in the thread linked above.