Air North

Air North is the Yukon carrier, flying out of Whitehorse to keep the territory linked with the rest of Canada and its own communities. The routes run long and often over remote country, and the airline has a reputation among locals for a friendlier onboard feel than the size of the operation would suggest.

The seat maps we hold are all single-class economy on the Boeing 737 family. Choosing a seat is about the practical levers on a long northern flight: legroom at the exits, a full window for the scenery and staying clear of the noisiest rows.

Air North flies the Boeing 737 in three flavours we map: the classic 737-400 and the shorter 737-500, plus the larger Next Generation 737-800. The classics handle much of the network while the 737-800 adds capacity on the busier legs.

The 737-500 is the short-bodied classic, so it carries fewer rows than its 737-400 sibling. The 737-800 is the longest of the three, which pushes the rear seats further back from the wing and the engines.

Each 737 runs a single economy cabin in the usual three-and-three arrangement, so the seat trade-offs come down to position rather than product. Recline and pitch are standard for the type, comfortable enough on the routes Air North flies without being generous.

The 737-800 is the roomier-feeling aircraft of the three thanks to its length and newer cabin fit, while the shorter 737-500 puts more of its rows close to the wing. None of the three has a separate premium section, so the whole cabin shares the same seat.

Ask for an exit row if legroom is your priority: on all three 737s these give the most stretch, and they matter on the longer Yukon sectors. The seat directly ahead of an exit can have reduced recline, so aim for the exit row itself rather than the row in front.

For the scenery that makes these flights worth the window, sit forward of the wing where the view is clear, and skip the rows where the wing box blocks the outlook. If cabin noise bothers you, the rows level with the engines are the loudest, so choose seats towards the nose or well back in the tail on the longer 737-800.