It depends on the country and the rail supplier — Rail Monsters supports three types of seat selection:
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1. Seat Map Selection (Available on Select Routes)
In some countries — we offer full interactive seat maps. You’ll see available seats on the train layout and can click to choose the exact ones you want. These are guaranteed once confirmed.
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2. Seat Preferences (Not Guaranteed)
For some trains, you can select preferences such as:
• Window or aisle
• Forward-facing seat
• Quiet zone or solo seat
We’ll pass these preferences to the rail supplier, but they are not guaranteed, as final seat assignment is handled by their system.
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3. Smart AI Seat Assignment (Available on Select Routes)
Where manual selection is not offered, our AI-based system pre-assigns the best seats available. It uses real-time data to:
• Keep groups or families together
• Avoid unwanted split seating
• Optimize window views (e.g. placing passengers on the Mt. Fuji side on Tokyo–Kyoto trips)
• Distribute passengers for better comfort when carriages are empty
This is one of the ways Rail Monsters goes beyond what standard booking tools offer — especially useful when you book last minute or forget to choose a preference.