by Paula McInerney | Mar 25, 2016 | DESTINATIONS, TRAVEL TIPS | 28 comments
Do you choose the Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat on a Flight? I think we all have our preferences when selecting a seat on a flight, but which one do you aim to book?
While most of us can tolerate anything on a short flight, let’s look at long haul flights and your seat preferences here.
However you might like to read Pet Travel Peeve: Airline Passengers Who Have Too much Carry-On Luggage
Here are the advantages of each, and the disadvantages.
Aisle Seat on a Flight
Contents
- 1 Aisle Seat on a Flight
- 1.1 Advantages:
- 1.2 Disadvantages:
- 2 Middle Seat on a Flight
- 2.1 Advantages:
- 2.2 Disadvantages:
- 2.3 Window Seat on a Long Haul Flight
- 2.4 Advantages:
- 2.5 Disadvantages:
- 2.6 What do you choose, Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat on a Flight?
Advantages:
– extra leg room
– access to the bathroom without disturbing others.
– Quick exit on landing.
Disadvantages:
– the middle and window seat passengers who need to use the bathroom, and you have to move.
– The trolley head smash. Yes, I have had an aisle seat, fallen asleep to be woken to a trolley bashing my head.
– Nothing to lean against.
Middle Seat on a Flight
Advantages:
– None.
– However, and it does happen, because you got suckered, you might as well grab both arm rests.
Yahoo has written an article, Are You Enlightened or a Control Freak? What Your Airplane Seat Choice Says About You, and the people who take the middle seat are extroverts, and outgoing people like social contact,” You’re highly evolved, and you’re considerate, but then they go on to say that you are low on the totem pole.
Disadvantages:
– The armrest debate. Which one are you entitled to, and do you get one at all or both?
– I am small, so on the times I have sat in a middle seat. The passenger on the window seat takes my armrest, and that is Gordon, my husband, and the passenger on the aisle seat takes my other armrest, and it is generally the 300lb ex-sumo wrestler, and I end up hating them both.
Read: Addicted to Sumo
Window Seat on a Long Haul Flight
Advantages:
– somewhere to rest your head
– not disturbed by others having to get up and stretch or go to the bathroom
– The possibility of a nice view at take-off and landing.
– Feels slightly more private
Disadvantages:
– climbing over passengers to go to the bathroom, and waking them up, and getting that, can’t you control your bladder look.
– Can be quite a bit colder if leaning against the side of the aircraft.
What do you choose, Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat on a Flight?
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Ian Anthony Phillipson 11 June, 2016 at 5:18 am
Used to take window but on overseas flight to Europe this fall picked aisle. am finding the seats more and more constricted. I think getting up more will help. Don’t sleep anyway on planes
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Paula McInerneyon 13 June, 2016 at 5:19 pm
I am one of those lucky people that as soon as I step on a plane, I am asleep.
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Linda Bibbon 2 April, 2016 at 1:22 am
There is an advantage to the aisle seat that you might not have considered, Paula: You might be able to snatch a few extra snacks from the cart when the flight attendant isn’t looking. 😉
If it’s going to be a long trip and the plane is filling up, we sometimes sit across the aisle from each other. Of course, that’s only when we can’t get a row with only two seats. On shorter flights, my dear husband likes the window seat and I try to book the aisle seat in that row. My reasoning is that if the plane isn’t full there’s a chance we will get extra space. If not, I have been known to sweetly smile and offer to switch seats with the middle passenger “on the condition I get both armrests.” You’d be surprised how often they jump at that. (What they don’t realize is that the row’s entertainment consoles are along the aisle, which results in less foot room.)
By the way, did you know that it’s possible to lift the armrest on many window seats?
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Paula McInerneyon 2 April, 2016 at 11:59 am
Airplane food? LOL. Actually Gordon books and aisle seat, and I book a window seat. Unless the flight is so full, rarely do they put someone in the middle. If they do, then we offer them the window or the aisle, and trust me, they always swap.
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jim@reflectionsenrouteon 28 March, 2016 at 4:52 am
I rarely need to get up on a long flight and can usually wait for my seat mates to get up so I kind of like the window. But, I also have longer legs so the aisle is nice too even if it means getting bumped by the drinks cart.
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Paula McInerneyon 30 March, 2016 at 8:10 am
That drinks cart is the issue on the aisle for me, so I like the window.
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Elaine J Masterson 27 March, 2016 at 6:25 am
It’s taken some time to discover where I most like to sit on a long flight but I’m in the aisle seat group. It’s important to me to be able to get up and stretch!
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Paula McInerneyon 27 March, 2016 at 5:44 pm
True, stretching is necessary; just keep your head away from trolleys. I don’t even know why they still have the trolleys, but that’s another story.
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Pinay Flying Highon 27 March, 2016 at 3:50 am
Definitely an aisle person, I’m a bit claustrophobic so window and middle aren’t good for me. Plus, with my personality of never wanting to disturb people – can’t take a window seat otherwise, my kidney might burst. :p
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Paula McInerneyon 27 March, 2016 at 5:45 pm
I often think my kidneys will burst, but then I have to bit the bullet and wake everyone.
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Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles)on 26 March, 2016 at 11:33 pm
I’m definitely a window girl – views and something to rest against, but these days I rarely get it because both my boys are fighting over it! #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Paula McInerneyon 27 March, 2016 at 5:45 pm
I can see your dilemma
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Rhonda Albomon 26 March, 2016 at 9:36 pm
This is exactly what has been keeping me up nights. We have a long haul coming up and Fijian airways doesn’t pre-seat. I know that leaves everyone in the same boat, but I really want my aisle seat. (Especially with the meds I take to be allowed to fly, I “go” twice as often)
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Paula McInerneyon 27 March, 2016 at 5:46 pm
Are there no special medical circ*mstances for seat allocation? I guess then everyone would have one if that was the case. Not fair on those who do.
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Andaon 26 March, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Interesting post, Paula. I for one will go a very long way to sit in an isle seat, even if I get hit by a trolley. I’m claustrophobic and hate the other two options.
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Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 5:58 pm
Yes, I get that,the aisle would be perfect for you.
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Lyn - A Hole in my Shoeon 26 March, 2016 at 12:11 pm
I would take the aisle seat or window seat any day over the middle. However, I was on a flight to Melbourne with my aging Mum recently and got an aisle seat, she was a row behind me on the opposite aisle. On the way home we both got stuck with middle seats, Mum 20 rows behind me! So my comment is, I don’t really mind, but definitely prefer to be seated with my travel partner.
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Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 5:59 pm
That sucks. We took a flight to the US, and they said we weren’t together despite having booked the seats together. They did fix it up.
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Vicki | MakeTimeToSeeTheWorldon 26 March, 2016 at 9:59 am
The window seat – every time!! And I am quite happy to clamber over people if I want to get out 🙂
#TheWeeklyPostcard #WeekendTravelInspirationReply
Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 5:59 pm
I love the window seat, but hate waking a person up. i tend to jump over them when I can; probably to the amusem*nt of other passengers.
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Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfieldson 26 March, 2016 at 7:31 am
I get stuck in the middle all the time. One of the very few downsides of being happily married and always having a travelling companion. David likes the aisle seat so to sit next to him I have to take the middle. Just occasionally when we think a flight isn’t likely to be full we will book the aisle and window then offer to swap if someone turns up in the middle. We have managed to get an empty middle seat between us a few times doing this and when we don’t nobody ever minds swapping – who would its the middle seat after all.
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Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 8:20 am
You need to get to aisle seats and hold hands across them. I never actually talk to Gordon on a flight, probably because I sleep, so it wouldn’t matter where he was on a plane. As long as he wasn’t in 1st class and I was in cattle.
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Grey World Nomadson 26 March, 2016 at 5:19 am
I agree with the middle seat. Bad luck if you sit next to people which need more than their seat or people who don’t want to wake up to let you pass …
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Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 8:19 am
It is horrible waking someone up. But .. I have had the middle seat, and am sure i leant my head on the other passenger by mistake.
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Roy A Ackerman, PhD, EA @ Cerebrations.bizon 25 March, 2016 at 10:55 pm
My choice is always Shakespeare…
2B (or not 2B).I’d rather have to get up and let others out than be locked in by those pretending to sleep. (Or have 430 little items spread about them as part of their workspace, so moving is such a chore.)
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Paula McInerneyon 26 March, 2016 at 8:18 am
2B or not 2B, love it. I am a window seat passenger, and really hate waking people up. Generally, because I am small, I can jump over them.
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rajasthan tour operatoron 25 March, 2016 at 10:11 pm
Thanks for your suggestion but overall window seat is perfect.
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Paula McInerneyon 25 March, 2016 at 10:49 pm
I like the window seat too.
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