Those people who book isle and window

[Cocoagrowing]

Hoping to get the whole row for themselves.

How often does that actually work? I fly pretty frequently and out of maybe 10 flights last year, only one wasn't full.

I was however, twice sat between people who were together and who talked across me for the whole flight.

I don't mind the middle seat, I'm small, don't need a lot of space and the flights were short, but even so, surely this is rude?

In that situation I would have just told them I would move, so that they could sit together and talk to each other. I wouldn’t have asked, just told them

I think it's fine to try, but if you don't get lucky you offer the person in the middle either the window or the aisle, of course!

We do this a fair amount - we fly a lot - and I'd say it works about 50% of the time?

If it doesn't, we always offer the person in the middle their choice of aisle or window to swap! We would never sit there talking over people.

Same as biwi, just swap with one of them, works out better for all of you.

The most recent flight I was on i noticed just 2 empty seats, one was aisle seat beside a couple and the other was in the middle of a couple. If anyone else gambled leaving a middle seat, it failed.

I would have just swapped with aisle, assuming it's doubtful window would want to swap.

Never seen it myself.

The same could be said for solo travellers booking the middle seat hoping they'll claim the row.

I agree with you OP. Maybe it used to work sometimes, but I think these days airlines are much more proactive at timetabling flights to make sure they're nearly full.

If you book business you dont have to worry about getting free space. Economy is shit, if you want to lie down, pay extra.

My ds likes to look out of the window, I have long legs and prefer the aisle so we book accordingly.

But we tend to listen to music rather than chat.

Thanks for the tip!

Me & DH use to do this a lot (it’s not a new hack - just more popular since TikTok)
It usually doesn’t work with non-scheduled/chartered/package flights, but can work on routine short haul scheduled flights especially if you are flying out of season, I.e Barcelona in November.

Such a great life hack! Just fly business class!

Except that they don't do that, it's well know that the middle seat is the duff seat and aisle and window are very likely to be booked. Plus if they did, they wouldn't be talking over anyone!

Dh and I often do this, since he really likes the window seat and I want the aisle - I feel less cramped and don’t want to have to wake or clamber over someone asleep when I need the loo.

We don’t do it because we expect the whole row to ourselves!

We had an awkward flight on the summer where we were allocated 2 seats each side of an aisle... with the window seat next to us being half of a couple with the other person in the aisle seat behind us. They didn't like no one wanting to swap.

I always book aisle seats at the side of each other for my husband and I....

We do it sometimes, because I get less travel sick by the window seat. DP is a nervous flyer and much prefers the aisle seat as he likes to get up a lot when he can.

It's probably about fifty fifty as to whether the middle seat gets booked or not.

We don't generally talk over the middle person though - usually he will be listening to a podcast or watching something trying to distract himself and I'll be doing the same and looking out the window.

Oh cos everyone can afford business class 🙄

I've no problem with the middle seat myself. As an avid user of Ryanair, their middle seat has the biggest underseat storage, so room for my feet to fit under the seat in front! We always book window and middle. I don't like the window seat, and I don't like the aisle either, too exposed for me! In the middle I only have to disturb one person to get to the loo.

I don't think booking aisle and window works much anymore as flights are nearly always full now. The only time we got the row to ourselves was travelling before Christmas before the schools broke up. Doesn't bother me either way. Of course we only do sub 4 hour or so flights to Europe now, so it's never a big issue.

It's okay, I wasn't being entirely serious.

Open up a massive broadsheet 😂

My parents book opposite aisle seats.

Massively rude. If a couple tried to talk over me & neither agreed to swap, I’d be taking up as much space in the middle seat as possible for maximum inconvenience.

That must be where I've been going wrong. 1st would let me have the front to myself. I would offer to swap otherwise I might be up and down, fidgeting, spreading my bag out etc.

We always book window and aisle seats. I will only sit in a window seat and my step mum much prefers the aisle. We do not talk over the middle person (if there is one though). We just act like we don't know each other. So no issues for the middle person.

@StrawberryJangle who in their right mind would book a middle seat thinking they’d get the row? I’ve never seen that! I always book the window. I rarely have not had someone next to me.

Dh has mentioned doing that, he’s a very frequent flyer with work so he must see it a lot i assume. I don’t want to do that as couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of asking people to move. He likes the window I prefer the aisle so when I travel alone I get the aisle. When together he’s at the window as he’s huge and his shoulders go into the next seat if he is in the middle and I take the middle as I’m quite small and can fit next to him and I sleep on him