- The middle seat has long been maligned as the worst seat on a plane.
- A recent trip helped me realize there are actually benefits to the middle seat.
Window or aisle?
The two seats might only be a few feet apart, but an ideological chasm exists between them. You fall into one of the two camps, and allegiances don't switch easily.
Seat selection is all the more important these days after an Alaska Airlines flight lost part of its fuselage mid-flight. (No serious injuries were reported, thanks largely to the two seats directly next to the blown-out window being empty.)
So, as we reexamine our preferred seats, what about what's between the window and aisle? Like yellow Starbursts, we all deal with the middle seat, but most of us don't prefer it.
After all, who wants to be sandwiched between two strangers when you can have the freedom of the aisle or the comfort of a window?
As a staunch member of Team Aisle, I was distraught to get stuck with a middle seat on a recent flight from New York to Las Vegas.
As a bigger guy — 6'2" and nearly 220 pounds depending on my takeout order — flying middle for a five-plus hour trip didn't sound like a dream.
But I'm here to tell you I was wrong. I now kneel at the altar of the middle seat, and you should, too. Here's why.
Everyone feels sorry for the middle seat
The first and biggest benefit of sitting middle isn't immediately obvious until you've spent time in the seat. But once there, it becomes clear: Your seatmates feel bad for you.
On my recent trip to Las Vegas, my aisle partner quickly told me I was welcome to the entire armrest we shared. My window buddy didn't make the same offer, but he seemed to be leaning so far away from me that you would have thought I was radioactive.
The stigma around middle seats has meant aisle and window passengers tend to give those stuck there more space.
The ups and downs of the aisle
Maybe you're all in on the aisle. If so, I have some questions.
Do you like getting up 5 times a flight so your seatmates can use the restroom? Do you enjoy your shoulders and elbows getting crushed by passengers and flight attendants constantly walking down the aisle? Is it fun having random crotches or butts in your direct eye line as people randomly decide to stand in the aisle for 30 minutes mid-flight?
It doesn't get better when the plane lands. Nothing like having people aggressively push up the aisle before the door is even open. We're in row 27, sir. It's going to be a while.
Sitting in the window is a lesson in negotiation
Let's set aside recently unlocked fears about sitting next to a window.
The general thought around window seats has long been that it's one of the best in the plane. You can exist unbothered by the comings and goings of your fellow passengers. You have a nice wall to rest your head on if you want to sleep. And you can take pictures of the clouds to notify your 500 Instagram followers you are traveling.
But unless you have a steel bladder, you'll need to use the restroom during a long flight. That means negotiating across two passengers for an escape. God forbid it's a red-eye, and they're sleeping.
It's not just bathroom trips that become a headache. Since windows don't always line up evenly with seats, sometimes that means sharing it with the row in front or behind you. Does it stay up? Can we put it down? What about halfway? Your trip to LAX is now a crash course in diplomacy.
Middle seats are cheaper
Perhaps you're still not sold on the middle. If the above arguments aren't speaking to you, maybe a financial one will. Middle seats are almost always cheaper than aisles or windows.
Since airlines are the kings of nickel and diming their customers, the "luxury" or being able to pick a window or aisle seat almost always requires an upgraded ticket.
Meanwhile, they're just giving out middle seats at no extra charge. What a time to be alive!
PS- This philosophy only extends to three-seaters. If you have a middle seat in a four-seater, may God have mercy on your soul.