For Whom Would You Take A Middle Seat?

November 6, 2009 at 4:09 PM | by egw | Comments (0)

Nobody likes the aisle. That's what we discovered when we asked Jaunted readers what seat they preferred on a plane, and we weren't surprised at all. Given the opportunity to be penned in by two strangers, most people say "pass." Yet, ending up in the middle seat happens to all of us sometimes, and sometimes it's even by choice.

Maybe you're a lot nicer person than we are and you switch seats without complaining or even looking at your fellow traveler. In which case, we salute you and hope we can sit next to you soon. But even you, Nice Traveler, probably have your secret rules as to for whom you will make the move. We'll automatically switch without complaining if you...

· Have a kid in tow. It's not fair, but who wants to be passing snacks and toys back and forth between a parent and child the whole flight? And practically speaking, we don't want to be liable for your kid's safety.

· Are a famous person inexplicably sitting in coach but not complaining about it. Key words there: "not complaining." We hear a hint of a whine from you, Clooney, and it's armrest wrestling time.

· Are a newlywed. Because deep down we're romantics, and even if not, the mushiness ought to be contained.

· Make a point of being extra polite. But not in a fake way. Maybe you think we're being too Emily Post-y here, but we were once asked to switch to a middle seat with a "Can you..." followed by a point and a grunt. From someone who spoke very good English, judging by how she had spoken with the flight attendant moments before. If you aren't nice, at least pretend to be.

· Are our mom. And that rule has nothing to do with the fact that she reads this blog... really.

Excuses we could care less about, on the other hand, are "need to get out quickly" or "have to stretch out" 'cause guess what, that's everyone's problem.

Are we too mean? Who puts you in the middle seat? Let us know in the comments!

[Photo: Charles Haynes]

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