does this ever work?
 

I am flying continental from newark to rome, and the seating arrangement is 2-3-2.

I picked the two aisle seats in the middle, with an empty seat between us with the hope that no one will have the middle seat. Kind of snekay, but I can't imagine anyone being assigned to that middle seat who wouldn't switch to an aisle once we get there.

Does this ever work? Are there people who are so useasy on planes that they want to be in the very middle between two strangers?

Should I switch to two seats next to each other just in case?

I cannot imagine anyone WANTING to sit between the two of you, but if it's a full flight, obviously someone would be assigned the seat. I can't imagine someone not willing to swap seats with one of you, but even if they didn't, I'd still rather have an aisle seat away from my fellow traveler for a few (or several) hours, than be crammed into the middle seat. After all, we spend hours away from each other everyday, separated by much more than a few feet. I fail to understand why passengers get so bent out of shape when they can't sit next to their friends / co-workers / spouses.

I agree...I wouldn't WANT that seat, but if the flight is full, then it is a very real possibility that someone will be assigned that seat.

I am sure most people would offer to switch, but just don't get bent out of shape if they won't (there always seems to be at least one obstinate person on every flight), since it is their assigned seat to begin with.

My husband and I often do that when the plane is configured 3 & 3 in an effort to get the entire row. He prefers the aisle and I prefer the window. If the plane isn't full, it can work.

When it doesn't work, we offer the person in the middle either the aisle or the winow, depending on whether it's my turn or my husband's to give up our preferred seat.

Only once were we turned down. I said to the guy in the middle, "I'll trade you that middle for the window." When he said, "I'd rather have the aisle", I replied, "You weren't offered the aisle." And he chose to stay between us in the middle.

I tried this once and the person in the middle didn't want my aisle seat because her carry-on (large camera case w/lenses, etc.) fit under the seat in front of her but not under an aisle seat (because of the way the seat supports are arranged). My travelling companion traded her for the window seat, only because she (travelling companion) is a nervous flyer and likes to grab my arm and whimper when we hit a bump.

I don't usually bother with this strategy when flying to Europe with a companion because our flights are almost always full, so we end up with one of us in the middle anyway, and adds the inconvenience of having to ask the other passenger, shuffle the underseat carryons, etc.

If is a full flight expect to move or have some stranger in between

My husband and I do this all the time. He likes the aisle and I like to be able to see out the window. People think it's a bit strange sometimes-in fact, we once had an agent change our seats so we'd be together for a 11 hour flight. I didn't realise that I'd lost my window seat until we got to the gate and I wasn't pleased. On some flights we have no one in the middle and sometimes we do.

I had no idea that people did this. I will never again change seats as a jesture of friendship knowing I'm being manipulated. Thanks for the education.

How have you been manipulated, snookss?

These folks apparently want to sit next to each other. They should not expect me to switch to meet their needs just because their selfish seating plan did not work out. What a mess it would be if a lot of flyers did this to gain space next to them.
I was just surprised, that's all. No biggie.

I would never EXPECT anyone to switch. If someone ends up seated between us and doesn't PREFER taking one of our aisle seats instead, I would only feel silly that I tried to play the system and failed. My husband and I wouldn't spend the night side-by-side, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Really, though - everyone who buys a plane ticket can log on and select their seats just like I can. It isn't as though I have some sort of insider strategy. Since the flight still has lots of empty seats, I thought I'd give it a try. But I certainly would not be annoyed if my wishes are not accomodated.

My wife of 53 years and I prefer aisle seats; so, even though we couldn't be across from one another we would still take the aisle.

Think about it, the plane is so noisy that conversation is difficult anyway.:-B

I believe that this is a common, benign, and accepted way for couples to get more room. The times we have done this, when someone has been in the middle seat, he/she recognizes the situation and is happy to change. After all, the middle seat is the most uncomfortable, and what could be worse than having two people talking to each other with you in the middle? To be spiteful and not change is only to add to the discomfort of the coach flying experience. ((F))

Except for the one time I mentioned earlier, the person giving up the undesirable middle seat has thanked us for the opportunity to sit in the aisle or window seat instead.

I don't think many people travelling alone select a middle seat.

Most airlines fill the middle seats from front to back, so you will increase your odds of having the seat empty by requesting seats near the back. I would expect most people to be very pleased to exchange seats with you. On those rare situations when I am stuck in a middle seat, I'd probably pay for the aisle!

Hmmmm. I never thought of charging . . .;)

I'm with Ed We always get two aisle seats as close as possible. Works great except when they switch planes & the new configuration lands us in a middle seat. Someday I am going to get up the nerve to buy the whole middle row of 5 instead of 2 business class. Sometimes it looks economically worth it. But lots could go very wrong! Ah, the tangled web we weave...

Miketravels, apparently some airlines have actually taken that step. Virgin charges $75 for a seat in the exit row or other preferrable seats. according to my best friend that works for Virgin, people even do stand-by at the gate to get and pay for an exit seat. who knew!

regarding the original topic.. as an airliner i can attest lots of people try this method. depending on the time of year, it generally works. ive never heard of a person not wanting to trade. even if they dont want the seat youre offering, like the window theyll take it anyway because they dont wanna be the bad guy. ill admit ive fallen prey.. on a long flight from New Orleans to Phoenix, I went to sit in my assigned seat and the young lady in the middle seat pleaded with me to trade with her friend. she said her friend was deathly scared of flying and couldnt bare sitting alone, she said she wanted to sit together so she could hold her hand and help her through it. turns out the other gal was several rows back, in a middle seat, in the row in front of the exit row (non reclining). familiar with aircraft setup, i knew this was a bad idea, but i didnt want to be mean and selfish. plus the thought of having to sit next to this girl who id been selfish with the whole flight!!!! so i said ok.. reluctantly. i took the other girl's seat in the middle. shortly after take off i thought i heard the girl crying, turns out she was laughing. the two girls talked loudly and laughed loudly the entire flight! the flight attendants had to tell them to quiet down!!! I felt so horrible. i had to tell the flight attendant that i had traded seats, as a standby i couldnt let them believe it was me behaving so improperly. anyway, i was miffed. 4 hours in a non-reclining middle seat! and having to suffer thru these girls being loud!

so.. id be careful with this tactic, there are some that feel its a little unfair. MsD

This is andf other shenanigans are obviously the reasons why I've turned up at the airport 3 hours before departure to be told that two of us could not sit together.

Whether my husband and I sit in the window and middle or window and aisle of a three seat row, will not have any impact on any two other people sitting together.

I recommend not waiting until you get to the airport to get your seat assignements. I get my seat assignemt as early as possible, and do online check-in to find out if I can improve my seating.

To the above post - yes it could have an effect!

You get your seat configuration and there is a seat left in the middle. Mr X, a man travelling alone turnds up and is told there are 3 seats on the plane left. The one between you and your husband, or 1 of 2 free seats in a pair. Not suprisingly he goes for the latter. I then arrive two find no pairs of seats left.

PJKeay - When Mr. X considers a row of 3 with 2 seats occupied, he is always going to choose "1 of 2 free seats in a pair," no matter which is the empty seat in the row of 3, middle, aisle, or window. ((Y))

You're right, I'm wrong!

Remember also that people who wait until check-in to get seat assignments are not only affected by those of us who made our seat selections in advance online, but also by all the people with connecting flights before that flight, who may well have checked in much MORE than three hours before the flight.

Whats the latest you can switch your seats on the web seat selection before the flight leaves, anyone know? Buck

I am curious about that, too, Buck.

For a domestic flight, you can do online check-in between twenty-four and like two hours before the scheduled departure, right? You can't do online check-in for international travel, but maybe you can log on the even that last day and select seats.

I have a feeling the current seating situation for my flight will change a lot during that last day. Here's why:

The first class seating is only half full. The front several rows of coach are reserved for Elite status frequent flyers, and those seats are less than half taken. The rest of coach is completely full, except for a few singles.

Here's what I think will happen: the Elite frequent flyers who are currently at the front of coach will spring for an upgrade to first class. Then those better coach seats towards the front will open up and it will be open season. Therefore, I have been, and will continue, to obsessively check the seating plan, all the way up until the minute we leave home.

Does anyone know if this is possible? Or am I just dreaming to think that maybe I can have a flight that isn't a complete sardine-can of misery?

there are flights that arent sardine cans of misery.. just dont fly when you know the rest of the flock is flying.
anyway-- regarding those choice seats in the front of the aircraft.. an airlines website shows what it thinks you can have - non exit row, non bulkhead (officially designated for handicaped persons), and non-preferred seating, ie up front. pick anything then call the airline up. phone reservations agents can give you whatever seat you want (excluding the exit row). Those seats designated for Elites are simply a courtesy, not law. I gues it depends on the airline, but mine at least will let you have whatever you want, even if it is in the preferred section. its a courtest, not a rule of thumb. be friendly to your res agent, maybe theyll let you have that seat.

ive found that if a person w/o a prepreserved seat goes to check in and finds out that only middle seats are left, they will always choose a forward middle. somehow 8b is heaps better than 25b. arent you glad you chose 25c rather than 8d.... now the seat next to you is empty and the elite is crammed into his/her row without any extra space afforded to us in the back.
dama

We're flying on Tuesdays, which is probably less crowded than the weekend, right? Maybe I'll just stay back there in Row 29.

Also, no one has bought a seat on this flight for weeks. And when you do a search for Pittsburgh to Rome, Continental tries to send you through Newark then Amsterdam. You really have to dig for the one-connection option. The price coach tickets for our itinerary is now almost double what I paid. So I don't anticipate the flight filling up for those prices.

In case it isn't completely obvious by now, I am a little OCD.

Hold on Jed, I think PJKeay has a point. When I read his little scenario I was picturing two rows of 3. One row with two empty seats that are together and one row with one empty seat. I have faced this choice many times. If the middle seat is vacant in row A but there is a window and a middle in row B. I'll take the row B window. If row A's vacant seat is an aisle and row B has a window and a middle, I'll take row A's aisle seat, because I prefer the aisle seat as do a lot of my friends. So it could have an effect. It doesn't really bother me, but it does have an effect. The only thing is if you hear that the flight is close to being full, please be courteous and sit together so that other couples or families may do the same.

"If row A's vacant seat is an aisle and row B has a window and a middle, I'll take row A's aisle seat....." This scenario requires that when a following couple (or family) reaches the ticket counter, there are only single seats left. I suspect that is possible but unlikely. If it does happen, I would imagine that the ticket agent/flight attendant would make an effort to seat the couple together.

In any case, do you follow your own advice? If "you hear that the flight is close to being full," do you choose a middle seat leaving the aisle seat empty, so as to increase the chances that a couple after you would have more of a chance to sit together? Or do you chose an aisle seat with an open middle seat?

How many other combinations/permutations/probabilities can we think of?

BTW, if you ever find yourself between an older couple, ask him if his name is Jed. He will be glad to give you the aisle seat. ;;)

Jed, You sound a little hostile. I don't know why. I didn't have any problem with what the OP was doing. I really just wanted to comment on the logic of PJKeay's scenario. Your post indicated that his reasoning was flawed. I just wanted to point out that his argument was correct in certain instances. Until I got to this thread, the morality of this tactic has never occured to me one way or another. Upon reflection, I decided it probably would be more courteous to not try this tactic on a flight that you know is nearly full. As for myself, I'm normally one of the first people on the plane so it's never really been an issue, but I have given up a aisle seat to sit in the middle somewhere else for a couple who didn't have the sense to get there early enough to get seats together.

I suppose this could become an ethical issue, but since we are willing to tke the middle seat to accomodate the poor person that might possibly get seated between us, I think I am off the hook. I am confused about how this could affect any other couples on the plane, though.

Also, just because my husband and I are a couple traveling together doesn't mean we count as one consumer. We are two consumers, each with a right to the same things every other consumer is entitled to, including selecting our seats on a first-come first-served basis.

cynic - Hostility is not one of my failings, which you can see from my other posts. I was just trying to apply reasoning to the discussion.

Didn't you get a chuckle out of my last two paragraphs?

Let's call a truce. ((F))

I wasn't trying to start a fight with you Jed honestly. I'm a fan of reason, which is why I took an interest in your debate with PJKeay. I was just a little taken aback by the tone of your post and your choice of words. Asking someone if they take their own advice and discounting sound reasoning by asking how many permutations we can think of is not exactly adding reason to the discussion, but it is hard to judge someone's tone on a message board, so if you say you didn't mean it in a hostile manner then I'll take your word for it.

BTW, I don't really see this as a moral choice or anything. Sure, it would be more courteous to not employ little tricks like this, but as long as you are prepared to be gracious to the person you are asking to trade with, I don't see anything really wrong with it. For example, my boyfriend doesn't like the aisle seat in some rows on SW because there is a bar under there or something so he can't stretch his foot under there. He probably wouldn't switch with you if only offered the one choice like the woman who wrote above. Just don't get huffy in the rare circumstance that someone chooses to remain between you when you choose to sit apart. It would be rude to decide to punish the person by constantly reaching or talking over him when you chose to sit apart.

Every paying traveler has the right to pick whatever seat is available at the time he/she buys a ticket. Doesn't matter if she/he is traveling alone, or one of a couple, or a family of 8. There's no moral or ethical issue here at all. I prefer aisle seats, Mrs. Fly likes windows. If the plane is configured with window and aisle together, that's what we take. If not, we sit apart for a few hours. We're not children, so it's not like we're toddlers being kept apart from mommy or daddy. Mrs. Fly always sleeps through 90% of a flight anyway, so it's not as if we're missing any scintillating conversation.

Just another seating fact. Nonrevenue passengers- airline employees and family get any unassigned seat. So even if it is still showing open- the seat can disappear at the gate. I have a few times- been asked "how" I got "their row", when I showed up last boarding- waiting to clear on a full plane. (employees board by seniority).

I'm considering funding a research post at either Oxford or Cambridge to study the mathematical permutations involved in seat selection on aircraft. This will answer this most taxying (sic) of issues once and for all.

Don't laugh - in England people get research grants to study things like "the best way to pour tea from a teapot".

PJKeay, you may find this drastically overdetermined! ;-)

You must factor in all those strange but important bits of information you find on websites such as seatguru.com -- the planes with no window at certain rows, the planes with obscured view of overhead screens, the planes with curved floors that make windowseat footroom cramped. And then there's eastbound vs. westbound with respect to morning sun vs. setting sun. Then there's whether it's an odd or even numbered flight, which determines whether food service starts at the back or the front (there's a mnemonic for that which I've now forgotten).

I look forward to publication of your results -- what journals would be interested in this?

A fascinating project! I will have to take careful notes on the flight!

When you consider the combinations and permutations when additional family members travel with us, the possibilities are endless! And just think of the potential applications of this research! It could be modified to apply to:

Movie theaters - what's the best way to not have to sit next to a stranger and have a spare seat for you coat?

Conferences and seminars - what's the best seat to be able to sneak out of the session if it is dull and hit the casinos instead?

Adolescent social disorders - what's the best seat on the school bus to avoid having to sit with the bully five stops down the road who gives you a terrible wedgie everyday and steals your lunch money.

But really, I am doubtful that our devious plan will work. That's life!