WorldTraveler1024

I kept calling for my seat assignment to my flight from Washington Dulles to Korea and they kept telling me that I had to wait until 90 days before the flight. Well on the 89th day I called again and they told me that I could now get a seat but the only ones available for my wife and I were middle seats in the middle section of five. So each of us with sit apart and have two people between us and the aisle. This is in economy class.

Would you cancel if it was you or could you survive the 14 hour flight in the middle seat without much of a problem?

ekscrunchy

Of course you will survive. And you will also get to wherever you are going. However, I would much prefer to be separated from my travel companion than sit in a middle seat. On any flight. But that is just my own preference. Can you get other single seats?

rkkwan

Call back about once a week and I'm sure you'll find some non-middle seat between now and then.

I've never had to sit in the middle despite full flights with "only middle seats left". Middle seats are for:

- those who don't care
- those who are lazy
- those who get on as standby and have no choices

rkkwan

Oh, and more often closer to the departure date. And if you still don't get one, go to the airport and ask at check-in. And again at the gate.

hawaiiantraveler

Be sure to check in early and you may get to change or better your seating.

When I have had seats in the middle it was always more of a problem for the others that always had to constantly move for me,no problems for me

Aloha!

Jaya

Bring some Valium with you just in case. I do the 14 hour flight from Newark to Delhi in economy. It's more tolerable than you might imagine.

Follow the others' advice and keep trying for better seats.

travellingrose

When you check in, ask for an exit row, it has more leg room. Sometimes they still have those available

rkkwan

Looking at my flightmemory.com database, I have logged 93 window seats, 57 window seats and 10 middles. [I don't have the 150 or so seat numbers for previous flights.]

I never book my flights early. Most within 2-4 weeks of travel. Of the 10 middle seats, 5 are pre-1998 where I start to care. Of the reamaining 5 times in the last 12 years, 2 are last minute standby and 3 are flying in China or Europe with my parents where I take the middle seat so they won't fight (just kidding)!

Gpanda

Follow the advice and keep calling to try to change your seat assignments. Also, find out if they hold the exit row assignments until the day of departure. If so, you can get those non-middle exit row seats by getting to the airport ridiculously early (but check to see if they release the exit row seats with online check-in.) If so, you might have to online check in early the day of departure.

In any event, you will be able to survive middle seats. It's a question of realizing any economy seat will be slightly annoying and just going with the flow.

dgunbug

Definitely separate from your traveling companion if you have to. It is preferable to have a window or isle. Of course I would take whatever I could get and never cancel due to a poor seat selection. My husband and I frequently ask for a window and isle seat and often are fortunate enough to get a free seat between us.

Jaya

If all else fails, let the Flight Attendant know as you are boarding. He/she may be able to seat you together elsewhere depending on how full the plane is. If they can't, ask if there's any room in First Class for the both of you to sit together - you never know!

ileen

The idea of calling a few times to change seats is good as I have done it with success a few times also.

But when that does not satisfy me totally, I always go to the airport extra early. When I check-in, I always ask for a better seat and have found great success.
Good luck.