The best flyers prefer aisle seats, and airlines even value the business more of those who do. Aisle seats are just better than window seats, and we don’t even need to talk about the dreaded middle.
If you’re in the aisle seat you don’t get those window seat views, but those are better in theory than practice outside of the first and final minutes of a flight. And you do have to get up to let other passengers into the aisle if they need to use the restroom. So there are tradeoffs, but they’re minor compared to the 6 reasons that aisle seats are best:
- You can spread out slightly into the aisle, giving yourself extra seat width
- You control your own destiny, getting up for the lavatory whenever you need to without having to ask seatmates for help.
- It’s less claustrophobic.
- You can get up faster when the plane comes to the gate,
- You have access to overhead bins.
- Window seats don’t get cleaned as well, because they’re harder to reach
Don’t have an aisle seat for an upcoming flight? You can create a free alert for better seats to open up. Expertflyer is a pay service I use all the time to search for fares, upgrade availability, and to email me when the space I want opens up. But they offer alerts when specific seats you want on your flight become available, and that’s free.
In general the best coach seats, occupied by an airline’s elite frequent flyers, open up within 5 days of travel as some of those customers get upgraded to first class. So just because seats are taken doesn’t mean they stay taken. Plans change and people cancel or change flights. But passengers get upgraded close to departure and the (usually better) coach seats those customers were occupying become available for assignment.
And of course if you don’t like your seat, ask at the airport – at check-in, at the customer service desk, and at the gate – in hopes of changing it if your flight isn’t completely full.
Once you’re on board you aren’t stuck, either, that just means the market for seats becomes person-to-person. A reader once gave up his seat he paid extra for so a family could sit together, but then the family sold that seat to another passenger for $100. Airline seats are commodities, baby!
Good advice. I guess it depends on the flight. If it is a new route for me I take the window to see what I can. And at night you can lean against the wall when trying to sleep. Nobody steps over you either.
Window is better for me.
1. Window seats can also spread out slightly from curvature of plane, also you have wall to lean against.
2. I have good bladder function, I pee before departure. Also, I don’t need to ask seatmates, I tell them. It’s non optional for them to get up.
3. I’m not claustrophobic.
4. You get off the plane 3-5 people faster. Congrats.
5. I get my stuff out that I need when I arrive at my seat. Plan ahead.
6. Don’t care, not a germophobe.
Also, spreading out in the aisle will sometimes get you stepped on or slammed into by a cart.
Sitting in an aisle seat, you’re more likely to get up and move around every hour, which is very good for your body.
Window seats are better for sleeping, at least in economy class. Window seats are better to avoid getting bumped by people or things in the aisle or having your seat pulled on when people behind you get up. Window seats are better to avoid having jackets and even luggage fall on you when people are using the luggage bins. Window seats may have a bit more shoulder room on one side at least than an aisle seat.
Six reasons why smart travelers prefer window seats:
1. Easier to sleep leaning into the corner made by the seat and hull.
2. Not getting bumped by everybody who goes up and down the aisle.
3. Not having to get up for the people sitting inside of you at the start and then all the people having to pee during the flight.
4. At the end of the flight, not having to stare at waist level of all the people who’ve jumped up immediately to then wait 20 minutes to get off. Mmm…stankiness.
5. At the end of the flight, not being subject to the person inside you who just HAS TO get into the aisle immediately.
6. Not getting nailed by the food/drinks cart.
I so agree with all the window seat fan comments above.
But if you’re a pro AND an AVGeek, the window seat always trumps everything because you can’t shoot takeoff/landing photos/video from an aisle. At that point the only reason you’d go for the aisle is if you don’t care about looking out the window for a particular flight or you’re on a red eye and there’s nothing to look at because it’s dark.
“1. Easier to sleep leaning into the corner made by the seat and hull.”
It’s not that straightforward. It varies depending on how the seat lines up with the window and how far the seat is from the wall…both of which can change from seat to seat on the same plane depending on the plane and the seat. Plus, at least for me, I tend to have more neck issues during a flight trying to sleep like that than just using my Bucky with my head back against the seat.
All logical – but, a major study of airline cleanliness indicated that the most bacteria-filled area on a commercial aircraft is the back and right armrest of an aisle seat – ever higher bacteria counts than the toilet.
The primary reason – passengers going to and from the bathroom are gripping the headrest portion of your seat as they pass.
Aisle seats were identified as the “filthiest” surfaces the average flyer encounters in the air because of the number of other passengers who touch the surfaces in passing.
Nah
> You can spread out slightly into the aisle, giving yourself extra seat width
Get some of that from the window seat too. Plus better sleeping leaning against the side.
> You control your own destiny, getting up for the lavatory whenever you need to without having to ask seatmates for help.
I never need to get up. If I expect I might, I’d rather bother them than be bothered by them.
> It’s less claustrophobic.
Only a problem for claustrophobic people.
> You can get up faster when the plane comes to the gate,
That is a point in the aisle’s favor. Sometimes you get a really annoying person in your aisle who won’t get up when he’s supposed to.
> You have access to overhead bins.
Why would I need that? Everything I could possibly want on the flight is under the seat in front of me.
> Window seats don’t get cleaned as well, because they’re harder to reach
Ok, fair. But small point.
Window seats for the win.
shame on you!
this post may make aisle seats harder to get lol
don’t give away the secrets 😉
Happy upcoming holidays
Former Delta Platinum here—I agree with this, though I would routinely choose a window seat for a variety of reasons: (1) I can lean against the fuselage to help with comfort, (2) for flights <4 hours I don’t normally need to use the lav, (3) I need to be able to look out the window for spatial awareness & to prevent motion sickness, and (4) I’m 5’8” so legroom isn’t usually a problem for me.
Sometimes I would select the aisle seat if the flight was too long, incl. expected ramp delays, or if I just knew I’d need to get up more than once, but maybe 7 out of 8 flights I’d be seated by the window.
For 100,000 years, humans have longed to fly like the birds and see what it looks like up there.
For 100 years, a mope like me can do exactly that. And I’m damn well going to, even if it’s just looking down on the Atlantic or Greenland or the Mackinac Bridge from 32,000 feet or London from 5,000 feet or Chicago from 3,000 feet. Each time for me, it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
You wanna get up and go pee, fine. You wanna hustle off the plane and into the clown crowd in the terminal, go for it. Me? I’m enjoying the show.
Just booked DFW-DOH-SHJ for a fall Dubai getaway.
Thanks for the tip, Gary!
Sad to see this self-professed “expert” not learning anything from COVID, including how infectious diseases (such as the flu and worse) spread on planes.
Hopefully your readers will believe you, so there’s more window seats left available for the true experts!
Please, everyone else fight over centre and window seats — I’ll take the aisle anytime! Preferably bulkhead, in row 1.
We had a female passenger in the aisle seat next to us on a Quantas flight from Sydney to LA that told us we had better go pee now because she didn’t expect to be disturbed once she was sleeping
Gary, this one was too easy. Altho I like the window to rest my head against its now a matter of survival so I’ll take the aisle.
Doesn’t really have to be “every time” IMHO.
Long flights are aisle for me for the reasons articulated in the post.
Short flights are window for me for the reasons articulated by Mantis and others above.
AA EXP and DL Silver, so I guess I’m a “pro” traveler? Agree 100% with the window seat crowd here, for the reasons listed above. Article title should be revised to “One Man’s Opinion on the Aisle vs. Window Debate,” but I suppose that is not as clickable.
One downside to the aisle seat is if you travel on United you risk not getting overhead bin space. The new United boarding policy is crazy.
Bulkhead seats? Those are my bane on flights, and that’s because they often (but not always): have immovable arm rests that narrow my range of movement in the seat; mean less room for me to stretch out my legs; mean people try to cross over in the bulkhead row when it’s a bulkhead in a double aisle plane; stand in the bulk head row to stretch, wait for lavatories or to move out of the aisle to let others proceed down the aisle; and no place on the floor to store cabin baggage during take-off and landing.
I usually do what I can to avoid bulkhead seats.
Wrong wrong and wrong. Aisle seat you’re constantly getting bumped and hit and jostled by people wandering the aisles. I fly all the time and it’s window only for me. This article is just stupid. Sorry. The best seat on a plane is the one you prefer. It’s like trying to say why chocolate ice cream is the best. Nonsensical!
Window first class seats 1A or 1F for the win. Bonus is rows 2A-4A when on an EMB 175. You can always get out of the window 1st class seat when in 1A or 1F without your aisle friend being bothered.
Also, if forced to fly coach, AA’s Airbus 321’s have “Economy 1st Class” for seats for 25A and 25F, as there is NO SEAT in front of you in row 24… so you have unlimited legroom and you can ‘escape’ from your window seat without bothering anyone, love it!
Senior so the old bladder appreciates the aisle more these days.
Gary, for the love of God, retire that old story about the person who swapped seats and they sold it to someone else. It’s gotten older than me.
Mantis, “Also, I don’t need to ask seatmates, I tell them. It’s non optional for them to get up.”
It sure as heck is. You’ll say excuse me or you’ll be crawling over me, but you’ll not tell me to move and get the reaction you were hoping for…
I normally agree with your articles but as a 90 to 120 fight segment a year flyer. I feel your 100% off on this one. Use the restroom before you get on the plane. Have your in-seat items in hand before you sit down and enjoy the extra room and tranquility of a window seat.
I don’t suppose this reporter ever looked out a window. Why observe the things around you, or even know where you’re going?
Wayne, you must be a tad on the smaller size. “…Enjoy the extra room and tranquility of a window seat” Due to the curvature if you are larger or have broad shoulders there is no room at the window. I’m only 6’5″ 260, but it makes a huge difference. I will take aisle all the time due to this
Who are these “best” flyers? Maybe you could share some other traits, as I really-really want to be the best flyer possible.
Of course I feel more comfortable sitting by my sons than a stranger but I’ve been lucky. When I’ve had a stranger beside me they have been ok. I walk to the restroom to stretch my legs. When I’m at my seat I move my legs too. On my next flight I’m going to wear compression socks. If I have both sons with me I sit in the aisle so there is less chance of them disturbing someone or grabbing/getting whacked by the drink cart. If only one son is with me I sit in the middle and my son is by the window.
As a Business Class only traveller, this discussion has nothing at all to do with me.
Nice article as always, Gary ! Regarding your point # 4, true for deplaning for sure, but especially true (god forbid) for evacuation in an actual emergency. As they say, it’s probably a 9-sigma event or even rarer, but still not zero.
Yes, yes, yes. All of you aisle seat fans go for it. Convince the middle seaters that they are also superior because they are only one seat away from the promised land, also known as the aisle.
How are window seats harder to reach? The plane is empty when it’s being cleaned so no seat is hard to reach. That sounds like something that was just made up.
Window seats for me everytime. Due to all of the reasons previously posted by others.
Give me exit row aisle over First Class window, at least for domestic. For TPAC and TATL, give me a lie flat and I prefer window, especially for flights over 12 hours. I need my sleep.
So I can stand up. Most people sit for hour after hour. That’s so bad for you.
Just 30 seconds once or twice an hour makes a huge difference in economy seats.
My preference/s:
1. Aisle seat almost all the time…for the reasons in the article.
2. Window seat will be considered if the flight is 90 minutes or less.
This piece is beyond stupid. Besides the value judgment inherent in the “best” travelers choose aisle seats, like some philosophical judgment, the opinions reflect a silly bias against enjoying the magic of flight. I am a business traveler,a premium member in many programs, and wouldn’t dream of choosing an aisle over a window if the latter were available. I suppose I should be glad this drivel gets published and read, so at the margins I have a better chance of getting the seat I want. Enjoy getting off the plane 30 seconds earlier anfmd rearranging your oh bin belongings while having your knees bumped all flight long. Sounds fun.
As a ‘pro’ flyer with over 5 million kms, mainly in economy, my preference is always a window. Being able to lean against the wall/window to sleep outweighs all the disadvantages. Plus I like to look out and watch the world pass by.
I’m an aisle person and that requires you to be totally aware of aisle traffic and It requires me to be extremely alert when careless passengers
don’t/can’t properly handle overhead bin luggage. Been clobbered more than once.
I agree with all the reasons Gary and will add a couple for /against. My experience is mostly long-haul international.
Another reason for: Its easy to speak to a FA. Even better to help them or ask how to help… they usually reward this with slightly better service.
And a reason against: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been stepped on or the trolly (or trolly dolly) rammed the meal trolly into me knee or over my foot.
Thanks Gary….I just realized that I am not a pro traveler….lol
After decades of flying,.I am.STILL not jaded enough to not stare out the window and marvel at the land (or even the ocean) below. I don’t think I ever will be.
Also, all the window fan comments above.
You can keep your aisle. Window ahead of the wing for me (even in economy).
For me it varies. For short flights, I prefer the window. I rarely need to get up, so it’s not an issue.
For long haul, always the aisle, and the aisle seat of the central section.
Not having to wake up people who might be sleeping, to get out, is a major plus. You don’t tend to see much out of the window when it’s night anyway.
The other is that if there are three seats in the middle, it is most likely that they will be occupied by two people who are together, who will always get out on their side.
If the middle has four seats, then the far two will still be most likely occupied by a couple, and that seat next to you will be one of the least desired on the whole plane, so a good chance of having those two seats to yourself.
Damn… I guess I need to learn how to be a best flyer although I thought after 14 years as EP w/ AA and 2M status I was somewhat savvy in my travel decisions. Some people like window and some aisle- it’s that simple. I fall into the former and can always appreciate the view, ability to control the shade, and lean into the side to give myself some more room.
23 countries… window.