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!
I typically fly first class domestically and will typically choose a window seat on any flight over two hours. I never have to get up to go to the bathroom. I typically work and hate to be interrupted. In the past, I have literally been interrupted during the times we were eating, or just after setting up shop to work.
On shorter flights, I will pick the aisle because most people don’t have to get up. Everybody’s preferences are different.
I generally agree with this. Except on an overnight flight if I’m in coach for some reason. In these cases I prefer sleep undisturbed as soon as the plane take off and don’t have much reason to get up until towards the end of the flight. For this reason I’ll choose a window over an aisle so I’m not disturbed by the meal service or by people wanting to get up in the middle of the night. Aside from this, yeah window seat all day.
Yawn. Wait, you just reposted how middle seats are entitled to both armrests, why wouldn’t such a throne seat be the best seat?
Whatever, we are all used to you reposting your flawed opinions as fact. If you have a weak bladder, and/or don’t mind having to constantly get up for those who do, and enjoy your elbows and feet trampled upon by FAs and passengers passing by, then by all means enjoy your aisle seat. I’ll happily take my window. The view out the window at least distracts me from the shit show of garbage service from the US carrier flight attendants inside.
While it’s true that the aisle seat may get cleaned more, they rarely wipe the seats. The aisle seat gets stepped on when a short woman can’t reach her bag. The aisle seat passenger may also get a head injury if a heavy bag falls on his or her head.
I hope everyone reads this and leaves all the windows to those of us who live for them. I despise aisle seats with a passion. In many cases I’ll regret being upgraded from a Y window to an aisle in F.
This is an opinion based on personal preference disguised as some kind of fact.
Just because Gary has a preference for aisle for easy access doesn’t diminish someone else’s preference to be lay their head against the window and relax.
People don’t always need to go to the lavatory, and some people rather look out the window than to see a bunch of people in their seats.
Sad to see such click bait material, it cheapens your work. It also reveals a sense of desperation trying to get viewership.
Window seats are best. If a bathroom visit is necessary, I’d rather be the one not having to get up for someone else when I’m using my laptop.
Oh Gary, what you’re really saying is you have social anxiety and are afraid to ask people to move out of the way when you need to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, you would appreciate the window seat, where you don’t get interrupted in the middle of work or a movie, aren’t constantly being jostled by someone or something in the aisle, control the shade, have a great view of takeoffs and landings, and a free arm that you can use for writing and mousing and tapping without elbowing your seatmate. Oh, and a place to rest your head if you get sleepy and want to take a nap.
1: And get hit by carts and people in the aisle. Nope.
2. Unless you’re going five times a flight it is remarkably easy to ask people to get out of the way. If you are going five times, that’s a prostate issue you should have tended to.
3: Great. A slightly larger coffin.
4: And stand in the aisles, pressed against all the other doofuses who get up immediately
5. Which is like claiming that riding on the hood of a car is better because you have access to the trunk.
6. “This sewage is slightly cleaner! Yay!”
My preference is a window, so I can try to sleep on flights regardless of length. Rarely do I need to get up and I remain considerate of others when it is necessary.
Other reasons for my window seat preference, window seats mean you are less likely to be hit by passengers’ bags as they board to seats behind you and your seat is less likely to yanked on by passengers in back of you as they make their way to get up during the flight.
To each their own…
Complete, vehement disagreement with this opinion piece.
Window seats put you in control of all things you might want control of. Like??
Need to use the bathroom, be a human being and ask the middle & aisle to let you out. Much more convenient than being the one who has to get up for 1 or even two other busy bladders potentially several times per flight. On a flight less than 4 hours, I might not have to even use the facilities. Plan ahead and don’t overdo it at the airport! Level up and take a piss *just* before you board.
Need to get at your bag in the overhead? See above and simply ask! Better to do once than having any number of crotches in your face zone as THEY get into overheads (and not just your direct seatmates!)
Without the need to get up, you can enjoy and focus on: your laptop work; your in-flight entertainment; your nap (using the wall as a headrest); your reading; or if you’re modern-day twisted mofo, raw-doggin’ your flight.
You get uncontested armrest (and a little bonus space!) Aisle folk get an adjacent passenger AND service/people traipsing up and down the aisle. No thanks!
99% of flights deplane in a reasonably orderly fashion, row by row. So at worst you’re TWO people behind the aisle ‘better-than-thou’ position. I’m not that impressed by about 13 seconds of extra time.
Window seat lovers: we get in, settle in, and don’t need to be interrupted for, literally, any reason beyond an in-flight emergency unless it’s our needs. It’s my flight, my way. Period.
But please, by all means, prefer the aisle and keep our window seats available!
Got to hand it to Gary, he can turn lemons into lemonade on a consist basis.
Next month we’ll get an article why the window seat is the best. I’ll start with – if you are an aspiring pilot, the window is a great way to learn about airport ground operations, spotting airports from the air and many other things, I used to put a GPS receiver in the window shade and follow along on my PDA.
Next 10 reasons why Coach is better then First Class! jk, Gary, keep it up
Gary,
You discuss this with Ben? He just gave the lo-down why the window seat is the best.