What is your airplane seating preference?

[politicallefty]

The other air travel topic got me curious as to seating preferences.

Personally, I have a very strong preference for the aisle (and ideally towards the front of the plane). The middle is only really fine when I'm flying with at least one person I know, but only a very few people would force me from the aisle to the middle (like my mom).

[Illiniwek]

I'm tall and have broad shoulders, and I never want to be a guy that asks someone to stand up for me to get through, so I guess my preference has to be:
1. Aisle
2. Window
3. Middle

Although, leg room is all about not having anything under the seat in front of you, and I usually have to fight to make sure the person in front of me doesn't put their seat back. For the shoulder room, the window is actually best. While there is tons of space to lean over into the aisle, I always get bumped into multiple times throughout a flight. On the window you can just lean up against the wall.

[muon2]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

[Sirius_]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

[Lechasseur]

1. Aisle
2. Window
3. Middle

[YE]

Window
Middle
Isle

but I'm short and don't need much leg room so

[Torie]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

Did you ever play the game of testing how fast the plane is moving by timing the number of seconds it takes the plane to cross a section (I square mile)? In parts of the midwest, the section sized farm fields are very clearly defined.

[Mr. Smith]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

This.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Window. I also prefer first class because I am tall.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Window all the way. With my love of geography, I enjoy looking out the window and matching the land below with my recollection of a location on a map.

This.

[WritOfCertiorari]

Window, then middle. Don’t like the aisle.

[Lachi]

Aisle. I get travel sickness really easily.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Room is my priority, as I'm 6'5", so, if I'm on Southwest, my first goal is the exit row window seat with no seat in front of me.  If I can't get that, I will get an exit row aisle or the inner seat on the row with only 2 in the exit row.  If I can't get a window/aisle in the exit row, I go to the back of the plane and take an aisle.  As I'm also overweight, I find that, if I sit in an aisle near the back of the plane and there is even one empty seat, there is a better than 50-50 chance that it will be the middle next to me.

[UlmerFudd]

Window on short flights, aisle on transoceanic flights

[nclib]

Window on short flights, aisle on transoceanic [and other long] flights

[Sestak]

I flip flop on this all the time between Window and Aisle.

[Dr. MB]

As long as it isn't middle I'm fine.

Window is usually good since I like looking out.

[Goldwater]

As long as it isn't middle I'm fine.

[Illiniwek]

Anyone else remember when the exit rows were not desirable? Now they make you pay extra to sit there. It sucks I would sit there on every flight if I could.

[RFayette]

Window on short flights, aisle on transoceanic [and other long] flights

[Sirius_]

Anyone else remember when the exit rows were not desirable? Now they make you pay extra to sit there. It sucks I would sit there on every flight if I could.

Were people scared of having to operate the door back then?

[Illiniwek]

Anyone else remember when the exit rows were not desirable? Now they make you pay extra to sit there. It sucks I would sit there on every flight if I could.

Were people scared of having to operate the door back then?

I guess so. I know sometimes it was out of legal necessity that certain people couldn't sit there. But I remember getting those seat pretty easily in the past. Certainly not anymore.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Would Trump be too fat for one seat?

[Mr. Smith]

Window on short flights, aisle on transoceanic [and other long] flights

Good point, not good to be boxed in for longer than 10 hours.


As for the dinkier jets used at regional airports (such as from College Station to Dallas/Ft. Worth), I tend to take the lone seat that is aisle AND window at the same time rather than choose the other row and get only one.