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Middle seat etiquette - bathroom breaks

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Old Nov 26, 2015, 6:19 am
  #46  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa

If I were in economy in an aisle seat and the middle seat guy told me he was getting up once an hour to exercise I'd tell him "Good luck". It's one thing when nature calls. It's another when you're making a deliberate decision to get up.

If your medical condition is that serious either book F or in case of IRROPS and you can't get an aisle seat, wait for the next flight. Yeah, I know that sounds heartless and rude, but so does what you say you're doing. It isn't the aisle seat passengers fault you have whatever medical condition you have. Don't make him pay for it.
WOW...just WOW! Are you serious? I always try to choose an aisle seat - and that was before developing blood clots during treatment. I have absolutely no problem getting up to let someone out and I let them know that. I have had seat mates tell me they need to get up regularly and I assure them that that is just fine...I understand. There is no way I could afford an F seat, and I am not going to stop flying because you have no patience. Why don't you just book a window seat so that you are not disturbed?
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 6:45 am
  #47  
 
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Originally Posted by Jane42
WOW...just WOW! Are you serious? I always try to choose an aisle seat - and that was before developing blood clots during treatment. I have absolutely no problem getting up to let someone out and I let them know that. I have had seat mates tell me they need to get up regularly and I assure them that that is just fine...I understand. There is no way I could afford an F seat, and I am not going to stop flying because you have no patience. Why don't you just book a window seat so that you are not disturbed?
I choose aisle mainly due to back problems, and I pretty much do the same as you. I just tell them don't be shy if you need to get up, even if I'm asleep, I've no problem for you to climb over me to get out.
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 7:21 am
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Kate2015
I searched a bit, and couldn't find anything on this, which is kind of surprising.

When trapped in a middle seat and the aisle person/people are sleeping, what's the etiquette? So you wake them up or simply climb over them? Is there a limit to how many times a flight you can get up before you really start annoying people?
Wake the person up gently. If you have to go, you have to go. There is no limit; just advise the aisle person of that as that would the courteous thing to do. If you can adapt to the aisle person's departures from her seat, all the better. But if you can't, you can't.

Originally Posted by Tchiowa
If I were in economy in an aisle seat and the middle seat guy told me he was getting up once an hour to exercise I'd tell him "Good luck". It's one thing when nature calls. It's another when you're making a deliberate decision to get up.
That's too bad. You choose an aisle seat; you get the benefit of its location but the responsibility of getting up whenever the middle seat or window seat passenger wants to get up. You don't control the pax seated in your row no matter what your imagination leads you to believe.
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 5:21 pm
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Jane42
WOW...just WOW! Are you serious? I always try to choose an aisle seat - and that was before developing blood clots during treatment. I have absolutely no problem getting up to let someone out and I let them know that. I have had seat mates tell me they need to get up regularly and I assure them that that is just fine...I understand. There is no way I could afford an F seat, and I am not going to stop flying because you have no patience. Why don't you just book a window seat so that you are not disturbed?
So other people have to "have patience" because you won't pay for the seat that you need?
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 9:05 pm
  #50  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
So other people have to "have patience" because you won't pay for the seat that you need?
I don't NEED another seat. I book an aisle seat, or if flying SW, I use EB.
So far, I have always been able to get the aisle seat, but we all know there are no guarantees.

It is public transport...SOMEONE has to sit in the middle and window seats, and those people may need to get out a few times during a flight.

What exactly would you do if someone did need to have you let them out of their seat a few times during a flight?
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Old Nov 26, 2015, 10:13 pm
  #51  
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Originally Posted by Jane42
I don't NEED another seat. I book an aisle seat, or if flying SW, I use EB.
So far, I have always been able to get the aisle seat, but we all know there are no guarantees.

It is public transport...SOMEONE has to sit in the middle and window seats, and those people may need to get out a few times during a flight.

What exactly would you do if someone did need to have you let them out of their seat a few times during a flight?
As I said, if someone needs a bathroom break or something I have no problem with that. But someone who wanted an aisle seat, didn't get it and so informs the person who did get the aisle seat "I'm going to be popping in and out of my seat constantly throughout the flight to make you miserable until you give me your aisle seat" is going to have to learn to crawl over the back of the seat.
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Old Nov 27, 2015, 6:24 am
  #52  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
As I said, if someone needs a bathroom break or something I have no problem with that. But someone who wanted an aisle seat, didn't get it and so informs the person who did get the aisle seat "I'm going to be popping in and out of my seat constantly throughout the flight to make you miserable until you give me your aisle seat" is going to have to learn to crawl over the back of the seat.
Do you think I'm getting up every hour because I want your aisle seat? I don't want your freaking aisle seat. I want to avoid getting a pulmonary embolism and dying. (You want that too; that event would disturb your peaceful flight much more than getting up a few times to let me into the aisle, which I know is a terrible hardship for you.) Since you apparently need to be told, no, I didn't deliberately decide to give myself the Factor V Leiden genetic mutation that causes my blood to clot more readily than most people's. But I guess in your world only bathroom breaks count as "nature" calling.

I remain confused as to why you choose to sit on the aisle if your top priority is never leaving your seat?
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Old Nov 27, 2015, 12:37 pm
  #53  
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
As I said, if someone needs a bathroom break or something I have no problem with that. But someone who wanted an aisle seat, didn't get it and so informs the person who did get the aisle seat "I'm going to be popping in and out of my seat constantly throughout the flight to make you miserable until you give me your aisle seat" is going to have to learn to crawl over the back of the seat.
So basically you think someone should cancel a flight if they need to get up frequently and couldn't get an aisle seat (which rules out half of F on most domestic planes, by the way). Now I've heard it all.
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Old Nov 27, 2015, 1:03 pm
  #54  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
But someone who wanted an aisle seat, didn't get it and so informs the person who did get the aisle seat "I'm going to be popping in and out of my seat constantly throughout the flight to make you miserable until you give me your aisle seat" is going to have to learn to crawl over the back of the seat.
Now someone wanted your seat, didn't get it, so is going to make you miserable? Oh, my, you do have quite an imagination.

As I stated earlier, someone has to sit in the window and middle seats - which may require the person in the aisle seat to get up to let them out. If you do not want to do that, perhaps you should reconsider getting an aisle seat. That way, you would not be inconvenienced.
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Old Nov 28, 2015, 9:06 pm
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by Jane42
Now someone wanted your seat, didn't get it, so is going to make you miserable? Oh, my, you do have quite an imagination.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts here on FT telling where exactly that has occurred. Starting soon after birth with entitled mummies threatening that darling young Tristan will vomit all over you if you don't give up your seat all the way to whiskery old grannies waving their walking sticks in a threatening manner if you won't take their 74E when they're already settled in your 2B.

So no, there's no imagination required. It happens.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 5:45 pm
  #56  
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Originally Posted by travelmad478
I remain confused as to why you choose to sit on the aisle if your top priority is never leaving your seat?
When did I say it was my top priority? It's not a priority at all. But popping in and out of your seat once an hour is just plain rude.

Originally Posted by Kate2015
So basically you think someone should cancel a flight if they need to get up frequently and couldn't get an aisle seat (which rules out half of F on most domestic planes, by the way). Now I've heard it all.
Yes. If they have a medical condition which is complicated by not having an aisle seat, either get the aisle seat or take the next flight.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 5:47 pm
  #57  
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Originally Posted by BadgerBoi
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts here on FT telling where exactly that has occurred. Starting soon after birth with entitled mummies threatening that darling young Tristan will vomit all over you if you don't give up your seat all the way to whiskery old grannies waving their walking sticks in a threatening manner if you won't take their 74E when they're already settled in your 2B.

So no, there's no imagination required. It happens.
^^ Happens fairly regularly, IME.

Fortunately most of my flights are international, Business or First. First Class all seats have aisle access. Business Class I'm always with my wife and she has no problem crawling over me while I'm asleep. I actually kind of enjoy it.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 8:58 pm
  #58  
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
Yes. If they have a medical condition which is complicated by not having an aisle seat, either get the aisle seat or take the next flight.
Sorry, that's not real life. Again, not all seats in F/J have aisle access.
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Old Nov 29, 2015, 9:28 pm
  #59  
 
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I felt compelled to reactivate my account in order to relate this story; it happened to me the other week.

I had been flying AMS-EWR-SEA and had done the EWR-SEA segment in a Y aisle seat. Unusually I had slept for the entire flight. Upon wheels-down I was just starting to wake up whereupon I was prodded in the shoulder by the lady sitting at the window seat.

"Sir, I just wanted to tell you that it was highly self-absorbed and inconsiderate of you to take an aisle seat and then sleep for five hours. I could not get out." I'm 5'10" and <200lbs, she was about half my size.

I won't tell you my reply to her.
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Old Nov 30, 2015, 8:14 am
  #60  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
popping in and out of your seat once an hour is just plain rude.
I'm curious, do you also police the liquids intake of the middle and window seat passengers when you're sitting in the aisle? Because if getting up a few times during a flight due to a congenital medical issue is rude in your book, then I can't even imagine how outraged you must get if your seatmates consume more than one beverage. Actually, maybe you should check around the gate area to see who's sitting in your row, so that you can order them to use the bathroom before boarding so that you won't be disturbed.
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