Originally Posted by
nkedel
There are also plenty of couples who are happy to sit apart for a couple hours on a shorter flight, if the middle seat fills up.
This! When my family books we book aisles and windows. We rarely swap because none of us like to sit in a middle seat even if next to a family member.
There is nothing worse that 3-3-3 seating or 3-4-3 seating. The 747 supposedly originally had 2-4-3 seating, which kind of provides something for everyone. The old 2-5-2 seating on the 777 was pretty good since it was rare for every single seat to be filled in the middle section.
I always try to fly on 767's when possible, since the configuration is 2-3-2 and a lot more comfortable.