Originally Posted by
CloudCoder
The age-old question is "how do I get that coveted Empty Seat next to meeee?".
For the most part, it involves choosing a seat which is adjacent to the LEAST desirable seat (so that the seat next to yours will be the LAST one chosen).
Imagine a seating chart where only two seats are available, and both are crummy. Which seat is the MOST crummy? You need to choose your seat adjacent to that Most Crummy seat.
A seat is crummy when:
- It's middle instead of aisle or window
- It's toward the back of the cabin
- It's on the right side of the airplane (requiring a crossover to board and to deplane).
So ... the best seat to ensure an empty adjecent seat is:
- Middle section
- Last Row
- On the right side
I have just one question. Why do I always end up with someone seated next to me, despite following the brilliant strategy above?
Probably because of the 'Last Row': quite a few people seem to go for the last row because they might assume it's quieter, people might move forward, etc. On shorthaul, some might also be Ryanair-trained and (wrongly) assume that they might be able to exit at the back! I usually opt for 2-3 rows ahead of the very last row...