Originally Posted by Row9

Interesting variation on this. Mrs Row9 and I travelling to Naples and we've tried to play the seating game by picking a window and aisle seat, a row or 2 back from the curtain in the hope that theoretical seating keeps the middle seat free. Sometimes works, but if it doesn't there's usually a short conversation during boarding in which the person assigned the middle seat is more than happy to swap with one of us for the choice of either the window or aisle. On this occasion, passenger arrives just before the end of boarding and makes the usual polite gestures to indicate that he's in the middle seat so I'll have to stand-up to let him in. Usual conversation then ensues, with said offer of swapping for the window or aisle; except it wasn't usual as he very politely declines and spends the journey in the middle seat. Now I've heard of the mythical middle-seat-preferring genus, but, FTers, they really do exist!