Originally Posted by
johan rebel
And who says that two or more pax traveling together absolutely want to sit right next to each other on a flight that's far from full?
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It cannot be ruled out that some pax who would much rather not sit right next to somebody else will be forced to do so just to keep the aisle seats free.
If "unrelated" pax are forced to sit in a manner that they otherwise wouldn't necessarily choose, it stands to reason that "related" pax can also be forced to sit in a different manner, even if it is one that they otherwise wouldn't choose - i.e. together.
However, I suspect loads are now at such a low level that none of the above is strictly necessary, and everyone is pretty much free to spread out as much as they desire.