Keeping the middle seat empty on WN flights is about the only instance I'm glad I'm overweight! However, I do question the advantages of going to the back of the plane. I've found that the C boarders are holding out hope that there will be window/aisle/2 seats together further back and will keep walking until they find what they want or have no choice but the middle.

That happens to me more often than the person who sees the middle seat in row 8 and just takes it without looking for something better.

Of course, if the flight is full or nearly full none of this matters.

I did once, at the advice of the gate agent, take a middle seat toward the back of the plane. I started to feel like an ... about it though and eventually moved over. It worked out, though, no one ever sat in the middle.

Also, when travelling with my boyfriend, we take aisle and window with the understanding that we don't talk to each other until everyone has boarded. If the FAs have already announced that it's a full flight, I just suck it up and take the middle.