Originally Posted by
ijgordon
Not to go off topic, but I think allergictocoach's issue was that the couple remained in the window/aisle seats, instead of offering to switch so they could be together. A lot of people do that frequently - book an aisle/window and hope the middle stays empty, but if it doesn't, offer the middle seat pax the window.
Staying off topic, my wife and I often do this and almost always do not trade with the middle seat person. We also don't talk the whole flight over that person, but we like the aisle/window seats, so that's what we book. The person in the middle seat booked it there, and they get the middle seat. As long as the aisle/window pair aren't loud or otherwise behave in a way that inconveniences the middle pax (other than the fact that they are in a middle seat), I see no problem with this approach.