Most of my travels are with my husband. I'm not bothered if I can't sit next to him whether it's a long haul or short haul flight. The only reason why I would like him next to me is only so I don't have to sit next to a strangers but I don't see the need to sit together at all times. Plus I treat it as my me time before I start my holidays when I will be spending days and nights with him anyway.

Clearly yes. Families do need to sit together - or, rather, young children need to sit with a parent or other responsible person. (Yes, I know children travel unaccompanied, but they shouldn't have to if their family is on the plane. And very young children can't be separated from their family anyway.) And there will be some vulnerable adults who will need to sit next to the person that they are travelling with.

As for the rest, it's often nice to sit with one's travelling companions, but rarely essential. I remember, for example, a couple making an awful fuss because they couldn't sit together on a flight from London to Vienna. As the flight only lasts two hours or so, I couldn't see that it ought to be such a major problem.

Perhaps I'm prejudiced though. I used to travel sometimes with a more senior work colleague who always insisted that we should sit together "so we can go through some of these papers and documents". Achieving this requirement that we sit together always involved my waiting around for him so that we could check in together. Anyway, I'd get on the plane all primed for a work session. My colleague, meanwhile, would get distracted by the menu or the wine list or the view out the window, eat whatever meal was due, and then fall asleep. So much for working on the plane!

I am surprised at the "black and white" philosophy exhibited by some posters.

it is generally easy enough to see if some one is requesting out of "entitlement" or because the airline scr*w*d them over. If it is the former, not a chance..the latter, I will consider a switch.

At one point in time my sister regularly traveled with 3 kids under 10 across country at peak holiday. Because of the $$$ involved, she always booked months ahead. Not once did she get to keep the seats she had originally selected, and she had no choice but to ask others to switch. It was a PITA for everyone, and I was quite surprised to hear comments some people made to her...when in actuality, she had appropriately planned.

On the other hand, I am always amazed when 2 middle aged adult request seat changes and want to uproot everyone in sight to sit together on a relatively short flight. I will often do it - but really? I could care the least whether I am sitting next to Mr. Sophie!

I agree specially when traveling with younger children. In my experience, they don't like to be sitting in a separate seat (mine is afraid of flying!) so the closer she seats to me, the better. Sometimes you end up sitting with someone who doesn't like to socialize at all, so I would rather sit with my loved ones!

After the hoops I just jumped through to enable my kids to sit with a parent on a six hour flight I wonder what the point of booking seats is.

YUL to SFO, booked tickets two months back, assigned seats together in row 22. All good until...... could not olci no matter what we tried, called and told to arrive three hours out to secure seats.

Arrived as advised, flight on united, code share with AC, helpful staff went through check in on terminal. Lo and behold all four of us were seated all over the plane in middle seats.

We saw there were two middle seats available in exits rows, so we paid for the two adults to sit in them. $130 in total. Then we boarded and promptly used our boarding passes to lure the aisle passengers sitting next to our kids into middle seats in exit rows. Both were guys who were more than happy to trade, fortunately.

It was a total pita to go through this process as people were trying to board and settle in. Totally stupid that we could not be seated together at the airport three hours out.

I am more than happy to sit away from hubby, and older kids, on any length of flights, but this situation ticked me off. Youngest cannot have a credit card to buy in cabin food and entertainment on United, so why would they seat her alone.

Because I work long hours and am away from home for extened periods. I love my wife and when possible would like to sit next to her .

That being said I am gracious about asking and if told "no" I smile, offer thanks, and move on.

And even more so when it's an intimate partner--contact is welcome, not something to be avoided.

On the transpacific flights my wife takes the window and puts her legs over on my lap to sleep. It works quite well. She wouldn't sleep nearly as well if she had to stay within the bounds of her seat.

You're not alone. When we are near each other there is usually some point of contact although it's usually not holding hands. The most common pattern is my hand on her shoulder. (The more usual thing with couples of the hand on the hip is awkward for us due to a considerable height difference.)

You mean flights where you don't have to hide in the lavs to join the mile high club?

And why would it be assumed that someone who doesn't mind sitting apart is doing so to "avoid contact"???? Rather presumptuous, as is thinking that others "want" to be apart because they spend lots of other time elsewhere, or are somehow "less" romantic than you.

To allow a young mother to sit with her child we will separate...especially if the seating error isn't of her making or is due to travel inexperience. I have watched Mr Sophie entertain a young child for hours so his parent could just have a break. I am extremely claustrophobic, but will gladly sit in a middle seat so that a serviceperson can have the small luxury of an exit aisle.

If that means I am less of a romantic, so be it.

But of course the reality is those situations don't happen all the time...so we could certainly sit together...except my husband is 6'7". If he is stuck in coach, it is incredibly important that the person in front of him does not put their seat back. The only way to insure no one does is if I take that seat.

Perhaps, just like beauty, romance is in the eye of the beholder. TEHO.

And I just wish that parents of two and four year old children had more compassion for others. My parents didn't bring me on an airplane when I was four. They didn't want to inconvenience other passengers by bringing their small children into a confined space with others for hours at a time. Pay extra in advance for your kids to sit together or don't fly.

It minimizes the chance of new human interaction with your unknown seatmate, ie talkative, smelly, invasive etc. Also if I am flying with my partner I feel more freedom to step to the restroom more often and sit in more comfortable positions that I wouldn't allow myself next to a stranger.

No, you can't ever "guarantee" adjacent seats. You can reserve seats that are adjacent, and you can pay extra for a premium seat (window, aisle, or bulkhead) but in the end a seat assignment is not part of the contract and the airline has the right to move you wherever they want.

I don't think many airlines let you pay extra for adjacent seats. You can pay extra for a special seat (such as a window), but they can move you to another equivalent seat (a window in another row) without notice or compensation.

A lot of you must have some odd marriages/relationships if the thought of sitting next to your SO for a few hours on a flight causes such revulsion.

I met one of these people a few days ago. I was boarding an ERJ behind a couple and their 5ish-year old daughter. They were going on vacation carrying a stroller and an assortment of bags and were obviously not FFs (e.g., handed the GA all their passports and boarding passes instead of just the BPs for that specific flight).

Anyway, wife seemed a little nervous about being separated on the plane and husband tried to calm her down by saying he'd ask another pax if s/he minded moving, so they could seat together. He then confirmed that his wife's seat was 17A.

Since I was on 4A, I thought the chance of being close to them and able to help was slim. But when I boarded, lo and behold, father and daughter are on 4B/C. So I immediately offered to go to the back of the plane and switch with his wife. His response: "Hell no! I've already discussed this many times with my wife."

I guess he didn't realize I'd been behind them in the boarding line. I was a little startled, but then it's none of my business how he treats his wife.