Kate2015

I searched a bit, and couldn't find anything on this, which is kind of surprising.

When trapped in a middle seat and the aisle person/people are sleeping, what's the etiquette? So you wake them up or simply climb over them? Is there a limit to how many times a flight you can get up before you really start annoying people?

superangrypenguin

Depends on the circumstance. If someone wants to go pee during a day flight every hour, I have no issue with being woken. If it's a night flight, then maybe i''ll be annoyed if it's every hour, but i'll give them the benefit of the doubt as they may have medical issues.

If they're downing booze and they have to pee every hour on the hour, that's when i get annoyed.

Doc Savage

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

No one wants to be stuck in a middle seat.

Jane42

I am usually in an aisle seat and make sure I tell the others in my row that if they need to get out and I am asleep, wake me. Nobody has ever asked to get up every hour but I know there are those that need to get up regularly for circulation difficulties.

I rarely fly at night, and I have a hard time sleeping on flights, so I think I would only get annoyed if the person was drinking like a fish and woke me every hour.

But, the bottom line is, if you have to go, you have to go!

Kate2015

Sounds a little more promising than I was expecting. I've got an EF alert in for an aisle seat, plus on the list for an upgrade, but stuck in a middle seat as of now. On a night flight, of course. I've only had a non-aisle seat once before in J on a 772, and in my limited experience, it's nearly impossible to get out if your seatmates have their seats reclined. And I do hate being rude...

Doc Savage

Check the seat map at exactly T-24 (and thereafter).

There's no way to control when you have to go to the bathroom, so don't worry about it. Of course, I wouldn't recommend sucking down a Big Gulp just before you board, but otherwise....

ijgordon

Anyone who chooses an aisle seat does so implicitly acknowledging that they may have to get up to let seat mates out. If that's a problem, they shouldn't sit in the aisle seat, and maybe you can offer to switch.

double_black77

One rule I follow when I am in the window or middle seat is that I try to go when the aisle person goes.

Sant

When I book the aisle seat, I set the expectation to get out of my seat anytime the person in the middle or window needs to get out. Fortunately for them, I'm a very light sleeper.

If I ever get stuck in the window or middle, I hope the person in the aisle seat has a similar expectation.

I do the same.

Often1

I'm not a urologist, but I stayed at a HIE last night.

Seems to me that this isn't something for which you as an individual can control. The etiquette is to get out as best you can with as little bother as possible. The specifics of the pitch between seats and the relative size of the individuals seems to dictate this more than anything else.

chgoeditor

Personally, I think it's important to stay well-hydrated on a flight. If I were stuck in a window or middle seat, I'd do my best to minimize the disruption for the person in the aisle seat, but I'm not going to decrease my water consumption or hold it. It's the price someone pays for choosing an aisle seat. (And for the record, the aisle is my preferred seat for this very reason.)

One reminder: If you're trying to get past the aisle seat without waking the passenger up, please don't grab the back of the seat in front of you in an effort to give yourself leverage. Because while you might not disturb the person in your row, you'll certainly disturb the person in the row in front of you.

Zeeb

If you gotta go you gotta go. Especially since you never know if turbulence could prevent you from getting up (not to mention the discomfort of getting jolted around with a full bladder) or when you'll head to the lavatories to find a 6 person deep line. I'd be apologetic if it was more than once every couple of hours. But no reason to make yourself uncomfortable.

chollie

I get up a lot - for the bathroom and to stretch. (Imagine if everyone followed the advice of some and got up to walk around and stretch legs at least once an hour).

I try to get an aisle seat, but it doesn't always work out that way. Unless it's a very short flight, I let my seatmate(s) know I'll be getting up throughout the flight. Some tell me to feel free to climb over them; others ask me to wake them up.

Coming back on a very long red-eye flight once, I was sitting in the aisle with a seatmate at the window. I woke up in the middle of a dark flight, groggy, just as he climbed over me to get back to his seat.

We've all had that happen, right?

It was the first and only time I'd seen someone climb in and out by standing on the arm rests. When I stirred and opened my eyes, I was confused for a second until I realized I was looking up at him as he straddled me, one foot on each arm rest.

Worked for me, though. I was asleep before he was settled back in his seat.

travelmad478

I do have blood clotting issues and, while fanatical about booking aisle seats, occasionally get stuck in a middle due to IRROPS. When that happens I warn the aisle person that I am going to get up every hour and explain the medical rationale. If they want to sleep, they can either switch seats with me or get woken up. I'm not going to risk another DVT...

Fleck

As a usually drunk, window pax, I stand up, turn around to face my seat mates, drag my belly across their chests and use the tops of their heads for hand holds. It's not like I should be getting up in that condition anyway.