StuckinITH

My wife and I always take aisle-aisle if the economy class does not have 2 seaters. And the aisle-aisle can be on the same row, different rows, different sides of widebodies or different class. Even on 14 hours flights.

eng3

My parents do the same and often get asked for one to switch the middle so they can be "next to eachother"

rickg523

We get that too.
The answer is always "No. We're good. But thanks for the consideration."

LAX

Couples do it, too! How is it selfish? It used to work well when planes were less full. The theory behind it was more of a hope that no one would choose a middle seat if there will be empty seats when the door closes. If you were to leave an aisle or window seat open, it's almost guaranteed to be taken even if there are empty seats on the flight.

LAX

Kevin AA

It's not as big of a deal on Southwest because they have open seating (it's called "reunite the couple").

But where there are seat assignments, if you want to sit together, then pick seat assignments together (or different aisle seats as another poster wrote). If you're fine with sitting separately, great. But if one is a child, then this is a bad idea. That's why I wrote "adult and child" not just "two people" in general.

N104UA

I think as long as the couple is either (a) willing to take the middle seat or (b) doesn't interact with each other (i.e. talk) over the person in the middle seat it is fine as I don't think there is an issue trying to play the game, they just need to be prepared to loose

cricketer

This. As I said earlier, it's incredible to me that someone wouldn't switch out of a middle, but I also do this with my kids knowing full well that they are capable of sitting on their own with a book on a short flight. I've sat between a couple that talked across me all the way from SFO-SEA many years ago. Not fun.

ExplorerWannabe

I remember flying back transcon in the early 90s. It was much more common back then to have some empty seats but this flight was oversold and they knew it was going to be completely filled. I was in the back end of a 747 and saw this woman get on with a splint on her leg. She sat down in a middle aisle seat just a little forward of me and had her leg splayed out. I was feeling a bit sorry for her when a couple came up and looked confused. It seems she was sitting in one of their seats and had her crutch and other items in the other.

A flight attendant came up to try to work out the situation and the first woman got instantly belligerent. She just HAD to have the aisle seat because of her broken leg (okay, understandable) AND she needed the seat next to her vacant to stretch out. The poor flight attendant said she'd see what she could about moving her from a center seat to an aisle but she really couldn't take up 2 seats on an oversold flight ...

I felt really bad for the FA through all that as the first woman -- while injured -- had the rudest, most self-entitled attitude I have ever seen. I think in the end some poor schlub got swapped from his aisle to a center seat to accommodate her but she didn't get to spread out the way she wanted.

LAX

Even with an adult and a child, I don't think it's necessarily a selfish act as long as they are prepared to remain separated for the duration of the flight. I would agree if they feel entitled to having someone move if they have lost the gamble.

LAX

deskover54

Not ok. If you act self entitled, I will always say no. I wish everyone else had said no. Middle seat or deplane.

If you ask nicely, I'll almost always switch any like for like, but even aisle for middle if you ask nicely, are on crutches, start with something like "I know this is a worse seat, and you can totally say no, but is there any chance you would..."

SullyofDoha

That's GOLD!

emcampbe

today is our 2 year old's first paid flight, which is nice because we can get a full row on mainline, still have a bit of extra room (2yo doesn't take up much). But up until now (with lap child or without), Wife and I typically booked an aisle and window toward the back of E+. Sometimes we got a free middle seat, sometimes not. When there is someone in middle seat, when they arrive, we ask if they'd mind switching to the aisle, we have never once had anyone hesitate to say yes (especially on a long-haul to LHR several years ago). Why someone would refuse to switch from a middle to aisle in same row is beyond me.

The_Bouncer

I would have said, "Sure, I'll take the C-seat". I bet it would suddenly have become less important for the daughter to sit with Daddy.

Eujeanie

I had the aisle once and a father and son had window and middle. The kid is in the window looking out. The father asks me if I'd switch since he prefers an aisle. Are you kidding me?? He wanted me to sit BETWEEN he and his son so that he could have the aisle that I reserved ages ago? I of course said no, and it got worse from there...he had on a tank top, and put his arm behind his head the whole time so his smelly armpit was in my face. I got up and asked a FA if I could move but the plane was completely full. But she did squeeze my shoulder in sympathy every time she walked by. Luckily it was a short flight.

DeweyCheathem

If I were the middle seat passenger, I'd always be willing to trade for the aisle seat. I suspect that's not the switch that the adult in question had in mind, though.