Tvok2me

Curious on the protocol when placing carry on under seat. Recently had words with fellow passenger when I clearly had my leg and foot in the middle space before he boarded. He insisted on putting his carry on backpack where my foot was. I asked him if he was OK with me putting my foot on the bag since I'm 6'5 and needed to keep my leg extended due to old football injury. I also explained that having leg room in 1st class is the reason I pay for it. He didn't care. Thoughts??

jsloan

I’m a strong believer that the middle space should be shared. However, understand that the area given to the aisle passenger is extremely small, and there are plenty of valid underseat items that just won’t fit there and must be placed into the middle area.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Assuming a single-aisle mainline a/c here….

A lot of the aisle seats have little room directly in front, so one has to use the middle under seat space if the storage room needed. The window seat has space directly in front for storage, but then one can’t really extend legs.

For myself, I assume in the aisle seat I get the middle storage and a very small footwell in front of me. In the window seat, I assume I get the storage under the seat in front of me and not much legroom - but I get the window and avoid getting knocked by passing bags if I board early.

At the end of the day, it’s a negotiation. Most of the time the arrangements work themselves out w/o even saying anything, but on rare occasions one might run into a difficult person.

putting feet on another’s bag is something I would not presume to do - or even ask to.

AirbusFan2B

Problem is with the seats on the Boeings that UA inherited from CO. Who designs seats like that? I am 6’3” myself and have sometimes had words with seat mate putting huge bag underneath that strays across the middle so I don’t have my legroom. You can absolutely insist he put it in the overhead and play the “would you like me to ask the flight attendant to assist you?”

dmurphynj

Wholly disagree. I feel like that middle section should be for the aisle passenger. The bar right in the middle of the aisle passenger's foot space practically demands it.

If you need that much legroom, feel free to put the bag that's in your space (i.e. the space under the window seat) in the overhead. The aisle pax should have no need to do so unless desired for their own foot space.

ps -- we do completely agree that the seat design is silly. There has to be a better way - they went with a bar wherever the tracks are in the floor; has to be a better way, right?

CApreppie

I've always thought it was designed by people who never have or will fly first class or wanted to stick it to those flyers. I think it should be the aisle person as the underseat storage for them is so small.

findark

Although aircraft differ, every rack and rail setup I have encountered has one of the two seats with enough room in front for a bag, and the other obstructed. The middle belongs to the pax without room for a bag in front of them.

However, I will note that every (non-bulkhead) seat I've been in has enough room to stretch my feet out to rest on the crossbar of the seat ahead, regardless of obstructions. The gap is wide enough for a leg, at least mine.

artvandalay

My definition of "middle" differs, especially since I am always in a window seat and comply with the intent of underseat storage. I prefer sharing the middle.

Kacee

It's shared space. If people are considerate of one another, there's no reason for conflict.

econ

When sitting in the window seat, I don't have an issue if the aisle person takes the middle space for the reasons mentioned above, although if their bag is so large that it takes up the entire width (which is already wider than the space directly in front of the window seat), I don't feel bad at all if my foot happens to touch their bag.

ZenFlyer

Well said.

Generally speaking I am a pretty cooperative and non-confrontational person. One exception to this rule is when I feel bullied, which reflexively causes me to stand my ground. OP, I'm sure there was more to the conversation than what you summarized, but the comment about putting your foot on my bag might have gotten my own dander up in that situation. I'm curious, did you try asking first if the passenger would be willing to place their bag in the overhead so you could both enjoy a bit more legroom? I think of this situation more as a negotiation than a matter of entitlement and am wondering whether you may have overplayed your opening bid. I don't think that arriving first and placing your foot in the space automatically gives you priority.

threecap

I am so glad this topic was posted! I recently had words with a passenger in a very similar situation as the OP, but it wasn't OP - there was no mention of an injury. This was domestic first flight (the kind where, as others mention above, there is about a 5" wide gap on the aisle, then a spot in the middle for a personal item, then a spot on the aisle for a personal item. I was in 2E and other passenger was 2F. I get on, and passenger has a bag in his compartment and his legs stretched in the middle (my) compartment. I place my carry-on above, sit down and get organized, and I start the conversation kindly, since there's no way I anticipate an issue:

Me, starting to bend over to put my laptop bag in my compartment: Sorry, I'm just going to put this under the seat.

2F: My feet are here, that's your compartment (pointing at the 5" gap).

Me: Well, that area where your bag is yours (pointing to where his bag actually is), this area is for mine.

2F, again pointing at the 5" space on the aisle: Then what's that space for? (This is where he gets red and starts panting in a little hissy fit)

Me: I have no idea but it doesn't fit any personal items. (Short and to the point, I'm not going to entertain this child... I'm about get the FA)

2F: Oh, so you make the rules now?

Me: Do you want me to get the flight attendant so she can explain how things go in the front cabin?

2F: I'd prefer you not to speak to me anymore.

Me: I'd prefer you to _________.

This all took place in the first 45 seconds of preboarding, and honestly we didn't have any issue the entire flight or in deplaning upon arrival, even shared the cup tray in the middle just fine. Maybe he was having a terrible day. I shouldn't have told him what to do at the end using those words. But in all my flying (my status is earned by flight volume, not by high spend on longhauls) I've never once had this happen. I split my F seats maybe 60% window, 40% aisle, and even in the window it's never crossed my mind to be offended with the aisle seatmate places their stuff in the middle -- there is literally no other place to put it, it's definitely for the aisle passenger.

threecap

100% agree with this. OP's injury is good reason for his seatmate to be cooperative, and I'd bet 99% of aisle seatmates would be happy to accommodate him if he explained the situation. OP either got unlucky with the other 1%, or the situation didn't exactly go as described.

exerda

This.

Unless on a red-eye or a last-minute flight change/upgrade that leaves me in the window, I'm always an aisle traveler in F. I put my laptop bag in the middle on most flights because it has trouble fitting under the aisle--and I'm also 6'4". I've never had a pax in the window complain. In honesty, most of them board after me and seem to typically have a large backpack that wouldn't fit under the center anyway. But if the window pax asked if they could have additional space, or the middle space was already taken, I'd likely put my laptop bag in the overhead (I try to avoid that, leaving it for rollaboards--again, being considerate of other pax is the right approach).

prestonh

if you have a disability, contact the Accessibility Desk for arrangements ahead of time. Ask the FA for help?
There is also the opportunity to purchase the extra seat so you can have more room (and not have to share it)
the middle space is a shared space, so there is always give/take with your seat mate.