What's your seat of choice when flying?
Are you an aisle seat or window seat passenger? Bulkhead, back of the plane or emergency seat sitter? Do you have a preferred row number or a number or letter you like to avoid?
Or perhaps you favour a seat with the letter 'A' or 'J' attached.
One of my favourite things when flying (well, aside from travelling the world, taking photos and taking photos while travelling the world) is having a window seat on a plane.
I'm a window seat girl!
Oops, did I say that out loud?
Start the seat wars.
Because I can almost see the side-eyes from the aisle seat passengers. Their argument, the aisle seat is best; they have better access to the restroom. No need to disturb anyone to get to the toilet.
Here's the thing, no one bothers the window seat passenger for the restroom either.
But does being at thirty-five thousand feet have an undesired effect on the bladder? And if it does, just how often is a toilet break required. On the average long-haul flight, I am guessing twice. And certainly, no one in their good mind will be strapping you to that window seat, should you say...
Excuse me. Can you let me by, please?
And if they were to strap you in, I'd have to question what type of flight you are on.
Aisle seat passengers also boast they are the first to disembark the aircraft. Well, not quite, unless in first or business class. But let's concentrate on economy; yes, you may well be the first to exit the aircraft, but who's ever won an Olympic gold medal for disembarking a plane first?
Hmm, I'm still googling.
Oh, but we have more legroom with an aisle seat.
This is another argument.
But that aisle space can be more of a grievance than pleasure. Wayward kids tripping on your leg, the airline's trolley bashing into your knee, the tall person walking on your toes. In this case, you may very well get off the aircraft first.
Wheeled off on a hospital stretcher.
And what about the jobs you get lumbered with as an aisle seat passenger? Passing meals over, then handing the remains back. Forever having to get up when they don't need to. If its not to let us out for the restroom, it's for getting our luggage down, then putting it back, then getting it down again. Somehow, also employing the role of a transmitter. Transmitting of information from the flight attendant to us and vice versa.
It's as if you've become an assistant flight attendant, or a butler.
Middle seats. Unless travelling as a family or with friends, middle seats are unfortunate seats. You spend your time dodging your fellow passengers' legs and arms. And which armrest should you be haggling for anyway? Is it the left or the right? You need to let the window seat passenger out, but not only that, you also need to ask the aisle seat passenger to let you out.
Window seat passengers, however, settle back and unwind into our own world. The glass frame taking us there. Eyes super glued out during take-off and landing. Our cameras coming into fashion, taking camera copies of snow-caped mountains, cloudscapes and, on the off chance, heart-shaped islands like this one.
Our unofficial butlers, (sorry fellow passengers in the aisle seats) at the ready. Ready to pass that Sauvignon Blanc when the time comes.
When that plane banks, watch your fellow middle seat and aisle seat passengers green with envy, craning their necks for a view out the window.
I remember the above photo very well. We just flown out of Luton airport. I bent down to pick up my scarf and when I sat up and looked out the window, my face was as good as parallel with the ground! On this occasion, I was very late in getting that photo, which if you ask me defeats the point of having a window seat. Such a surreal experience I felt like shouting for the pilot do it again! Anyhew!
It is a 'Yes' from me for window seats. Quietly pleased that we don't all want a window seat when we fly because then we would all be capturing these spectacular aerial shots.
Are you a view out the window passenger or I can go to the restroom without having to ask anyone passenger?
Share your views and comments below.
