Why you may not want to sit together on flights.
In business and first class, Husband and I always sit together, especially on planes where you can remove the privacy divider between the seats so you can dine and/or sleep beside each other. Bliss!
But when it comes to a flight in economy with a three-seats-on-each-side-of-the-aisle configuration, he and I rarely sit beside each other, and it makes us both a lot happier.
Even before the pandemic, no one liked the middle seat. In a world of constantly-shrinking seat space, it’s the worst. As neither Husband nor I want it, and we don’t “need” to sit beside each other, we don’t: when selecting seats for a flight in economy, we choose the aisle seat (me) and the window seat (Husband).
Of course, we cannot help but hope no one ends up in the middle seat between us. If someone does, that person sits in the middle, just as the ticket says—one of us doesn’t switch seats with the middle-seater. Why? We tend to watch shows/listen to books during the flight. I may even write for a while. One or both of us may nap. If we don’t “need” to be right beside each other, we opt for comfort and keep the better seats.
In order to not be rude to the middle-seat person, we avoid interacting with one another across that person. We don’t pass snacks back and forth, or talk over the middle seat occupant. If people assigned to the middle asks, “Are you together? Want to switch?,” I politely decline and assure them they won’t be “stuck” (conversations, passing things) between us on the flight.
Another alternative Husband and I have opted for is aisle seats across from each other, or window seats one behind the other on flights where we want to mostly sleep. We both arrive more refreshed and ready to go than if we’d taken turns being squished and sleepless in the middle. (Disclosure: Husband is so nice, he NEVER switches with me).
Twist’s Take: Not sitting next to your traveling companion may make for a better flight for both of you.
