The middle seat might be every traveler's worst nightmare, but I’m here to tell you that your conception of the middle seat may not be completely right.
There is no denying that the middle seat has big drawbacks, such as being squished between two strangers who will likely take up some of your personal space throughout most of your flight.
You also risk not having one, but two horrible seatmates.
Passengers are willing to pay for premium economy or any kind of seat assignment if they are traveling alone just to avoid sitting in the middle seat, according to an April 18, 2016 article from The New York Times.
Although the middle seat quite frankly sucks, it isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
When sitting in the aisle, you have two people beside you asking you to get up from your seat to use the restroom.
If it’s a long flight, you are more than likely to have to get up numerous times throughout the flight. This is annoying, especially if you’re in the middle of watching a movie or have to unbuckle your seatbelt and pull up your food tray.
In the middle seat though, you only risk one person bothering you to go to the restroom.
You might even get away with bringing your legs up to your chest so that the other passenger can pass through the aisle to avoid getting up from your seat.
Once on a flight from San Francisco to Houston, I was stuck between a middle-aged lady who smelled like cigarettes and an older man who looked to be in his mid-60s.
At the time, I was more of an extrovert and quickly picked up a conversation with the older man, who was excited to have a conversation.
Unfortunately, mid-conversation, the lady next to me fell asleep and though she wasn’t completely resting her head on my shoulder, she was uncomfortably close.
This is the worst situation that a person in the middle seat can find themselves in because not only are you in the worst seat, but you’re also being used as a human pillow by complete strangers.
Your seat already sucks so at the very least, your seatmates should give you as much space as they can.
However, I was stuck with that lady’s head inches away from mine for a couple of hours.
This was an unpleasant experience but at the same time it can be easily fixed by shifting a little in your seat so the other person feels you and hopefully moves.
Another plus is that if the person sitting in the window seat is an introvert, it is likely that they will try to repress their bladder-releasing needs to avoid bothering you to get up. This will allow you to sit comfortably in your chair so you won’t have to get up for anyone but yourself.
Even though you’re in the middle seat you will never end up missing the window view unlike the aisle seat.
Another drawback of the middle seat is that you have a greater chance of struggling to fall asleep since you don’t have anything to lean on.
However, it is also an unwritten rule that since the middle seat has always been acknowledged as the worst seat, the person sitting there deserves both armrests.
In a seat that is not comfort-friendly, having both armrests is a big plus since it allows you to rest your elbows and you can use your fist to lean on while you sleep.
You also can’t turn your head either way because you’ll have two strangers staring at you while you're sleeping.
This often results in having to be stiff and frozen in your seat for your seatmates and your optimal comfort, possibly for hours.
But if you bring a big hoodie on the plane and make your own little cocoon in your seat, you might be able to be in a comfortable position.
With a pair of noise-canceling headphones, a good neck pillow that will keep you from falling on your seatmates and some snacks, the middle seat might not be all that bad.
