General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Airplane Etiquette [View all]mnhtnbb
(31,382 posts)However, I would rather sit comfortably in uncomfortable silence than uncomfortably between two big congenial men. I am a small woman myself and I've been stuck in the middle seat--when flying with my husband stuck in a middle seat in the row in front of me--when the flight for which we had 1st class seats booked months earlier--was cancelled. Between being poked in the ribs by the guy on one side and trying to avoid being sneezed on by the guy on the other side with a horrible cold, it was a miserable flight. The airline AA never compensated us, either, for not being able to rebook us on a flight in the same class seats for which we paid.
So, I would have no trouble saying no to a request to trade an aisle seat for a middle seat.
On a flight home from Panama one time when I was traveling alone, I put my book down on my seat and went back to use the restroom while everyone was boarding. I came back to find a mom had taken my seat and put her kid in the vacant middle seat and told me I could move to her single aisle seat! She had worked out moving with the flight attendant while I was out of my seat. Here I was thinking how I'd lucked out having no one in the middle seat. Wrong.
I hate flying. I just hate it. I'm fortunate enough to have the resources that I only fly now anything over 3 hours business or 1st class. Anything under that I will fly coach and always book an aisle seat and have no problem saying no if someone wants me to trade for anything other than an aisle seat.
You just have to be prepared to stand up for yourself and say no.