In 2008, I quit my corporate job, sold off everything I owned and moved overseas with my husband Drew. Since then we've traveled around the world, started our careers over as creative types and nurtured our love of sleeping in late. Oh and we had a baby. Cole, our almost 2 year old has been traveling since he was four months old and probably knows more Thai than me (not that he brags).
How to Get an Empty Seat Next to You On an (Almost) Full Flight
Today’s guest post is by Scott from Trekeo. I’ve tried some of these tips in the past… they work! Add your tips in the comments.
My nightmare finds myself stuck in the center seat on a 4-hour flight. To my right is a guy twice my size who decides that both armrests belong to him. He spends most of the flight fidgeting and complaining under his breath. Turns out he is a heavy breather; with a head cold. On my left is a middle-aged woman who is flying for the first time in years. The look on her face tells me that she would rather be going in for major surgery than sitting on the plane. She expresses her nervousness by talking; incessantly. For four hours I experience hell in stereo. There has to be a better way.
These are not guarantees, but here are some tips that my wife and I have used with success in getting an empty seat next to us.
Book near the back of the plane. Usually tickets are first booked at the front and then fill toward the back. We always book near the back, where there is an empty seat next to the seat we want. Some travelers hate the back because it takes more time to get off the plane. For me, an additional 5 minutes deplaning is worth the possibility of an empty seat.
Book an aisle seat. This puts you in prime position to make the shuffle. What is “The Shuffle?” Read on.
The Shuffle. Once you are in your assigned aisle seat, look around for an open seat. As soon as you hear the flight attendants say that the doors have been locked and you sense that there are no more passengers boarding, unbuckle your seat belt and move. Do not wait to ask the flight attendants (they don’t care). Wait too long and someone else will take the empty. Strike as fast as you can.
Book non-reclining seats. Many travelers try to stay away from non-reclining seats. I would rather have an empty seat next to me than 4 inches of reclining seat.
Book an aisle and a window. If you are traveling with another person, book one aisle seat and one window (again, near the back of the plane). Do this only if there is an empty seat in between the seats you book. It is possible that someone will fill that seat, but the chances are slim. Most people who travel solo will look to take any seat except the one between you and your traveling partner. When you check in for your flight, double-check your seating. If your center seat is filled, find another with an empty and change your seat assignments. We have used this with success numerous times.
What have you used to make more room for you on a flight?
About the Author
Scot Longyear and his wife Stephanie author a blog at www.trekeo.com
photo by BooleanSplit.
Aisle seat, central aisle, towards the back. Think about it, the last seat anyone wants is a middle seat in the central aisle at the back of the plane – so by picking the seats next to these, you’re more likely to have two
.-= David Whitley´s last blog ..Manchester to Venice flight sale 2010 | Thomson Farefinder Deals =-.
If you fly on a carrier that doesn’t have assigned seats, try to be the last person to board the plane. That way you can pick out a seat with nobody next to you without having to wait until the entire plane is full and then look around to see if there are open seats.
Good advice, except I often fly across the Atlantic and I swear the planes are always full to the last inch.
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Nice read, definitely love the “shuffle” maneuver. Sometimes I like sitting next to a stranger on a plane if they have interesting travel stories, but only on a short flight.
.-= Peter J´s last blog ..Discovering Local Boston Eats =-.
Wow, I had no idea there was so much strategy involved in picking an airline seat! I love “the shuffle” — I’m gonna have to give it a try soon.
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AAAAAAAAH! Learn how to spell! It’s aisle, not isle.
Love these tips. I always book toward the very back of the plane, partly for those reasons — whenever it’s a non-full flight, the empty seats are almost always at the back. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an extra seat or a whole row to myself! It’s great for early morning flights when you want some room to sleep. It’s also nice being closer to the bathroom (I drink a ton of water!).
Great tips! I have small arms, so aggressive passengers always steal my arm room. I have always been too timid to get up and bolt to an open seat after the doors are locked, but now that I know flight attendants don’t care too much, I won’t be so shy next time. . . especially if the guy next to me has arms the size of my thighs!
I really like your tip about booking and aisle and a window seat. As long as the flight isn’t full, chances are you are not going to have someone book the middle seat. I am going to have to try this next time my wife and I go on a travel adventure.
.-= Jay´s last blog ..An Update on How Things are Going =-.
PlethoraOfPinatas-
Good catch! It’s a walkway not an island!
I agree with you on the “book at the back” tip. As I usually travel alone it is not possible for me to book the aisle seat too (I ALWAYS TAKE THE WINDOW), but I have discovered the way to ensure an empty middle seat is to check the seat allocation online before I check in. Find another seat where someone has taken the aisle, but no window (fortunately there are people who like the aisle seat) and select that one. Sometimes it moves me forward a couple of rows!
Regarding the “shuffle”. FA’s in the US might not care, but they do elsewhere in the world. On an empty flight you’re only supposed to move seats after takeoff has finished so that the weight in the cabin is evenly distributed – no, one person doesn’t make a difference but everyone does. Also – bodies after a crash are sometimes identified by their seat no. You wouldn’t want your parents burying someone who isn’t you!
.-= Kim´s last blog .."Two Times Kim" Strikes Again =-.
Thanks for this! I fly often and will be able to put these tips to good use! Nothing better on a long flight than having an extra seat!
.-= Jennifer Tice´s last blog ..Top 4 Things I Miss About Canada =-.
The only problem with moving is if you are a vegetarian (like me) and you have booked a special meal and somebody else asked if they could switch with you and you can’t really explain to the flight attendant because they speak mostly Chinese… and then you get cold rice and limp steamed vegetables on an 11-hour trans-pacific flight. Oops.
Heheh but on the way back I got the only empty seat on the plane next to me. Whee!
Good tips! I always book my seats online, so I look for a row where either a window or aisle seat is already booked, but not the middle seat, and then I book the empty aisle or window seat in that row, hoping no one will want that middle seat. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
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Great advice! Yes thats true, I’d say on average weekday flights I almost always get an empty seat next to me.
My husband and I have been pretty successful with the last recommendation — booking an aisle and window with empty middle seat. It works almost every time. Though I would add that it has even worked when we were towards the front of the aircraft. Not every airline will allow traveling partners to do that, though.
.-= Sheila Beal´s last blog ..What Was That Zipping Across the Road? =-.
I usually go through some cheap o’ flight finder and rarely even specify which seat I book, I may though start using these sneaky techniques, like the shuffle.
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Are these tips only for the worst-case scenarios you describe? Because in any other situation (and let’s face it, worst-case scenarios are rare) I would rather sit with people, having the possibility to have a chat – rather than sit alone. That’s what travelling is about, isn’t it, the random friends you can enjoy that set amount of time with?
Samuel-
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think the reason for wanting an empty seat is more about comfort than being anti-social. I like to meet new people when I travel, but not if I have to spend a 12 hour flight pressed up against them as they pour over into my seat. Ya know?
Thanks for these simply great travel tips! I’m tall and long-legged so I’m always hoping for an empty seat next to me for comfort sake.
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I suppose another option is to actually be that guy with the head cold and the personal hygiene issues. Is it worth cultivating a rich odour for a couple of days to secure a lone seat? Possibly.
.-= andrew´s last blog ..How the mighty are fallen =-.
These tips are kinda funny but quite true and I think, more or less, it is effective. To make sure that these tips will work, don’t travel during peak season especially summer. Also, reserve your flight schedule at night. Most passengers love to travel at daytime the scenery.
Good to see that demonising overweight people is alive and strong. Believe me, all we fat people live for is to make you thin, beautiful people miserable on aeroplanes. We’re not trying to mind our own business and get from a to b without the least hassle and hateful looks from others at all. You got us bang to rights.
Stella-
Huh?
My husband and I have had the best luck booking an aisle and a window seat, with a middle seat between us. We also always try to ask for the emergency exit row. They seem to book up quickly in the States, but for some reason I have better luck getting them on European flights. I love the extra leg room.
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Booking near the back of the plane and “the shuffle” are indeed two great options when you hope to enjoy from a comfy and resting flight. I’m flying twice a month from Paris to Vienna, and I’m always surprised, when heading to the (almost) empty rear of the plane (the last two or three rows are always empty!), to see that the first half of the plane, the front, is so crowded! I’d rather indeed take 5 more minutes to leave the plane, than spend two hours stuck between weird people…
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Yes, those 5 minutes wont help much, that is why I also always book aisle seats in the back of plane on long flights and most time have empty seat right to me.
.-= Vi´s last blog ..How much cost taxi from Kathmandu airport to city =-.
This is good idea. I always get central seat while flying. It really bored and pain sitting with 4 hours flying. Thanks for the good tips.
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I book a window seat where someone else has already taken the aisle seat and there is no-one in the middle. So far this method has always worked for me. In fact, twice I ended up with an entire row to myself. The second time was short-lived b/c someone else did the “shuffle.”
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re: Stella’s fat complex.
Sorry to sound like I’m adding to your woes. I don’t for one minute want to sound like the school bully – but fat people on board airplane’s is qite a serious problem when flying on smaller planes.
t’s always nice to get an empty seat next to you but ultimately if u want the space, pay for the extra seat.
Nice person or not – if you’re too fat to fit in one seat without steaing your neighbours personal space then u need to pay for two! Simple.