I almost always grab the window seat. Despite the horrors of modern air travel I am
still a romantic at heart and still get a kick out of the sights visible-clouds, sun (stars),
terrain. But I’d imagine other people might prefer the aisle seat, or even the middle?
Window seat, no contest. I love watching the scenery way down there.
Emergency row. I have short legs, but still too many planes have the seats way too close.
Window better than alley, thanks. Apparently this is the least-common preference, at least for Spain. A friend who owns a travel agency remarked that frequent travellers usually prefer window (unless they hate to travel but have to) and people who ask for “Italy in 3 days” prefer alley.
Emergency row also. I hate flying. Perhaps this hearkens back to my Daddy explaining why jet planes fly. “Well, honey, even if you throw a ROCK hard enough, it’ll fly too”.
I travel pretty frequently, and the flights in Australia can be lengthy. Especially after a few beers in the QANTAS Club. It has to be the aisle seat.
aisle seat. I like to drink beer, and I usually have a lot of stuff to get out of my bag in the overhead as I often work on the flights.
Aisle. I’m slightly claustrophobic, and don’t feel as closed in there.
Window! I’m not a big fan of flying, but man, nothing’s better than a cloudless day and a window seat. My most favorite thing I’ve ever flown over (and I didn’t have a window seat, dammit!) was the Grand Canyon. Awesome!
I hate flying, but if I have to I try for an aisle seat because I might need to get up quickly to barf. So far, I have always managed to make it to the restroom. The best is when I have gotten lucky and had the row to myself, and was able to look out the window for most of the trip while still having immediate aisle access. As much as looking out the window is nice, the social anxiety of possibly yurking up on another person while trying to get out of the window seat puts me over the edge. I also like to sit toward the back of a plane because statistically more plane crash survivors sat closer to the back.
First class cabin, window, when I manage to score an upgrade 
.
Otherwise, it depends on the aircraft, time of day, flight length, and what the seat map looks like when I select the seat.
On a typical two-to-three-hour flight between Atlanta and most other places east of the Mississippi, for an early morning or late evening my first choice will generally be a window seat in the third row of coach – slightly prefer to be on the C-D-E (right, facing the front) side of the aircraft. On a Delta 737-800, seat 12F, assuming that 12E (the middle seat) is open when I book, so that I can put my head against the side of the plane and go to sleep. On an MD-88, I’ll go for the opposite side of the aisle, seat 12A (there’s only two seats on the right side of the MD-88). If the middle is occupied already, I’ll take the first available window with an open middle next to it working toward the back, unless it’s one of the rows where the seats are slightly smaller (typically bulkhead rows, where the tray tables are in the armrest instead of the seatback ahead of you) – I’ll try to skip those. In a domestic 757, 21F or 21A.
I also do like looking out the window if the weather’s clear and I’m awake.
If I’m expecting to need to catch a connecting flight at my destination (rare) or I’m due someplace very shortly after arriving, I’ll go for one of the aisle seats in a similar location – 12C or 12D in a 737, 12C in an MD-88, or 21C or 21D in a 757 – to gain a little advantage in getting off the plane.
On any flight longer than three hours, I’ll tend to prefer the aisle – I’m going to need to get up and move at some point even if I don’t have to use the lavatory, and I’d rather not have to climb over others or make them move for me.
I try to avoid the bulkhead row because part of the overhead storage is typically taken up by emergency equipment and there’s no seat in front of you under which you can shove things, which means that the second row also tends to have the overhead storage taken up by stuff from the bulkhead row passengers, hence my preference for the third row. Also, the bulkhead seats tend to be slightly narrower because of the tray tables in the armrest.
Sometimes, there are no aisles or windows in the front part of the plane with open middles next to them when I select, so I’ll look for a sparsely populated area farther back to improve the odds that the middle will stay open.
I avoid regional jets if at all possible – there’s no such thing as good place to sit on any of them, with the exception of the new ERJ-170/190s, which often have a first class cabin and have more comfortable coach seating than many mainline planes.
My legs aren’t long enough that the extra space afforded by the exit rows makes much difference, and there’s usually enough long-legged folks clamoring for them that they fill up, meaning little chance that the middle will stay open. I’m wider than I am tall (or nearly so 
), and I prefer more personal space than that.
Yeah, I definitely fly too much.
Window but not for the scenery but so I can sleep. I need something to lean my head against while sleeping sitting upright and the other passengers tend to frown on me using their shoulders as pillows.
The cockpit.
Unfortunately, they never let me sit there.
I’m with twickster (big surprise!). Gots to have the aisle seat, preferably the Emergency Exit row. If I have to take a window seat, it better be the one behind the exit. If I can’t get those choices, I don’t fly.
On the inside. Other than that, I’m not fussed.
Left-side (when facing the cockpit) window seat about 2 rows in front of the wing.
Window, for the same reason. I feel closed in by people on the aisle. In a window seat you at least get some empty real estate on one side.
Aisle. I drink lots of water, and I drink more of it when I fly to keep hydrated. Well, I used to, until they stopped letting you bring water bottles on the plane. Anyway, I like to be able to get up and move around (IOW “go to the bathroom”) without crawling over people.
As far away from small children as possible.
StG
Window seat near the front. I usually only carryon one thing that I put under the seat in front of me. (I don’t think I’ve ever used an overhead) I’m ready to go as soon as they open the cabin doors and HATE waiting for 20+ rows of people to sort themselves out and get a move on.
Exit row window. I’m both broad-shouldered and long-legged.
In the aisle, I always get slammed into by bev carts and people groping their way to the lav.
The flyer’s friend: http://www.seatguru.com/