I travel quite a bit and often get bumped up to First Class. Barring that, the front seats are Economy Plus so I have to vote “front” in order to get the extra legroom. If it weren’t for that, I’d actually prefer the back.
For most flights window is preferred. Good for leaning/sleeping. Like some others I also check the time and direction to avoid the sun side. However, I do choose aisle if I know I’m going to knock back 4-6 drinks on a cross-country flight. That’s at least 2 trips to the bathroom and for that aisle is better.
Most of my flights are short Southwest airline flights from Phoenix to another Western city. I’ll always try to get a window since there is usually some interesting scenery to be seen. If it is a longer flight, I’ll probably opt for the aisle since I’ll likely have to us the restroom and don’t want to climb over people. I’ll usually pick the back since baggage claim takes forever, especially in Las Vegas which is my usual destination.
Aisle. I have some social anxiety and don’t like being in close proximity to people for prolonged periods, so having someone on only one side helps. I also hate having to ask people to move if I need to use the restroom, which usually will happen during the flight. Not consuming as much liquids when I travel doesn’t help because then I get dehydration headaches quickly and then feel like crap.
I have no problem at all with someone reading - you have every right to do so. I always (on really long flights) take an eyemask for that reason. Also, most longhaul flights provide them, but I take cotton First Class ones rather than use the sweaty polyester Economy ones.
If you can’t sleep on a flight, try flying from Sydney to London. Eventually during the 24 hours you will fall asleep.
Having said that, I’ve known people who have done that trip and managed maybe two hours in total. It must be an absolute nightmare (no pun intended). When I was much younger I had some horror long-haul flights, but I have actually become better at sleeping on flights over the years.
Window. I like to test my geographical knowledge as I fly and try to pick out major landmarks. As far as port/starboard goes, whatever side promises to have the more interesting view, if I anticipate no appreciable difference then I go for the side that will not have the sun in my eyes.
Given that I’m a pilot, that’s probably a good thing.
While my favorite seat is the left side of the cockpit, on a commercial flight that’s not going to happen. So, absent that, any window seat will do. I don’t have much preference for front or back or middle, with the caveat that I don’t want to sit next to a roaring engine if it can be avoided (I recall one Florida-Chicago flight I really wished I had had earplugs) or a stinky toilet.
For me window seat is all about not having to move for people to climb in and out. About 50% of the time I travel it’s alone and since I can’t sleep on a plane I just want to get set up against the window with something to read, something to snack on and not move until it’s time to get off.
When I’m flying alone, I always go for the aisle. I’m a fairly tall guy, and not skinny either, so the aisle seat lets me spill one of arms over the armrest and point my feet to one side without invading anybody else’s personal space. Otherwise I have to sit there with my elbows drawn in and feel self-conscious about bothering my neighbor.
When I’m with my wife, though, the armrest between us goes up and we have no worries about sharing the space (we like each other). If we have a plane with 2 seats on one side, I get the window because I like to look out, and she gets the aise because she prefers it. If there are 3 seats, we take middle and aisle, and alternate who gets the middle.
No preference front or back, unless I can get a bulkhead (by myself, because the armrests don’t go up) or exit row.
Window, because I’m a 22-year-old male and I have way, way, way more bladder capacity than the people sitting next to me. I rarely have to go to the bathroom on even the longest flights; even on 10 and 12 hour flights I often don’t go at all. This way, I don’t have people climbing over me, and I can sleep against the window.
I don’t care where I’m sitting front-to-back unless I have a very tight connection to make or it’s my final destination. Then I want to sit near the front so I can get off, but otherwise I don’t care if I spend the next ten minutes in my seat or waiting in the airport.
Depends on the flight and the type of plane. If I’m taking an overnight flight, I like the window because I can use it to lean against. I know I will sleep most of the way and likely will not need to use the bathroom. Daytime flights, I’d prefer the aisle.
It depends on the weather. If it’s cloudy the seat doesn’t matter, in clear weather a window seat is a must. I remember flying from Lisbon to Stockholm once on a very clear day and I could see Europe slowly move along under me.
I have a question about something several people have mentioned: Does anybody actually “climb over” people to get to the bathroom? This seems nearly impossible given space constraints (unless everybody involved is extremely petite, I guess).
Anyway, when I’m on the aisle I have no problem at all with being asked to get up to allow somebody to get out. I don’t sleep on planes so you’re not waking me up, and it makes me stand up and stretch my legs for a few minutes, which isn’t a bad thing.
I have successfully negotiated around children or smaller people if it looks like there’s enough room and I don’t want to make them go through the effort of unbuckling and all that.
