Maybe you wanted to save money on your flight by not paying for seat selection.
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Perhaps karma stepped in and prevented you from escaping the middle seat.
It’s possible you took the hit for a loved one, giving them the aisle or window seat.
Regardless of how you ended up with a middle seat on a long flight, there’s one surety at play: it’s going to suck. Even the most patient and lax passengers are likely to feel a twinge of discomfort on a long flight when they’re crammed between other travelers.
With shrinking seat width and an ever-shortening distance from the next row, the average middle seat is less manageable than ever before.
And that’s not likely to change, unfortunately. If you’re stuck with the middle seat, this is what you need to know about making it through a long flight without weeping tears of sorrow.
5 tips to survive the middle seat on a long flight
Tip #1: It might not be too late to get a window or aisle seat
If you realize you’ve been assigned a middle seat, the best way to get to an aisle or window seat is to wait until the 24-hour mark before your flight. That’s when airlines send check-in links to your email or via text.
Usually, that’s the cheapest and most surefire way to get a free seat change or pay for a modest upgrade.
When you click on the link, you’ll fill in your personal information (or confirm it), then be shown seat arrangements. You can easily see which spots are still open. That being said, you need to watch out for that check-in link like a hawk—most long-haul flights are fully booked or almost fully booked, meaning you won’t have many options.
Tip #2: Get rid of your bags
The last thing you need in the middle seat is an overstuffed backpack jammed under the seatback in front of you. If you’re in a middle seat and you are planning to bring a carry-on onto the plane, take the necessary steps to minimize the luggage you need to bring with you.
For example, if you have a carry-on suitcase and a shoulder bag/backpack with you, ask the airline to check your carry-on suitcase through to your destination. Most airlines are happy to do so for longer flights; they might actually request passengers to do this before boarding.
You should be at the front of the line. After that, it’s up to you to find a spot in the overhead bin to store your remaining hand luggage. In my experience, there’s always a little space left for you to cram a purse or backpack in at the last minute.
Tip #3: Claim the armrests
It’s my personal opinion on plane etiquette that the person in the middle seat gets dibs on the armrests. If you’re in the middle seat, I recommend claiming those armrests sooner rather than later, just in case other passengers aren’t the most concerned with etiquette.
If there’s any fuss over who gets the armrests, politely point out that you’re fighting for your life in the middle seat. You can, of course, opt for a less dramatic appeal.
Tip #4: Bring your best investments
You’re going to need a solid neck pillow, reliable noise-cancelling headphones, and possibly an eye mask on long flights. These travel products are optional, but I recommend splurging if you’re someone who doesn’t like to pay for seat placements.
Those who don’t select their seats when buying tickets often end up in the middle seat, so if that’s a familiar scenario for you, go all-in on those three comfort-related products.
Tip #5: Know how you’ll pass the time
Unless you plan on rawdogging the flight, you might want a little game plan on how to pass the time.
For example, I had a soul-sucking 12-hour flight from Barcelona to San Francisco recently. Even though I had the comfort of an aisle seat, I still boarded with a game plan—and I suggest you do the same.
Here’s my long-flight game plan. First, I stretch out as much as possible beforehand—just a little toe-touching and arm swinging to get my body ready for a long-haul sitting session.
Once I’m seated, I look through the entertainment options; if sleep is my goal, I find the most boring documentary. If not, I catch up on all those blockbusters I don’t see at the movie theaters. (It’s also prime time to catch up on celebrity gossip, if you don’t mind spending on pricey magazines before take-off.)
I also schedule some administrative work. Now that most long-haul flights offer reliable Wi-Fi at a reasonable price, I might take a few hours to send emails, organize my taxes (I’m a freelancer, it’s a pain), and do other similar work-related tasks.
If you have a long list of small things to catch up on (and what adult doesn’t?), a middle seat sesh can be productive—and by productive, I mean you’ll be distracted for a while.
