“I was in a middle seat in C+, ATL-LGA. Husband and wife arrive and take the aisle and window seats. I offer to switch with either of them so they can sit together. The response is no thanks, she likes the window and he likes the aisle.” FlyerTalk member zoo260 then continued: “They start talking to each other and passing things back and forth as if I am not there. The husband catches on and tells his wife to stop passing things to him. She does not stop at first but eventually does. Crisis averted!”
Sometimes the middle seat can be a preferred seat — but certainly not a middle seat between a chatty couple, in my opinion.
Possible Resolutions to Rudeness
I must say that I do not recall ever finding myself in a situation such as that one, as I am rarely seated in a middle seat in the first place; but I cannot imagine that a couple would refuse to sit next to each other aboard an airplane solely to avoid sitting in a middle seat — and yet talk to each other and rudely pass things back and forth to each other in front of me.
If I were seated in a middle seat between an inconsiderate couple who wanted to constantly interact with each other, I might give a silent “evil eye” glare at first; and if their rudeness continued, I would probably asserting that one of them could either swap seats with me so that they may sit next to each other and interact all they like — or they could stay where they were seated and cease with the constant interaction altogether.
While the two people who consist of a couple have a right to sit wherever they choose, I certainly would not tolerate having my seat space constantly breached and my quiet enjoyment of the flight experience consistently and needlessly interrupted. If necessary, I might involve a member of the flight crew to either sort it out; or — assuming the aircraft was not completely full — have me moved to a different seat aboard the airplane.
What would you do if you found yourself in that situation?
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
