Booking a holiday someplace warm is the perfect way to stave off those January blues. If you and your partner or friend fancy jetting off to get some sun in the coming weeks, the first port of call is booking your flight.
Frequent flyers will know that you often have to pay to reserve seats nowadays, and while some airlines try and seat you together when you check in, this isn’t always the case. If you’re lucky enough to be sat beside one another, there’s often a third person in the other seat. So, if you want an empty seat in your row and a lot more space, one travel expert has shared her top piece of advice.
Stacey Hamilton, a travel expert at Private Tours England, says securing a neighbouring empty seat is more achievable than most people think.
She says that airlines haven’t made the experience any easier, as today’s seats are narrower than they were thirty years ago, leaving passengers packed together more tightly than ever.
But through years of flying weekly for both work and leisure, Stacey has developed her own tried-and-tested strategies that she now swears by — one of which is especially beneficial for longer flights, when you just want a bit of extra space to stretch your legs or organise your belongings.
If you’re travelling with someone else and don’t mind paying a bit extra to book seats, secure the window and aisle ones to deter others from taking the middle seat.
“When you’re booking, look for a row of three seats and take the window and the aisle,” she explained.
“People avoid the middle at all costs, so it’s usually the last seat to be filled. If you pick a row a little further back, the likelihood of someone choosing that middle seat drops even more.”
She says this tactic works particularly well on flights where passengers pre-select seats, as many travellers will reshuffle their choice right up until departure.
Stacey continued: “People assume everything is random, but passengers change their seats constantly. If someone sees only the middle seat left in a row, they’re much more inclined to choose another row altogether.”
However, if you do sit down and find someone else has booked the middle seat, Stacey says this scenario is still salvageable.
She explained: “It’s perfectly fine to offer them the aisle or window so you aren’t shoulder-to-shoulder. Most people are more than happy to switch because it benefits both of you. I’ve done this many times and it always works out.”
Even if the plane is busy, this strategy often results in a more comfortable arrangement, adding: “It’s about improving the odds and giving yourself a chance. And honestly, more often than not, that middle seat stays empty.”
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