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Passenger trapped by couple's travel hack raises concerns about airplane etiquette

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Passenger trapped by couple's travel hack raises concerns about airplane etiquette
Research
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

A woman recently found herself in an uncomfortable situation during a flight when she was assigned a middle seat between a couple who had booked the aisle and window seats in the same row. This common travel strategy aims to leave the middle seat vacant for extra space. If someone does occupy it, couples usually offer to trade seats so they can still sit together.

However, this particular couple did not offer to switch seats. Instead, they continued their conversation over the woman seated between them and passed food and drinks across her space, even using her laptop as a makeshift table.

The passenger described her experience on social media: "I’m on a flight sitting in an economy plus middle seat in between husband and wife who purchased the aisle and window seat." She further detailed, "They’re just passing chips and drinks over me having a full conversation, meanwhile the guy in front of me pushed his seat so far back I can’t open my laptop and the WiFi doesn’t work."

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User @maliamakaila shared her frustration online with humor: "I just googled ‘how to get my own private jet by 2025’," adding hashtags like #fyp#travel.

While it is within passengers' rights to use their assigned seats, many consider it inconsiderate to talk across another passenger or pass items back and forth without offering a trade.

Travel experts suggest that if couples wish to use this seating trick, they should follow through by trading one of their seats with the person in the middle. An alternative is booking two aisle seats across from each other for guaranteed extra space without inconveniencing others.

This incident highlights ongoing debates about etiquette and personal space on flights.

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