Not All About The View: Three Advantages Of Aisle Seats

Are you team window or team aisle?


Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

When flying from place to place, there are few nicer feelings than the serenity of watching the world go by from your window seat. However, while these spots are prized by many of today's airline passengers, others might prefer to take the aisle seat. There are several reasons for this, which we will examine in greater detail.

1 More space

In a cost-driven industry where carriers are cramming more seats onto their planes to increase their passenger revenues, space is at a premium on today's airliners. Indeed, over the years, the average seat pitch in inches has dropped from the mid-30s to the low-30s, with some low-cost carriers even going below 30.

With this in mind, any way to get a bit of extra space is much appreciated for taller passengers such as myself. Of course, an obvious option is to splash out on an exit row seat, but for passengers looking to keep their budget in check, aisle seats are helpful. While they don't offer any more legroom in terms of the location of the seat in front of you, the presence of the aisle allows more space to the side.

Passengers should be mindful not to block the aisle when people move up and down the aircraft. However, when the cabin is on the quieter side, the ability to briefly stretch an arm and a leg can make a world of difference on long flights, especially when combined with the feeling of only having a seatmate on one side.

2 Get up and go

Staying on the subject of longer flights, it is essential that passengers have the chance to move around every so often in order to aid circulation. As Simple Flying explored earlier this year, such movement decreases the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) thanks to the increased blood flow to the legs.

For passengers in window or middle seats, getting up for a walk around is equally important but requires the person sitting in the aisle seat to get up and make way. While the aisle seat occupant will likely be most obliging, passengers in middle and window seats might feel conscious of not getting up too often to avoid disturbing the aisle passenger, ultimately reducing their movement.

Meanwhile, passengers sitting in aisle seats have the freedom to come and go as they please without having to worry about potentially disturbing any other passengers to allow them to get up. As well as to keep yourself moving, this also has its benefits when it comes to accessing the bathrooms.

3 Last on, first off

If you don't need to get on early to secure space for your luggage in the overhead bins, the aisle seat is a good option for reducing the time spent sitting down on the aircraft. After all, rather than getting on first and twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the plane to fill up, aisle-seat passengers with just a personal item can avoid the rush and board right at the end.

Similarly, upon arriving at their destination, such guests can be among the first people off the plane when sitting near the front. After all, they neither have to get anything from the overhead lockers above them nor wait for others to move. This, combined with the later boarding, ensures a quick turnaround for aisle-seat passengers.