Hot Takes: The window seat on a plane is overrated

There’s a distinct type of traveller we all know. They post a mysterious passport shot to Instagram Stories, dodge the DMs saying “where next?” and upload a window seat shot that gives zero answers. Then, the next day, they’ll like post something revealing their destination, but referring to the country or city in the caption as though its a personal friend.

You know the vibes. “I love you, Malta,” or “Good to see you again, London,” or “Until next time, Bali.” The destination can’t talk back to you, sis. But thanks for finally letting us know where you are!

There’s no doubt in my mind, that this person is a window seat person. When they’re booking that flight, they’re going in, guns blazing for that window seat. They are the main character. They will be resting their head against that window, staring dreamily off into the clouds, angling their phone for the perfect, whimsical picture or video. And, look, I love that for them.

But I’m also here to divulge a harsh truth, one that will leave the window seat lovers undoubtedly rattled.

The window seat is overrated. In fact, I’m not convinced it’s the best seat on the plane. And here’s why.

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I said what I said: The window seat on a plane actually sucks

I know it may sound shocking to hear, but the truth is in life, the world’s population is broken into two: the window seat people and the aisle seat people. If you ever choose the middle seat, then sorry, that’s a straight to jail move.

A lot of us travel to feel freedom. Do you feel freedom in the window seat? I doubt it!

There are way too many awkward moments when sitting in the window seat. Firstly, you’re trapped in the corner, with two other people blocking your path. So basically, you’re asking permission every time you need to go pee, like a school child.

This leads to point number two: you always feel guilty and/or annoying when you have to exit your seat.

Maybe you forgot your AirPods and in they’re in the overhead luggage. Maybe you drank three litres of water before your flight and have to use the bathroom every hour. Or maybe you just want to do some stretches, go for a walk, and circulate those little swollen legs. But every single time, you have to face the exasperated sighs and awkwardness of getting past the other people just to live your life.

Point number three that rambles into point number four: It’s hard to feel like you get any personal space on an airplane at the best of times, but you have even less room to stretch out in the window seat.

Because the middle seat person has the unfortunate issue of being in the middle seat, you can almost guarantee they’ll be using one of your armrests, so rule that one out. And, sure, you can rest your pillow against the window and give yourself the illusion of sleeping better, but if you try to stretch your legs out, you’re going to be approaching the space of that already stressed-out middle passenger.

A lot of people then argue about loving the window seat for the view. Except on long-haul flights, your window is closed most of the times. Make it make sense!

Sure you may get a couple of cool photos after taking off or before landing, but do you know what also has good shots?

Google or any form of social media. Just screenshot something and pretend it’s yours. No one’s going to know or care.

A compelling argument for the aisle seat actually being the best seat

The truth is, the aisle seat is better. It may not seem like it initially but it is.

You have freedom. Freedom to get up and stretch whenever you want, freedom to go raid the back of the plane snacks, freedom to stroll up and down the aisle peering at what everyone’s watching on in-flight entertainment. Sex and the City? Dangerous choice, my friend.

In the aisle seat, you can take a toilet break whenever you want. You can grab something from the overhead compartment whenever you want. Hey, when the plane goes dark and everyone falls asleep, you can stretch your legs out into the actual aisle for a while. Like, obviously don’t be an asshole who trips people over but if you need a light stretch and can’t be bothered to get up, the aisle is right there.

And really, when you think about it, no one is stopping you from getting up and doing lunges down the aisle to activate your glutes. I’m not saying you should do that, but it’s possible.

Yeah, sure, maybe it’s annoying when people get up and need to go to the bathroom and you’re finally drifting off. But chances are, if you’re an aisle seat patron, you’re probably the one who wanders to the bathroom the most, or perhaps you simply don’t sleep on flights at all. Fighting the risk of DVT is your passion.

And, as an added bonus, when you’re bored of in-flight entertainment, your books, your podcasts, etc. the aisle seat gives you better people watching capacity. I know, we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel now, but it’s still a valid point. How else would you hypothesise if two flight attendants secretly hated each other, or play a fun little game with a cheeky and very awake toddler a few rows in front of you?

At the end of the day, there’s no judgement here. If you want to squish yourself in the corner, that’s absolutely your prerogative. But if you’re looking for me (maybe you want to just vehemently disagree) I’ll be in the aisle getting my steps up.

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