It’s always nice to have an open middle seat on an airplane, but that does not mean you can claim it for yourself when you have a seatmate two seats away.
Airplane Etiquette: Open Middle Seat Is Shared Space Best Left Empty
A story on reddit prompts our consideration of this issue today. A passenger, let’s call her Karen, took advantage of an open middle seat by plopping all her personal items on the floor between seats then stretching out over both her window seat and the middle seat, even touching the armrest of her seatmate in the aisle seat:
Yesterday I was on a flight in the aisle seat. There was a lady in the window seat and the middle seat was empty. Perfect, right? You would think… until she threw her bags on the floor space of the middle seat, took off her shoes, leaned against the window, stretched out across the two seats and put her feet up on my armrest.
The flight attendants didn’t do anything about it but to be totally fair, I also didn’t complain because I don’t have it in me. I was just kind of hoping they would say something when they walked by, especially since the seatbelt sign was on most of the flight and she obviously wasn’t wearing hers. I got woken up a couple times on the flight because her feet bumped up against my leg.
I did address this type of issue in 2018 in a general context:
Another thing I hate is when you’re sitting in a section of three, the middle seat is open, but one of the passengers claims the middle seat (the seat itself and/or underseat) for himself. The underseat storage should be split and it is rude to drop your coat and electronic devices on the middle seat to the detriment of your seatmate. It is even ruder to sit [cross-legged] and put your feet on the middle seat or lean over and rest your head on the middle seat if you have a seatmate on the other side.
> Read More: Is it Acceptable to Spread Out When There are Open Seats?
I stand by that assessment, though here it went far further. Occupying the extra seat while discomforting your seatmate is uncouth behavior. However, uncouth people are all around us and so you and I must be wiling to speak up when it happens.
The flight attendants may have thought the pair were traveling together, so I am not surprised there was no intervention. In fact, just about anyone would assume that the two were traveling together because who else would put up with such tacky behavior?
As uncomfortable as it may be sometimes, you need to assert your rights if your personal space is being violated.
I do think it’s reasonable to utilize the shared floor space by moving your bags to the center, freeing up room for your feet. You can also use the middle tray table to place drinks on, which provides additional room when waiting or drinking. But the middle seat surface should not be a storage area and certainly should not be a place you claim for your legs and feet.
Shame on this window seat passenger.
image: reddit
I do not completely agree: a couple of times I just bought two seats because I wanted the extra space (and it also meant twice the status miles). So yes, it is my seat. Still, I wouldn’t put my naked feet on there.
Also, thanks to my frequent flyer status, Lufthansa blocks the seat next to me. So it’s kinda like my seat but also it’s not.
Anyway: maybe I am strange but I would talk to fellow passengers and would ask them (diplomatically) if they purchased the empty middle seat or if we can share it.
You bring up a good point – if you purchased the second seat, it is yours. If Lufthansa blocked it for you, I would still come to the same conclusion I do above.
I flew multiple flights this week where the blocked middle seat next to me due to my status was one of the only empty seats on the flight. I’m happy to share the space with my co-passenger in the 3-section, but no way in hell am I not staking my claim to at least half of it.
You didn’t complain because she was attractive. Which is why she did it and why she gets away with whatever she wants every day.
If it was a guy, or an unattractive “Karen” you absolutely would have complained.
I mean, attractive women get a lot of leeway, but I don’t care if it’s Scarlett Johannsen in this case. If your bare feet are on my armrest, I won’t even need to the flight attendant, you’ll hear it from me directly.
I do not see where the person on Reddit was identified as male or female so not sure attractiveness is at play here.
Problem is these days if u r a woman and complain u get called a Karen. This causes some women to hold back on reporting which I think is a shame.
I would have gotten up and gone back to the galley and asked the FA to speak with her no matter what her physical appearance was.
I once was on a Qatar flight with some teenager on the aisle, myself at the window, and an empty middle. The kid somehow managed to lie down crammed across the aisle and middle with his head almost in my lap and fall asleep.
So, I cranked my phone to full volume, put the speaker right by his ear and let rip “I feel good” by James Brown. He jerked up and complained I almost gave him a heart attack. I got up and snagged an empty row nearby. When I told him I was moving, he actually looked sad and with sincerity asked “Are you sure?”
Those are some heavy legs. Supporting a lot of beef.
Another reason to fly first/biz. There are no exceptions to this rule.
If neither of you booked the middle seat, I think the fair rule is half and half. If you want to put something on or under it that takes up more than half the space, you politely ask permission. That’s been my experience and never had a problem.
Feet on your armrest, though, is unacceptable. I’d politely ask the person to remove them. If they refuse, ask a flight attendant to intervene. And if the flight attendant doesn’t, complain to the airline. (Although I’m not sure how far that will get you.)
Matthew, as a non-US person, I’m curious to see how often you use the expression Karen as derogatory for white women (who may deserve it), but I’ve seen tens of posts from unruly black passengers on this site and never seen you call the “Jamals or Taquishas”. As an outsider perspective, this seems to create even more racism and doesn’t help at all.
“Karen” is a non-racial descriptor of any woman behaving in an obnoxious, self-serving manner. Good God. man.
Care to show me a video or post of an American-American woman which says Karen?
As a black American, I also don’t love the use of the word Karen, but it is different from what you’re referencing here. I think using the word Karen is harmful, but it doesn’t have the history of systematic oppression and violence as the use of the word “Jamal” would.
I agree and was not trying to compare. But I believe non should be use (or wetbacks, beaners, etc.). To think that one is ok and other expressions are not (as seem to be the case with Matthew) is, at least to me, wrong.
There is no “history of systemic oppression and violence”.
It’s not always so clear cut. Theoretical seating means that whenever I am travelling solo in LH Group Y within Europe, my *G status gives me hugely increased chances of an empty seat next to me- in fact, last night on LX I was sat next to one of just 3 empty seats in the cabin . I have no hesitation in using the middle seat as storage space, and seatmates don’t seem to mind either.
I have a tangentially related question. On US Domestic First products, or 2-2 premium cabins, how do you allocate the middle below seat storage? I regularly board to see the pax next to me has already placed his bag there. I think that’s rude.
I have no sympathy with anybody who is too gutless to complain and instead just whinges online after the event. A request to move the belongings, followed by a warning to remove them myself, is all that is necessary. It’s people like this poster who allow the ‘Karen’ to get away with such behaviour in the first place!
Didn’t you say a few years ago that you’ll stop using the derogatory name “Karen” because it’s not fair towards all the women named Karen who are nice and sweet?
While my comment isn’t directly related to this situation, the photo has prompted me to respond anyway. Last week while traveling on American in First Class from DFW to SMF a man seated in the row in front of me in an aisle seat marched on board as one of the last to board. He tossed his bag in the overhead bin, plopped himself down then proceeded to remove his shoes and socks to expose his disgusting bare feet! Hanging them by his toes on the seat-back in front of him! Wearing shorts and sporting a man-bun! Nice.
The lady in the window seat next to him was traveling with a lady sitting next to me in the aisle seat. We briefly spoke and she mentioned the incident and said she and her companion were texting each other regarding his ghetto act.
While his seat mate kept her mouth shut, I can assure you that I would have not! Not only is this unacceptable it can be unwise for safety reasons.
I believe this practice should be called out by the flight crew for its shear disrespectful act. How and when this became a thing I’m not sure, but it only plays into what I feel is the downward spiral of our culture and a level of low-life culture only found in this country.
Basically comes down to how to deal with human behaviour; a new course for flight attendants and people alike. (Instead of the safety raft life jackets training).
Remember it was Tom, Dick or Harry, or John all used as derogatory MALE names…