In life, there are many things to learn and we do so from early on. As soon as we are born, when we are barely a few days old, our parents start teaching us basic things. The older we get, the more we get taught and the more complex things get. From eating to communicating to ice skating: when you think of it, the amount of skills we learn and the info we digest on a daily basis is enormous. Nonetheless, some things in life remain unclear. Sometimes forever, sometimes for a very long time.
Today, we are talking about a piece of information which is indeed very specific but about which many of us wonder at least a couple of times in our lives. Maybe our grandparents or parents didn’t have to, but with air travel having become so normal (even though sustainability issues might change that in the long run), most of us have travelled by plane at least once and have thus been confronted with the armrest issue. What issue, you ask? Well, the one concerning the middle seat armrests.
Maybe, once, there used to be double armrests in the middle of those rows, meaning things would have been pretty clear. Maybe, if you’re used to travelling business class, there still are. But as companies such as EasyJet or Ryanair are doing everything they can to maximize space in their planes, more often than not, you’ll have to decide who gets which armrest. Meaning things would certainly be clearer if there was some kind of etiquette concerning this issue…
The middle seat armrests belong to no one. It’s common space and you better treat it that way.
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, airline analyst, told USA Today
Because no, sadly, there’s no explicit etiquette when it comes to those armrests in the middle. When you’re just two, you’ll have to figure out together which one of you gets it. And when you’re three, it’s even more complicated because the person sitting in the middle – totally blocked in – could end up without any armrest at all. To resolve the issue, your only option really is communication. Maybe you decide that you switch every now and then, maybe you offer the armrest to the biggest or oldest person, maybe you just don’t care and let the other one decide. Whatever you do, arguing is never the answer and it’s always a good idea to be polite – first come, first served isn’t exactly very fair in this case.
