Sorry.

Nobody wants the middle of course. The middle means you have none of the benefits of the window or the aisle and you also have less freedom of movement because you constantly have to prevent yourself touching people to either side of you.

In my opinion the window vs aisle debate depends on the flight. If the flight is travelling overnight then it’s a toughy. The window allows the best comfort for sleeping (as you have a place to lean) but also you have to do the highly uncomfortable act of waking people up when you need the toilet. The aisle at night means you don’t have to wake anybody up, but also means you’ll possibly be woken up yourself. Possibly I’m too British because I always feel I’d rather be woken up than have to go through waking a stranger up. Thus on night flights the aisle has me in its grasp.

On a day flight though. That’s a whole different ball game. Chances are your fellow passengers will be awake so it doesn’t matter so much about pushing by to go to the loo. This allows you to use the window to its full advantage. You can have naps a plenty and have extra comfort room for your body to slump into.

The aisle seat is a burden in disguise. It gives the illusion of extra leg and body room, but really you’re constantly forced to push your body back in for the bloody trollies. You also have to constantly be aware of your surroundings (meaning no naps) or a stewardess will “accidentally” ram you in the leg.

In this case, though, it actually happened at the online check in. If I’d confirmed at an earlier stage, and printed my boarding pass, I wouldn’t have even known there were Club World seats available. If no-one had booked them I might still have been upgraded randomly, but that’s not likely.

Drug Crazed & Verendus: the short version is, aisle seats on the side blocks are best (less likely to be next to a group of talkers, and on most flights fewer people who need to squeeze past you to get out), and front row is worth the risk of babies (because you’re gonna hear the baby wherever you sit).

I was lucky enough in one of my frequent journeys to the states to get promoted and it was fucking bliss; free champagne and three course meals, seats that could go horizontal and a screen to personally choose movies or radio at a whim.

Another lovely time was when the plane was massively under-populated so at the back of the plane there were 8 empty rows, giving me 4 seats to lay across and sleep with all the extra pillows.

Normally though if I can I’ll try and go for front row or an escape exit place.

Anyway, I digress, as DCD said; I do hope you continue these mini-lectures.