The Unwritten Rules About That Empty Middle Seat Next to You on an Airplane

You have boarded your flight and made it to your seat. Yay! You are one step closer to starting your vacation!

Time to fly!

What is even more exciting is that the flight attendant just closed the plane door, and as it turns out, there is no one in the middle seat next to you! Score! That means you can enjoy your travel day without the awkwardness of having a stranger in your space for the duration of your flight, but believe it or not, there are some unwritten rules about that empty middle seat next to you.

We know it sounds kind of silly, considering that it is not your seat, nor is it the seat of the other person in your row, but still, it is a moral thing that people do think about. So what is really fair? Obviously, if you have the entire row to yourself, it is free real estate, so do what you want. Who cares? Put your personal item under any seat you wish to, but when you have someone else in the row with you and the middle seat is open, there are unwritten rules about what is “allowed.”

Southwest Cabin

Don’t Put Your Personal Item Under the Middle Seat

Although it would be nice to get the extra legroom, it would not be fair for your personal item to go under the middle seat. This rule could be nulled if the other person in your row does not have an item under their seat or vice versa, but it is best to be fair and keep your stuff under your seat.

Airplane

Feel Free to Place Small Items on the Middle Seat

The middle seat is open, so you might as well use it! It can be nice to place your headphones, glasses, book, iPad, or other small items on, especially as you get situated. As long as you leave space for the other person, it should be fine.

American Airlines Plane

Communicate

It never hurts to communicate with your seatmate! Let’s say you want to get some work done, and you want to use the middle seat tray table and your tray table. It may not seem like a big deal to just go for it, but asking your seatmate can go a long way in helping ease any tension. We know it sounds silly, but hey, you have to be next to this person for however long your flight is, so you might as well give the common courtesy and ask.

Southwest Airlines

Spread Out and Relax

One of the best parts about the middle seat being open is that you get to use two armrests! Generally, the person in the middle seat gets two armrests since they are stuck in the middle, but since there is no one in the middle, both the person sitting in the aisle seat and the window seat can take advantage and use two armrests.

Southwest Plane Cabin

As we said, there is no handbook for empty middle seat etiquette, but the next time you have an open middle seat on a flight, remember these unwritten rules! For more travel tips and all the latest Disney news, continue to follow along with DisneyFoodBlog!