There’s a lot of hype regarding the window seat on a plane, but on long overseas flights, I really prefer to choose the aisle seat. It provides hours of benefits whereas the window seat provides only a few minutes of view at take off and landing.
Access
Have you ever been on a 12 hour flight in seat A and had to use the bathroom with two sleeping people in seats B and C between you and the aisle? I have. It’s horrible. Thankfully in that case my husband was in seat B, so I only had to crawl over one stranger, but it’s still pretty undignified, especially in cheap coach seats.
In the aisle seat, you have just step out and go. You have easy access to the restroom, the galley or the aisle for a stroll to stretch your legs, a necessity on such long flights. I’d rather be woken up or climbed over than do the climbing, hands down.
Sleep
It’s true, the window seat does have a built-in additional “pillow” that the aisle and middle seats don’t have. But really, it’s not that comfortable, and it’s probably pretty dirty. Sleeping on an airplane in coach is pretty uncomfortable no matter where you sit; I’d still rather have the aisle seat.
I’ve not used this travel pillow yet, but it’s a must-try for my next trip! I’m usually not a fan of blow up pillows, but they do save a lot of space in your carry on when you deflate them. This one also looks much more comfortable than the traditional U-shaped inflatable pillow. With a pillow like this, the head rest benefit of the window seat is negated, and once again, the aisle seat takes the edge.
Downsides?
Sure, of course there are. Occasionally you get bumped by a person walking the narrow aisle, or even that goofy metal cart the attendants use. You’ll inevitably have to get up to allow the unfortunately seated inside folks. And any well-traveled individual has had a bag or two fall on their head from an overhead bin. But no matter if one or all of these happen to you, it is still better to have an aisle seat, anytime.
Extras
Can’t get the aisle seat or still not a fan? Spring for economy plus if you can. The extra leg room is fantastic, although it’s oddly unsettling (at least at first) to be so far away from the tiny screen on the seat in front of you! But you’ll quickly get over that I’m sure.
Looking for a splurge? Nothing beats business or first class on transcontinental flights. We had the distinct pleasure to fly business class from Beijing to DC (thanks to our friends!!). Let me tell you, window or aisle, it does’t matter haha. It’s all good up there in front of the curtain.
