Plane seat that won’t get you a free upgrade

It’s one of those things that people often do in the hopes it will get them a free upgrade — but an Aussie travel expert has shut it down.

An Australian travel expert has shut down the age-old myth surrounding the middle seat on a plane.

For as long as one can remember, there’s been talk if you book the middle seat on a plane, you’ll be the first picked for an upgrade.

However, Angus Kidman, travel expert at comparison site Finder, said it is “absolutely not true” — well, not for Aussie airlines anyway.

“Upgrades go to the highest-tier frequent flyer members — and there’s often a queue of them who have applied prior to the flight,” Mr Kidman told news.com.au.

“If you’re just a regular passenger, there’s no chance you’re getting upgraded.”

Mr Kidman’s comments come after British travel company Stasher claimed middle seat passengers were more likely to get a free upgrade.

If you think booking the middle seat on a plane will get you a free upgrade, think again. Picture: iStock

“If you don’t like the uncertainty of waiting until a few hours before your flight to check in, then make sure to select the middle seat,” Jacob Wedderburn-Day, CEO of Stasher said, according to The Sun.

“Airlines are more likely to upgrade passengers who are sitting in the middle seat as this is generally considered the least desirable place to sit.

“So, if you don’t mind being wedged between two other people, it might pay off to book those seats.”

However, Mr Kidman said “booking the middle seat doesn’t make sense”.

“There’s a myth in some quarters that if you’re in the middle seat, you’ll be the first picked for an upgrade. For Australian airlines, that’s absolutely not true,” he said.

According to an Aussie travel expert, upgrades go to the highest-tier frequent flyer members — and there’s often a queue of them who have applied prior to the flight. Picture: iStock

“On international flights from Australia, spare seats are largely non-existent right now anyway. “With airlines running well below their pre-Covid capacities, most flights are full — and with cancellations, any spare capacity generally gets filled up.”

He advised travellers not to “fall for the middle seat myth”.

“If you want an uninterrupted flight, choose the window. If you want to stretch your legs or need the bathroom a lot, choose the aisle,” he recommended.

“If you’re stuck with choosing a middle seat, try for the middle in a set of four rather than three — that way, no-one is stepping over you to get out of their seat.”

The one seat that will help make the plane journey bearable is the window seat at the back of the aircraft, according seasoned traveller Jon Burfitt.

However, one benefit to the dreaded middle seat, as many would argue, is ownership to both armrests. Picture: TikTok/rachelsheppick

“I noticed those seats had a wall behind them, and no one was getting kicked there. No wonder those people looked relaxed,” he wrote for Escape.

Cabin crew member Boris Millan revealed on Confessions on the Fly podcast that one benefit to the middle seat is the armrests.

“They did a lot of research in the UK for some reason about this – when you sit in the middle seat, you get to have [both armrests].”

In a viral TikTok, a woman sparked a heated debate after sharing a clip alongside the caption “Airplane etiquette people”.

A woman shared a viral TikTok with two passengers on either side of her taking over the armrests. Picture: TikTok/rachelsheppick

She argued the person in the middle seat has the right to both armrests. Picture: TikTok/rachelsheppick

It showed her sitting in the middle seat on a plane with the two passengers on either side of her taking over her armrests.

She can then be seen pushing off their arms to dominate both arm rests.

“Middle seat gets the armrest, period!” one person wrote.

Another agreed: “Airplane etiquette: we live in a society. The middle seat gets the armrests. Those are the rules.”

A third person added: “End seat gets extra leg room, the mid seat gets two armrests, the window seat gets the window and the wall to rest your head on.”

But not everyone agreed.

“I don’t even care if it’s etiquette and this might only be me but if my arm is there and you push it of I’m pushing back. Idc if I’m in the middle either,” one person wrote.

“Y’all saying that the middle seat gets both but I know you guys if you weren’t in the middle seat that you would have the armrest," said another.

Travel expert Rosie Panter from UK comparison site Dealchecker backed up the armrest theory, telling Cosmopolitan it is “universally accepted the middle seat passenger has drawn the short straw, so they should get the luxury of both armrests”.