I'm a flight attendant; here's how to always 'win' the arm rest

This sneaky move works every time.

Sick of jostling for the hot property that are plane armrests?

Well, a flight attendant has shared a genius strategy to ensure those of us who find ourselves next to armrest-hogging neighbours never have to fight over them again.

Mary, from the UK, has solved the annoying in-flight problem once and for all. 

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Image: IStock

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A little patience and a 'sneaky' move

Mary told BBC News that she often gets seated between two passengers when on a work transfer and is unable to choose her own seat.

On many occasions, she's been placed between two men, who take up both armrests. 

She revealed she had to "tussle with elbows" to reclaim what was rightfully hers, but she's since devised a clever solution.

One time she even had to tell a guy, "We're not doing that today" after he kept trying to push her arm away. 

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So, what's the new move?

All you have to do is have a little patience to pull off this well-timed move.

"Wait until they reach for a drink and take the armrest," she revealed. 

Simple and sneaky! We love it.

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"Remain in control"

But in the comments of the article, people disagreed that there was any need for a 'strategy' in the first place.

"There’s no strategy but simple existing rules. Centre seat gets both armrests, window seat gets window and wall and aisle gets one armrest and easy access. This isn’t new," one person said.

"I’ve always believed the centre seat gets both armrests as a reward for being stuck in the middle," shared another.

But someone else argued: "It might be good etiquette, but no one has any common sense these days."

"I never sit in the middle seat, sorted!" someone else wrote.

"Just claim the armrest as soon as you sit down," another person advised.

"Yep, spread first and remain in control," quipped one user.

Originally published as I'm a flight attendant; here's how to always 'win' the arm rest