Window seat

The window seat at times can be like the front seat of a car when you’re a kid. There is a fight over who says “shotgun” first, or an agreement where one gets the front seat on the odd days of the month, the other the even days of the month. It’s not surprising, as it can offer the best view of the clouds and the ground.

Being in the seat one from the window can cause a problem. To look out the window, one often has to awkwardly look through the physical (aka personal) space of the person sitting in the window seat. The view may be blocked by the person leaning forward, sleeping, looking out the window, or worse, having the sunshade down. I have often felt selfconsciouswhen looking out the window and the person thinks I’m looking at them. Sorry, but the later is very often false. If you’re sitting in the aisle seat, you probably don’t care about the window. There is little if any view.

For those who enjoy taking pictures of the sky and unfortunately stuck in the middle seat, what can you do to get the photo? Reaching over the person after asking politely if you can take a picture?

And what about those who sleep in the window seat? I guess they don’t mind what they don’t see. On an early morning flight I once took (not on JetBlue), the passenger sitting at the window closed the sunshade to catch a snooze. That left the other two passengers in the row without a window. What is the proper etiquette in this case? Does the window passenger own the window or is it a shared item?

For those who get motion sick or vertigo, being able to see out of the metal tube hurtlingthrough the sky at 400mph is very important. This can be even more critical during turbulence.

One last point I have about the window seat, even the middle seat, is when you need to get up. It always seems like the other passengers always respond like it is aninconvenience. Yes, it is. But unless you want my butt in your face as I crawl over you and step on your feet to get to the aisle, please be courteous and get up when I ask politely. Honestly, it’s just as much aninconvenienceto me to hold my bladder for five hours or when my leg falls asleep and I can’t feel it. Experts recommend you get up frequently to stretch your legs and get the blood circulating. Unless you’re in first class, that doesn’t happen.

I guess it comes down to being courteous and sharing the limited amount of space in the aircraft. If you want to sleep, use aneye maskto block out the light. Be mindful of the people around you. It doesn’t take much effort. If everyone was respectful, flying would be much better.