Why I’ve Switched Sides From Team Aisle To Team Window

Vernon Yuen. Shutterstock Images.

For most of my adult life, I was firmly Team Aisle. It just made sense. You get a little more legroom (or at least it feels that way), you don’t have to awkwardly ask two strangers to move every time you need to pee because you drank too many beers in the terminal, and you can hop off the plane a few seconds faster 

once it lands. It all seemed perfectly logical.

And then everything changed.

I picked an aisle seat on a flight to London, and it turned out to be one of the worst travel experiences of my life. I was bumped no fewer than five times by passengers and flight attendants squeezing past, and I had to stand up three separate times to let the people next to me use the bathroom. That used to not bother me much, but maybe I’m getting older or wiser. Whatever it is, I’ve come to a realization, I’d much rather be the one asking people to move so I can go to the bathroom than the one who has to keep getting up every time someone else needs to go.

Also, the so called “extra legroom” of the aisle seat? Total illusion. Sure, you can stick one foot out into the aisle, but you can’t leave it there for more than a few minutes. The moment a flight attendant rolls down the cart or someone walks past, your foot is a prime target for getting smacked or stepped on. It's not worth the risk.

And then there’s the wall, the glorious, underrated wall. Sitting by the window is like having your own little cubby. You don’t have to worry about accidentally dozing off and waking up on a stranger’s shoulder. Instead, you have a solid surface to lean against, your own personal corner of the sky. There's something oddly comforting about it. 

You gain a small sense of privacy, even on a packed flight.

Perhaps most importantly, you control the window. It may sound dumb, but it’s a responsibility I now take seriously. There’s always someone who doesn’t grasp how crucial this is. The window-seat passenger is the guardian of light control, shielding the entire row from being blinded by the sun. And when the view outside is spectacular, it's a welcome break from mindlessly scrolling on your phone.

So yes—I am now proudly and permanently Team Window.