Flight attendant ends debate on who gets to use the middle seat armrests

A flight attendant has debunked the age-old debate on what armrests each passenger is entitled to on the airplane – and his top tips for stress-free travelling

One of the most common travel debates has to be who gets the middle armrest on an airplane.

In a row of three seats on a plate – a common set up – there are four armrests, one next to the window, one between the window seat and the aisle seat, and one on the aisle.

This means that one person has the option of using two armrests, reports Daily Star.

But, who is entitled to use the middle armrest?

Talking on the Confessions on the Fly podcast with hosts LJ Salerno and Jo, flight attendant Boris Millan has attempted to put the debate to rest.

Boris explained: “They did a lot of research for some reason in the UK about this – the middle seat – when you sit in the middle seat, you get to have…”

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“You get both armrests!” exclaimed LJ, filling in the gap.

Boris continued: “It’s common sense guys.”

He then went on to share a few things he’s learned over the years that may help to east anxious fliers.

The first piece of advice, and perhaps the most crucial, is to leave as much time as possible to get to the airport and prepare before a flight.

He said: “People give themselves as much stress as they want to have, you don’t have to have a stressful flight, you really don’t.

“If you get to the airport at the last minute, and you don’t give yourself enough time, then, of course, you’re going to be stressed.”

A simple trick to save yourself some money on your flights is to buy tickets directly from the airline, rather than using third-party sites.

“You do not get a cheaper ticket on an airline if you buy it through Expedia or any other third party,” Boris instructed.

“I recommend everybody to do it directly with airlines. It’s the best thing, you can choose your seat and anything that happens, you deal directly with the airline and you don’t have to deal with a third party.”

Finally, Boris urges travellers not to overpack.

He recalled a number of times that passengers have arrived on board only to find that their bag does not fit in the overhead lockers.

He said: “Those backpacks, they’re huge. You know they’re not going to fit.

“You can fill it at home… That doesn’t mean it’s going to fit on an airplane.

“It’s crazy what people do with their bags.”

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