There has been a long debate about sharing an armest on flights and the correct etiqutte for passanagers fighting for extra room. But finally the debate has been settled by a flight attendant. The advice was left on Reddit by a recent flyer that shared the moment a flight attendant clarified the correct allocation of armrests after passangers had boareded the plane.
In the post, uploaded by u/littleike0 to the subreddit r/UnitedAirlines in 2024, the passenger, from the U.S., declared in an accompanying title: ‘Flight attendant announces armrest rules.’ The post read: ‘This was a first for me on my current flight. FA [flight attendant] made an announcement right after boarding to clarify who gets to use which armrest on the flight. To my surprise, he was very emphatic that no person gets two armrests.’
The Redditor went on to reveal which armrest plane passengers should use whilst seated in rows containing two or more chairs: the one to their right.
They followed on to say: ‘He explained every person is supposed to use the armrest on their right (and the left for the other side) and keep the armrest on the aisle clear for carts and people walking down the plane.
‘He emphatically stated that no armrest drama would be tolerated. Feeling sorry for all the folks in middle seats on this flight, although mentioned to my seat mate she was welcome to both armrests. Ever hear anything like this before?’
The Redditor went on to reveal which armrest plane passengers should use whilst seated in rows containing two or more chairs: the one to their right.
They followed on to say: ‘He explained every person is supposed to use the armrest on their right (and the left for the other side) and keep the armrest on the aisle clear for carts and people walking down the plane.
‘He emphatically stated that no armrest drama would be tolerated. Feeling sorry for all the folks in middle seats on this flight, although mentioned to my seat mate she was welcome to both armrests. Ever hear anything like this before?’
Agreeing with the advice issued, one person wrote: ‘I actually agree with that. It’s always so annoying brushing past people who are leaning out into the aisle.’
However, another said: ‘That’s a “no” for me. I’m an aisle seater, and that aisle armrest is mine. The middle seat gets his/her two, I get mine on the aisle.’
A third commented: ‘Yeah, that’s some made up BS by a flight attendant who is tired of bumping people’s arms with his cart.
‘If it wasn’t intended to support an arm there’d just be like a small wall on the aisle (which to be honest I sometimes wish there was).
‘It’s the same as people saying you can’t recline in E. The seat is made to recline!!!’
Meanwhile, another recent flyer shared: ‘The way they explained it on my flight was: Aisle gets the aisle armrest. Window gets the armrest. Middle armrests are decided via mortal kombat.’
Another Redditor wrote: ‘I always assumed the middle seat got both armrests because let’s be honest, the middle seat SUCKS. I always felt like it was the least I could do for their troubles.
