An empty middle seat is better than any amenity that an airline can give me
I love flying with a middle seat open next to me (who doesn’t?) and I get to do it quite a bit. I wanted to give you advice on what has worked well for me, so that you too can fly high with an empty middle seat!
This is not one of those “how to” stories that is just clickbait and will tell you “use your miles to upgrade” or “give chocolates to the flight attendants.” Nope… this is all from my own personal experience. You won’t need to do anything unethical, it isn’t that hard, and it often pays off. It will take some time and it will require you to stay engaged from the moment you book your ticket until you board the plane. But I think it is totally worth it… and if you are an AvGeek, I bet you will enjoy the process as well.
Why should you trust me? Well, I would say that 85%+ of the time that I follow the steps below, I end up with a open middle seat next to me… I like those odds. See for yourself and follow these steps to increase the chance of getting an empty middle seat next to you…
Ahhh yes, this is the time of year to take a look back, before taking a look forward. I like to dive into AirlineReporter’s analytics and see what stories were the most popular and where you readers are from. Some of you maybe thinking “well heck David, there haven’t been as many stories this year.” Well, you would be right. I do not want to make any sort of grand statement that we will soon be back to the days of having a daily new story… but I hope we find a happy place in the middle.
And for those who love to see our new stories, but aren’t sure when they post, make sure to sign up for our newsletter and we will send you an email when we publish a new story (sweet self plug, right?).
Let’s take a look at the most read stories, what cities and countries our readers are from, and some other nerdy odds and ends!
I have been running AirlineReporter for over 15 years now and over that time I have been very lucky to experience some pretty rad things and I genuinely treasure all my adventures. Every now and again, someone will ask me which trip was my favorite and often my answers will differ. That said, there are three that consistently stand out. Since I was recently reminiscing about those good times, I figured why not share…
#1 – RWANDAIR’S FIRST 737 DELIVERY FLIGHT (September 2011)
RwandAir’s first Boeing 737-800 sits in a hangar at Boeing Field
During the delivery of RwandAir’s first 737, I remember being out on the flight line in Renton (where all 737s are built) and there were about five for Southwest Airlines. Getting a new 737 for an airline like that is just your typical Tuesday and there is no big fanfare. However, Rwandair’s 737-800 delivery was very different.
Although they already had two 737-500s and some smaller regional aircraft in their fleet, they weren’t purchased new. This 737 wasn’t just something exciting for the airline, but for the entire nation of Rwanda.
There ceremonial keys to the plane (they don’t actually work)
Due to fuel and crew rest requirements, we ended up with a fun flight path. We left Seattle and landed in Iceland to refuel. Then after spending some time on the very cold ramp, we were back in the air to Istanbul where we spent the night. We were hoping to get a feel of the local area, but we were there during Ramadan, so most businesses were closed.
The world’s longest flight. Many routes have held that honor over the years. But right now the unquestioned champion is Singapore Airlines’ service between Singapore Changi and New York JFK, clocking in at an impressive 9,537 miles. I’ve been dying to get onboard since it launched. At long last, I got my chance.
The Airbus A350-900ULR was the clear star of the show. The “ULR” stands for ultra-long range. And the plane absolutely earns that title, handling 18-hour flights with ease. During our time in the sky with the ULR we appreciated the adaptations that allow it to handle routes that no other commercial craft currently can. The masterful inflight service touches of Singapore Airlines made the time in the sky fly by.
Read on for the full story — with plenty of photos and window-seat views — from the world’s longest-distance flight.
Here at AirlineReporter we write a ton about aircraft. We write a lot about airports. We’ve dabbled in train reporting. We don’t usually publish stories about hotels. But for the right type of place, we’ll make an exception (HotelReporter?!).
During a trip to Tokyo we spent a night at one of the world’s best hotels for planespotting, the Excel Hotel at Haneda Airport. You don’t have to take our word for it: the hotel is frequently named in lists of the best places in the world for AvGeeks to stay. And boy did it deliver. Check out our video report here:
