Flight attendant's armrest rule sparks debate – as some refuse to follow it
12.06.2024 - 19:33
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A flight attendant has weighed in on the famous plane seat arm debate.
He has claimed it's not factored into regulations that the 'short straw' middle seat passenger who is caught between two people in a row of three seats gets command of twofold armrests - leaving flyers disputing the notion.
When flying, rows typically have four armrests, one each at the window and aisle, and a pair in-between for middle passengers. It's assumed that the occupant squeezed into the centre deserves both shared armrests in some kind of silent recompense.
However, according to cabin crew member advice, everyone is meant to keep to only a single armrest, the other functioning solely as a separator.
In an online conversation on Reddit, a user revealed: "This was a first for me on my current flight. The 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 aviation employee explained that all travellers are expected to stick to their immediate right armrest (or left if you're seated on the opposite side), leaving the aisle-side clear for service carts and transit passengers. Dramas around armrest usage would be strictly prohibited.
The confused flyer asked fellow members whether they've witnessed such rules before, adding: "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 heard anything like this before? ".
In a heated debate, one baffled user exclaimed: "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."
Another chimed in with: "That's