Middle Seat Flyers Are People Too!

Middle Seat Etiquette
I recently flew southwest airlines from San Antonio to Houston, It was the typical Southwest scenario, full flight, every seat taken, and Southwest does not have assigned seating.   Don and I were traveling together so I took the middle seat so he could sit on the aisle for more leg room. Don as always was the perfect travel companion, but sitting in the middle seat I was reminded that those in the middle seat will as always have the most unpleasant flight experience unless other flyers consider some brief rules of “middle seat etiquette”, because lets face it, middle seat flyers are people too.
Rule 1 – Arm space – Come on guys, you window person, you can lean on the wall, so why are you hogging the arm rest, plus YOU HAVE A WINDOW!. You on the aisle, okay, you have nothing to lean on, but you can lean toward the aisle (unless the service cart is coming), or you can get up whenever you want without bothering anyone, so give the middle seat the some armrest consideration, flyers.
Rule 2 – Leg Space – Southwest does have exceptionally tiny little seats with minimal space to put your legs, put the same rules apply as do with arm space. Don’t sit there with your legs spread wide open and your knees in front of the seat next to you. You know the middle seat cost just as much as your ticket. This is not your living room!
So share!
Rule 3 – Lights and Air – How much light does one person need glaring in their face. I hate it when people just want a little light so they adjust the light away, towards….the middle seat of course. The same with the air vent, my hair should not look like I am posing for a fashion magazine  or driving in a convertible while in flight.
Rule 4 – Be nice – well that goes for anyone in your tiny little flight row, remember we are all paying a small fortune for the privilege of sitting in that microscopic space together. So be kind to your fellow flyers. Don’t blast your music so high that it can be heard through your headphones, don’t point your offensive movies towards others in the row.  And if your going to bring food on board please dont ask for extra garlic or onions, and dont use that poor middle seat person as your garbage can when your done eating.
Be kind to those in the middle, because someday that middle seat may belong to you, and I promise karma sucks.