Where We Worry About Armrest Rights

Can the people in a Southwest “A” boarding group save a seat for someone who is a “C”?

Maybe.

It’s all about ownership.

Airplane Etiquette

Seat Savers

Described in Mine, the Southwest saga began when a couple, having paid an early boarding fee, claimed two seemingly empty aisle seats across from each other. They did, though, have to move an iPad someone had left on one of the seats. As a seat saver, it was supposed to signal “ownership” for an individual that was boarding with the “C” group. They disagreed,

Armrests

At this point, the next problem could be the middle seat armrests. Some say they “belong” to the person in the middle because the aisle and window are prime, so the middle seat occupant deserves some comfort. Others suggest larger people should get the armrest room they need. Meanwhile in a YouGov poll, 6 out of 10 participants said all three seatmates had armrest rights. The solution then is to share but many of us don’t want to touch strangers’ elbows.

Reclining

From here, I have another “ownership” story. Typical of many of my flights, on this trip, flying to Florida on a JetBlue Embraer 190, the fare was cheap, and their service was fine. However, my window seat was 18 1/4 inches wide with a pitch of 32 inches. Even for me, a small person, it meant no room. But then it got even worse when the person in front of me reclined. Some say that your airline ticket includes the right to recline because you temporarily “own” the space behind your seat. But not necessarily. Echoing a medieval maxim that says, “whoever owns the soil, owns up to Heaven, and down to Hell,” I believe I own the circle of space up to the baggage bin and down to the floor,

Window Shades

And finally, there are the shades. Some say tradition dictates that the window seat has control over the shade. However, for the screen users and snoozers, glare is a problem. Meanwhile, though, those who prefer the light like to look outside. They might want to read with natural rays rather than the overhead light. And sometimes for safety, the crew needs raised shades in certain rows. Who can decide? There are no airplane window shade rules. And the 787 doesn’t even have shades! (They have dimmer buttons.)

Our Bottom Line: Property Rights

An economist would say that seat savers, armrests, reclining, and shades are really about temporary “ownership” rights. As conflict creators, they make it ever more evident why the market system needs clearly defined and preserved property rights.

They also remind us to ponder property rights when we fly.

My sources and more: Yesterday’s WSJ article reminded me it was time to return to what is “Mine” on a plane. Not really relevant but so interesting, here, they describe the 787’s dimmable windows. But if you just want to read about seat size, Seat Guru is a possibility while for reclining, I suggest WSJ, the NY Times, and here.