The 767 middle seat protocol?

[Warks]

Hi folks
My company recent changed its travel agent and they've managed not to put my QFF number on my bookings so I've had fun with the self service machine each time. Also I've missed my seating preference so on a busy flight back from MEL I ended up in the dreaded middle seat of a 767. (Subtly every aircraft is different, Virginia)

What got me wondering was which food/beverage cart services the middle seat? I found the left (entry) side aisle started serving me food but then ignored me for a drink and I had to grab the FA. Then on clean up I got ignored by both sides but managed to grab the FA on the right side. Is it supposed to alternate? If one side exclusively served the middle seats then it would take a lot longer to reach the back and possibly run out of food or drink.

Also how do they determine which aisle to send you down as you board the plane?

Just a bit of philosophy for a Friday arvo. I don't aim to be sitting there again!! I had two big snoring blokes either side who hogged the arm rests and I was dying for a trip to the smallest room on the plane!

 

[Travel Guru]

Thats way too deep for me on a Friday afternoon!

 

[oz_mark]

I am not sure that there is a hard and fast rule on it.

 

[anat0l]

Which seat did you get? There are two middle seats (2-4-2 config?). If the FAs are smart, those in seat xxE (xx is the row number) should be sent to the nearest aisle (from the boarding door), and those in seat xxF should be sent to the farther aisle. Not rocket science for FAs.

A similar, no-brainer argument exists as to which aisle's cart serves you. Essentially that means each cart serves 4 pax per row.

I would have either planned my escape soon after meal service, or simply woken up someone to get out. If you're nice, they should understand - after all, we can't have any body wetting themselves, right? If not (or you predict not) you could always make up an incident that will make them move. Feigning sickness works handily. Note that these final options would be a last resort.

So you're either very good at 'holding it', or very, very (sometimes, just a bit too much) nice. Or all of the above.

You must have had a really tight window of time between booking and flying, else you could have gone to checkmytrip or QF Online, viewed your booking and added your number. But in any case I hope you have a better trip next time.

 

[oz_mark]

Which seat did you get? There are two middle seats (2-4-2 config?). If the FAs are smart, those in seat xxE (xx is the row number) should be sent to the nearest aisle (from the boarding door), and those in seat xxF should be sent to the farther aisle. Not rocket science for FAs.

The 767's I have been on are 2-3-2. A 2-4-2 config would be tight!

 

[anat0l]

The 767's I have been on are 2-3-2. A 2-4-2 config would be tight!

Whoops, silly me. It's been a while since I've been in 767 Y.

In that case, now I understand the OP's dilemma about who serves the OP. I thought it would be a simple case of looking up at the first FA that attends to them, then the other FA simply sees that they've been attended to. Same thing with clean up; just offer it to the first (or one of the) FAs.

As for which aisle do you go down, well I never sat in middle on a 767 so I have no experience. I guess you could easily go down either...

 

[oz_mark]

As for which aisle do you go down, well I never sat in middle on a 767 so I have no experience. I guess you could easily go down either...

I have sat in the middle - when QF went through a phase of assigning 26E as a forward aisle seat! (happened 3 times)

 

[JohnK]

Fingers crossed, I have never sat in a middle seat. As I am in an aisle seat most of the time I let the person in the middle have the arm rest....

 

[serfty]

A330's have 2x4x2 in WHY.

767's are 2x3x2.

IF ensconced in such a seat, I would simply look very keenly at who ever was serving, whatever side ...

 

[oz_mark]

IF ensconced in such a seat, I would simply look very keenly at who ever was serving, whatever side ...

Certainly my experience in 26E indicates that it is typically whichever side gets to you first.

 

[serfty]

Certainly my experience in 26E indicates that it is typically whichever side gets to you first.

... & second ..

 

[straitman]

... & second ..

.... if you feel the need :!:

 

[codash1099]

... & second ..

Anyone who wants TWO serves of airline Y food ranks at a high level of masochism

 

[oz_mark]

Anyone who wants TWO serves of airline Y food ranks at a high level of masochism

Sometime a second bottle of wine is warranted.

 

[straitman]

Anyone who wants TWO serves of airline Y food ranks at a high level of masochism

The description fits a few around here :!:

 

[Warks]

Thanks for the replies folks. Have been away and not looking at this site for the last week. It was a last minute booking so I didn't get around to checking seating online. Have always had aisle seats so was not expecting anything different.

Discovered that the reason the new travel company had not put on the QFF number is that they rejected the number submitted as it was "less than 7 digits" i.e. I didn't put a zero in front. You'd think their system could handle people who joined in the first million!

Getting served twice with a James Squire Golden Ale would suit me fine!!!
As for two serves of breadsticks...

 

[ejb]

...Getting served twice with a James Squire Golden Ale would suit me fine!!!...

Hi,

Agree totally with this idea. I have been enjoying the new range of bevies.

ejb