What could airlines do to convince you to choose a middle seat?

[dajop]

Wouldn’t choose a middle seat specifically but I certainly won’t pay extra to choose an aisle if the flight is less than 90 minutes, or maybe even 2 hrs.

 

[Seat0B]

I’m another in the ‘avoid at all costs’ camp. Although DSC might also get me over the line.

Sometimes I have to sit in middle seat if travelling domestic Y with Mr Seat0A as we like to sit together. That’s a reason I like the B717 if travelling Y - the 2-3 setup allows us to sit together without sharing with anyone else and no middle seat. It’s great.

 

[Forg]

That’s a reason I like the B717 if travelling Y - the 2-3 setup allows us to sit together without sharing with anyone else and no middle seat. It’s great.

Ooh, snap!
Absolutely agree, doesn’t happen very often but after the first time we lucked-out with a 717 returning from Tassie I’ve been checking for 717’s when searching for Tassie flights.

 

[ellen10]

I like the window seat so Mr Ellen10 takes one for the team and sits in the middle seat. ( this is only for short domestic trips - never long haul anymore).
After all, I do all the planning and bookings so he hasn't much choice!

 

[tdimdad]

A wider seat + 1.5 SC. Or normal seat with DSC.
Or for those of us purchasing the bargain bin tickets (Red E-deals, etc), treat it as a flex ticket (including points and SC's).

 

[CaptJCool]

Only if travelling with my kids.

last Night 10 Oct Perth to Adelaide my invisible friend showed up just as the front door closed and took the middle seat ! Seems WP has an occasional privilege !

but I did take the opportunity to raise the armrest, and stretch out over my side of the middle seat.....

 

[Mattg]

Looks like this is no longer hypothetical!

Middle Seat Lottery

Middle Seat Lottery turns our middle seats into a chance to win wonderful weekly prizes!

www.virginaustralia.com

 

[AIRwin]

Looks like this is no longer hypothetical!

Middle Seat Lottery

Middle Seat Lottery turns our middle seats into a chance to win wonderful weekly prizes!

www.virginaustralia.com

Part of Bring on Wonderful

Bring on Wonderful | Virgin Australia

We're on a mission to make flying better than 'nice'. Because why should you settle for a 'nice' flight, when you can have a wonderful one?

specials.virginaustralia.com

 

[jase05]

Thankfully I’ve worked my backside off over the last 20 years so I hopefully don’t ever need to sit in Y again apart from the regional flights for work with no options. There is nothing that a airline could offer to entice me into domestic Y let alone International

 

[Mattg]

The weekly prizes being given away actually look really good. There's a full list here for anyone interested - Middle Seat Lottery terms and conditions

Still not sure I would choose a middle seat just to enter a lottery for the slight chance of winning something, though...

If travelling as a family group of 3 (or more), it would make sense to pre-select the adult into the middle seat and any children in a window/aisle so the adult can enter. (Entrants must be over 18.) Doesn't mean you actually have to sit there if travelling together, it's what's on the boarding pass that counts.

 

[Daver6]

Interesting the value places on WP and 1m VFF points. I wonder if that's what they use for accounting purposes? I somewhat doubt it!

Winner will receive Platinum Velocity status for 12 months and 1,000,000 Velocity Points (estimated value of $30,517AUD) which will be awarded to the winner’s Velocity Frequent Flyer account used to enter the Promotion

 

[Mattg]

Interesting the value places on WP and 1m VFF points. I wonder if that's what they use for accounting purposes? I somewhat doubt it!

Well, they price 250k Velocity points at $5,850 if buying through Points Booster. For a million points that would therefore be $23,400.

Which means they are valuing Platinum status at just over $7,000 for accounting purposes, if my logic is correct.

 

[jakeseven7]

Still not sure I would choose a middle seat just to enter a lottery for the slight chance of winning something, though...

The chances of winning the middle seat lottery are tiny. No thanks, waste of time.

VA2 - Even if they offered DSC I wouldn't care, VA2 status is so easy to get anyway

QF - If they offered DSC.... on a short flight I might consider it....

JQ - If they offered DSC.... on a short flight I might consider it....

 

[mrsterryn]

Nope I am fat
Middle seat is to be avoided.
Actually even if I was my daughter in law's size , which is quite tiny, I wouldn't want to be travelling alone and stuck in a middle seat

 

[NM]

So one "prize" is to fly United to the USA (presumably they put you in the middle seat again since you took the option on the CBR-MEL flight), for a Caribbean cruise, where I assume you get a "middle" inside cabin with no widows.

 

[justinbrett]

Interesting difference between the airlines.

QF launching a trial of paying for not having someone in the middle seat next to you.

VA running a competition requiring the FF to sit in the middle seat themselves.

In this instance, of the two, I’m more aligned with the QF strategy.

 

[Steve994]

Maybe if you got both middle seats in the bay of four? I don't drink alcohol so that's not a consideration. Wi-fi doesn't interest me.

DSCs very interested.

Post automatically merged: Oct 24, 2022

Is there actually a bay of four now that Virgin no longer fly wide bodies?

 

[UP4014]

At 6'3" I'm just not interested in middle seats.

 

[Steve994]

I’m another in the ‘avoid at all costs’ camp. Although DSC might also get me over the line.

Sometimes I have to sit in middle seat if travelling domestic Y with Mr Seat0A as we like to sit together. That’s a reason I like the B717 if travelling Y - the 2-3 setup allows us to sit together without sharing with anyone else and no middle seat. It’s great.

I am absolutely on the same page as you for the same reason. A330 flying out of Perth over pretty much every other plane, including so called "Dreamliners". 2-4-2 beats 3-3 and 3-3-3 any day of the week, or weekend.

 

[AustSerbKor]

A hard no, as I am fat and tall. If I were single and offered the chance to sit between 2 supermodels, I may consider it which proves I am a masochis_ but not enough to sit in the middle seat. The prizes Virgin is offering look great but I'd rather dream about the $160 million I won't win on Thursday night than a million frequent flyer points I won't win either.