The Middle Seat’s Small Compensation
The middle seat is usually the least flexible place to sit: its occupant is wedged between two people and cannot lean toward a window or step into the aisle without asking someone to move. The informal etiquette is to give that passenger both armrests.
The logic is simple. A window-seat traveler can lean against the wall, while an aisle-seat traveler has a little more room on one side. The middle passenger has neither advantage, so the shared armrests offer a modest way to balance the squeeze. Flight attendants commonly recognize this as a courtesy, not a formal rule.
Courtesy, Not Cabin Law
There is no universal airline regulation assigning armrests by seat position. The convention works best when people treat the middle passenger’s claim as a considerate default, rather than a right that overrides every situation. If someone needs to move or has a particular accessibility need, a quiet, practical conversation matters more than rigidly enforcing etiquette.
Still, the next time you choose a window or aisle seat, leaving both armrests to the person in the middle is an easy trade: a little less elbow room for you can make the least desirable seat feel less like a penalty.
