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A TikTok going viral features a woman explaining why sitting in window seats makes her anxious.
Spoiler alert (or should I say, “soiler alert”?): she worries about needing to climb over her row-mates so she can use the lavatory.
@cassbischoffAnexity girlies unite ✈️
Lady, I’m right there with you.
Window seats and I have a love-hate relationship. That’s generally why I sit in aisle seats — especially when flying coach.
First, I’m on the tall side and get claustrophobic-ish. I start to get weirder than usual if I’m packed into a window seat for too long.
The problem is, I love looking out windows during flights. I’m the jerk who doesn’t close his window shade, even if the sun is melting everyone. (My six-year-old daughter gets the window seat when we travel together. The little twerp closes the shade so she can either sleep or watch her tablet — and also just to shade me. Pun fully intended.)
And I often enjoy way too much water and coffee (and, perhaps, other beverages) in airport club lounges and during flights.
I hate asking people to get up so I can hit the lav. I don’t mind being on the aisle and people asking me if I’ll stand up so they can visit the bathroom.
But I’m terribly self-conscious. And if I’m not in an aisle seat, I’ll think to myself, I hope I don’t have to go to the bathroom. I hope I don’t have to go to the bathroom. I hope I don’t have to go to the bathroom.
That, of course, makes me need to use the lavatory. Then I pray that at least one other person in the row needs to get out of their seat at some point before there’s a cleanup needed in row 13. This way, I can pull the ole, “Well, as long as you’re up, I may as well visit the bathroom…” Then I cross-legged walk my way to the lav while my eyes water from “holding it” too long.
I usually rarely use a plane’s lavatory during flights of an hour or shorter. (To my great surprise, I recently took a pair of three-and-a-half-hour flights and held it like a champ.) Flights between Los Angeles and Vegas? Pour me a double! I’ll be fine and not have to use the bathroom.
But I get anxious during anything longer than maybe 70 minutes.
None of this is a problem when sitting in first or business class in a wide-body aircraft with a 1-2-1 configuration. Or first class on a regional jet with 1-2 seating — I love the “A” seats. Then it’s the best of both worlds: a window seat with direct aisle access! (I really could’ve made an crass joke with numbers “1-2” but somehow held off.)
(Side note: I’m writing this during a flight and really need to use the lavatory. But we’ve been told to sit down because we’re experiencing rough air for the next 45 minutes. I’m officially in hell.)
What about you? Do you get window seat anxiety because you hate asking people to get up so you can visit the lavatory? Please share your thoughts in the below Comments section!
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Absolutely. I will not sit in a window seat. My Delta upgrade preference for C+ is aisle only. I will gladly stay in my exit row aisle seat in main, to avoid a window or middle seat in C+. I even try to avoid window in 1st.
I find that having a Bloody Mary as the pre-flight drink reduces the need for me to need to use the restroom. The high salt content causes more water retention. Since alcohol is a diuretic it would probably work even better without the vodka, but I am not willing to go that far!
I am the opposite. I despise having people climb over me (and especially bumping me as they transit the aisle), which is one of many reasons why I’m always #TeamWindow.
Aisle for me as I hate having to wake up a stranger to use the rest room!!Especially on a 6++ hour flight
Always window for me. At home I “go” a lot ( all that coffee drink!) but basically on a plane I only get up when the aisle passenger does. I have a 13.5 hour flight coming up, will see how that goes!
I have both window seat and aisle seat anxiety for similar reasons. Window seat for the same reason as you, aisle seat because of anxiety about the person next to me needing to climb over me while I am in the middle of working on my laptop.