Unless you’re in a bulkhead or an exit row, there is not a lot of room between you and the seat in front of you. So when you’re seated in an aisle seat, why do people insist on trying to squeeze by in front of you into the middle or window seats? Especially when they have large shoulder bags?? It truly baffles me. Here are my tips for getting into your non-aisle seat as gracefully as possible.

• When you first get to your row, put your rollaboard in the overhead bin before alerting the person sitting in the aisle that you need into the row.
• Once you’re ready to sit, don’t just try to squeeze through! Politely let the person sitting in the aisle that you need in. I usually say something like, “Hi, I’m sitting in the window seat.” Some people say, “Excuse me, I’m sitting there.” This lets the aisle person know they need to stand up to let you into the row. I’ve had people stop at my row and stare at me, or gesture like, “Hey you, get outta my way,” but that seems rude to me, and there’s really no need to be rude.
• As you’re moving into the row, take care not to hit people with your bag.
• If you need additional leverage, try not to grab the seat in front of you if someone is sitting there. Grab your own seat or an empty one.
• For those of you sitting in the aisle, don’t fasten your seatbelt or get stuff set up on your tray table until your row has filled in.

Getting into the middle or window seats can be done quickly, easily, and with minimal fuss. And isn’t that always the goal for travel?

Readers, how do you ask someone seated in the aisle to move so you can get to your middle or window seat?