According to Quartz, rich Americans like the aisle seat the best. Now that’s just classist.
In a recent poll, the publication surveyed 500 Americans over two days to find out their preferences for the window, middle or aisle seat. Though most people preferred the window seat, the survey found that the more people flew, the more they preferred the aisle seat. The article goes into greater detail, saying that:
It’s the travelers who split their time flying for both business and personal reasons that like the aisle most. Americans from households making at least $150,000 annually have the weakest preference for the window and the highest preference for the aisle compared to other income groups.
I can only speak for myself but the aisle seat, naturally, is just the best seat to pick if you’ve got any sense. First of all, nobody likes the middle seat. Remember, nine percent of Americans report that they would refuse to sit in the middle seat on a full flight if it was more than 1-2 hours. I even don’t discriminate against the middle seat as much as most people do but I’m clearly not going to pick it over a window or an aisle seat. That’s just lunacy.
The window seat has its own situation. Here’s the thing: you’re trapped. Okay, you’re not completely trapped but you have way less access to the aisle than anyone else. That’s fine if you don’t expect to be using the bathroom for the duration of the flight. If the flight is less than four hours, I usually don’t mind opting for the window seat. But the chances of going to the bathroom tend to be quite high during a five-hour flight, don’t you think?
This leads us to the aisle seat. Sure, standing up for someone sitting in your row so they can use the bathroom is annoying but it is sure a lot less annoying than having to climb over two people to get to it. Plus you have unfettered access to the overhead compartment if you want to grab something out of your bag during the flight. Now that’s convenience.
I think the only reason that the article makes the assumptions that it does is because highly affluent male travelers are more likely to be business travelers with lots of disposable income (hi, you!) and thus are more likely to go on international flights, where you’ve got to pee because you’re on the plane for a really long time. It's a biological imperative.