When flying, which seat you choose makes a difference in the comfort of your air travel.
If you are seated in front of the wings, it is quieter and you can get off the plane faster. The seats in the back are a little louder, but I prefer to sit in the back.
For a two-hour flight, I would choose a window seat. If the flight is westbound from Haneda, I recommend the seat on the left side because it offers a view of Mt. However, since I travel alone with my wife these days, I give up the window seat to her.
On long-haul flights, such as when going abroad, I choose an aisle seat because I don't have to worry about going to the bathroom. This is because I don't have to be careful when I go to the restroom. If you have a window seat, you have to ask the passenger next to you to get up from his or her seat.
The last seat I want to choose is the one in the middle of a three-row seat. If the person next to my is large, it can be oppressive, and if the passengers on either side are ungainly, both armrests can be occupied. If that happens, you have to spend even more cramped time.
When I look at the seat map when making a reservation, I see that the middle seats are often available, which probably means that many people are of the same opinion as I am.
An article on CNN's website reported the start of a campaign to offer special privileges only to those who sit in the middle seat, which is often avoided.
It was initiated by Virgin Air of Australia. Virgin Air's Velocity Frequent Flyer members over the age of 18 can participate in the campaign, which offers a total of $2.4 million in prizes to passengers who book the middle seat until April 23 next year.
The prizes seem to change weekly and include a helicopter cruise with return airfare from Darwin. A two-night trip to Cairns with bungee jumping (with round-trip airfare, of course), and more.
The prize that would be most popular would be tickets to the Grand Final of Australia's national sport, rugby, with pre-game and post-game parties.
I hope this campaign will bring a rush of people to reserve the middle seats.
I wonder if such a campaign will be held in Japan as well. I am afraid of heights, so I don't need to bungee jump.
