Travel Kindly The reference for travel etiquette · Est. 2006
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Who gets the middle seat’s armrests?

“I fly Charlotte to Newark most weeks and have never known whose armrests those are. My seatmate last Tuesday clearly thought they were his. Were they?” · Renee, Charlotte

The person in the middle, and both of them. The aisle passenger can lean into the aisle and the window passenger can lean into the wall. The middle passenger has nowhere to go, so the two armrests are theirs. I never had a passenger argue the point once it was explained, and most of them looked relieved that somebody had a rule.

The armrest is also a boundary. Whatever seat you are in, nothing of yours crosses it, and that includes your knees. If you are in the aisle or window seat and would like a turn on the armrest, ask. The middle-seat passenger will usually share, because they were asked. That is the whole difference.

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The Travel Kindly Code
Make room. Space, time, and quiet are shared. Take your share and leave the rest.
Assume everyone has had a long day. The crew, the gate agent, and the person in seat 22B.
Ask before you act. A question takes three seconds and prevents most of what ends up on the news.
Keep your promises to strangers. Board with your group, sit in your seat, and stay on your side of the armrest.
Be the one who says thank you. Out loud, and by name if you can read the name tag.