How do you prefer to spend your time while on an airline flight?

After I purchase a ticket the first thing I do is check out www.seatguru.com and look for the best seats on that particular plane for the class I am flying - which is usually economy if I'm paying.

If it's a long flight I prefer aisle. If it's a short flight I prefer window.

Sometimes (and this is pretty shady I know) I'll call reservations and try to see if they'll seat me next to a female on the flight.

In flight I try to sleep (1st), play on laptop (2nd), watch the flight path on the screen (3rd) - don't really like chit-chatting though. I don't like to be bothered by anyone (passengers or crew), though if I bring a real good movie with me I'll bring a dual-jack and headphones and offer them to my seatmate. Drink hard liquor if they have anything good.

Turbulence doesn't bother me and I actually like it sometimes, so long as it's not during take-off or approach.

 

All passengers, may I have your attention please? May I have your attention please? Will the real slim shady please stand up? I repeat! Will the real slim shady please stand up?

... We're gunna have a problem here.

 

I usually try to grab a window seat right where the fuselage starts curving towards the rear of the plane - where it goes from 3 across to 2 across. They cannot fit a seat there and so there is a good 6" to 1 foot space next to your seat to store a laptop (1st set of 2) or stretch to your legs (2nd set of 2).

If I can't get one of those seats I'll log into the airline's website and watch the seats fill in. I look for rows where only 1 seat has been taken - figuring it's either a single man or woman - and definitely not a child. Then I'll call the reservation line a couple times until I get a guy on the line and I'll ask some stupid questions and joke around a bit to get a feel for the guy.

If you ask outright to sit next to a female they'll say they can't do that. So you say something like ...

"Man you've been a lot of help. Oh, one more thing ... I'm a big tall guy and every time I'm on a flight I end up competing for the arm rest with another big guy and so I'm hoping I sit next to a child or small woman. I looked online and was thinking about these seats (and you give them 2 or 3 seat numbers you saw next to those 1 seaters) so just go ahead and put me wherever you think is best. I know it's a crap shoot, but you've been the man so far, so your guess is probably as good as mine, you decide."

Then you log back online and see where they dumped you.

Every single time it's been next to a woman. Luck? Who knows.

Next best option is to sit by 2 seats that are filled. Probably a couple or friends who'd rather lean into each other than into you.

When I flew to London I sat next to a woman (in my preferred seat) who chatted me up a good part of the flight and gave me her #.