Let's start with the following assumptions. You are traveling solo. You want to sit as close to the front as possible with a place to stow/access your personal bag (front row has only overhead) but that is secondary to avoiding a middle seat. When you get a window or aisle seat you prefer to have an empty middle seat next to you, or a smaller passenger sitting there obv. Let's also assume that we are too polite to break social norms such as leaving a coat on the middle seat to make people ask to move it, or wear a surgical mask to repel people. The flights are nearly guaranteed to be full as well.

So far I have made the following observations. Early boarding is not always ideal because when you sit first on the empty plane you will be selected as a seatmate by later boarders rather than the reverse. This is an issue for people like me who are smaller than average and an attractive target for larger than average passengers.

Also, middle seats tend to fill up at the back first before it is clear to the people boarding late there are no more aisle or windows left.

At this point if I have an early boarding number I pick first row after row two that has a window. I'd rather only get up when I have to use the restroom myself than every time my rowmates do.

What do you all do?

By the way, I just hit the trifecta while writing this post on a nearly full flight. Window, third row, empty middle seat. I almost chose the window across the aisle that had a huge dude in the aisle seat thinking that might keep people from choosing the middle next to him, but then I realized if it was full I'd be giving up my space to him and the middle. Strangely someone chose his middle seat rather than mine. They look miserable in that row and I could stretch out and have a picnic lunch over here.

You should be asking yourself why that person would rather sit next to a fattie and be miserable over sitting next to you.

I make sure to check in exactly 24 hours before my flight, this pretty much guarantees me a B1-B30 boarding number (usually). Then regardless of my number I board near the end of the B1-30 group, that way I don't have to stand there for 30 minutes with all the people who apparently enjoy standing in lines. Being in B1-30 still guarantees me overhead bin space and an isle seat (my prefered seat) somewhere in the back of the plane, so thats where I go. I don't really care about sitting in the front of the plane, its an X hour long flight, 20 more minutes doesn't bother me, and id rather just sit around before the flight then get off the flight as quick as possible.

He's not fat. He is about 6'5 and looks to be chiseled out of marble.

I would like to know so I can replicate the repulsion if I have that power.

maybe he was gay (the guy who chose to sit next to Adonis), so its nothing you had influence on.

Or paranoid about (snakes) terrorists on planes and picked the safer of two options, from a physical protection standpoint.

Or plane crash safety: "Come with me if you want to live"

We deplaned. The dude looks like a superhero.

did u get a creepy babs style blurry stalker pic for us?

This is my usual plan too, especially since I check a bag 90% of the time and will be waiting at the carousel with everyone else regardless, but I had to take business select this trip and am also going to get a list status off of this flight so I'm a super important a group VIP now. After two legs with early boarding I have to say it really is better to take the front with a tiny sample size to draw from.

I considered it but gave my head a shake.

Same as Alobar re: check in.

I prefer window and generally behind the wing. I like to see, not get up, and usually fly wearing a hoodie so I can pull it up and sleep.

As I generally fly east / west routes, during daylight hours I try for the north side of the in flight aircraft. Keeps me on the shady side.

North side suggestion for shade is next level.

Are the back seats on Southwest no different than the ones in front?

No first-class or business-class type space or comfort difference if that's what you mean.

It only matters in the context of deplaning quickly which is nice if you have a tight connection or only have a carry on and don't have to wait at the luggage carousel, or as mentioned for trying to game the empty seat next to you situation based on where it will fill up first.

I meant like economy plus with extra legroom.

No. The front row has more leg room but nowhere to stow a small bag or jacket except the overhead. There are a couple of seats by the emergency exit that don't have a seat in front of them. No better class of seats though.

Great thread. I've long been trying to hone my "Southwest First Class" skills and snipe that empty middle seat.

My current strategy that I employ when traveling with the wife is to take aisle and window about two thirds of the way between the front and the exit row, looking for perfectly aligned windows that maximize shoulder room. Then look as fat and as miserable as possible without breaking the social norms that you mentioned in the OP.

I generally agree with your analysis that the front is in demand, then demand shifts to the back as people lumber onward hoping for a non-middle. Then, once they start making announcements to take any available seat, people start taking the middle seats as close to the front as possible to capitalize on the "first off the plane" bonus.

The people that passed up the early seats are stuck cramming in the back, and those risk-averse start taking the first several rows of middles.

I anecdotally feel that this strategy makes me about 50/50 to score the empty middle if there are in the 5-8 range. Much less than 5 and it's a lotto ticket. More than 10 it's pretty much a locktopus.

I also noticed that, I feel like a big-passenger-magnet.

Last time I flew Southwest, I picked an aisle seat and a ~300 pound woman and her ~8 year old daughter decided to take the two spots next to me. At first I was happy about that because I thought the mom would take the window seat but obviously I wasn't getting that lucky. I am perfectly fine with general protocol of giving up your armrest to the middle seat, but her body took over a couple of extra inches of my seat. At what point are you supposed to say something or complain to a flight attendant? I honestly thought it was ridiculous that she didn't just take the window seat. Was obviously too chicken to complain though.

I wish they were allowed to force people to buy premium seats if they can't properly fit into a regular one.

Yeah I am resigned to my lot in life as a small dude. The reason I choose window instead of aisle is I can lean into that few extra inches when a wider person is in the middle. I generally feel a lot of empathy for the larger passengers because I know they have to feel pretty ****ty knowing most people are really hoping they don't sit next to them and that they are an inconvenience to others. I try to be as pleasant as possible about it.

My comfort level in coach is one of the very few times being a small man is a benefit. The bias against short dudes runs so hot that people literally believe they are entitled to my space. I'll give it up if it doesn't make much difference to me though.

And then duplicate it every time you fly.

They do.

Interesting, good to know! I always thought they weren't allowed to do that because of anti discrimination laws.

I always take the furthest back row available bec planes do not back into mountains.

Then you have to smell every slob who ****s on the plane.

I just pay the $40 day of and get A1-A15. I usually either sit aisle on the exit row or sit front row. The drawback to the front row is there is no tray table or place to put your bag. If you want to use a laptop or read a book you have to hold it in your lap the whole time, no place to conveniently keep it during the flight.

I always try to get as far back as possible because their is a bigger chance of empty seats around you. Got lucky often enough and I also read that are the seats with the biggest chance of survival in case of tragedy.