Travel trick or trouble? Controversial flight hack divides travellers

The Land Down Under is a treasure trove of natural wonders, culinary delights, and friendly faces. Yet, for all its charms, Australia’s geographic isolation presents a unique challenge for the globetrotting Australian. The tyranny of distance means that international travel often involves long-haul flights that can test the patience and endurance of even the most seasoned traveller.

But what if there was a way to make those gruelling flights a little more bearable? Enter the travel hack that’s causing a stir among Australian adventurers. It’s a simple strategy that could potentially transform your in-flight experience, but it’s not without its risks.

Lara Severino, a travel content creator, first shared her controversial tip on social media. The hack, which she also discovered online, is straightforward: when booking a flight with a companion, one person reserves the window seat and the other the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat unoccupied. 

‘That’s it, you literally just sit there [and] pray no one takes the middle seat,’ she said.

The hope is that other passengers will avoid selecting the middle seat, leaving you and your travel partner with some extra space to stretch out.

@laraseverinoo fly with me from Sydney to India!! 🇮🇳 p.s this plane travel hack actually worked 👏🏼✈️🥱 try it for your next economy flight!! #economyclass #singaporeairlines #singaporeairport #butterflygarden #travelvlog #travelhack #india ♬ original sound – *ੈ✩ lara ✩ *ੈ

Lara and her boyfriend put this tactic to the test on their journey to India, and to their delight, it worked like a charm on both legs of their trip, to Singapore and then to India: ‘I think that’s a 100 per cent success rate.’

However, not all of Lara’s followers were as lucky. Some reported that they ended up with a stranger snugly seated between them for the duration of their flight. 

‘I’ve done this a few times and got unlucky. Someone sat in the middle for 14 hours,’ wrote one commenter.

‘It’s not always foolproof,’ said another.

Others hailed Lara as an ‘icon’ and praised the hack as ‘so smart’ and ‘the best.’

‘We do this all the time, the best,’ remarked one person.

‘I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s the best hack ever,’ echoed someone else.

Despite the mixed reviews, Lara stands by her hack, acknowledging that it’s a gamble, admitting, ‘It’s definitely a 50/50 thing but it’s worth trying because you never know!’

As Lara admitted, the hack was a 50/50 thing. When she tried the hack at another time, it didn’t work.

‘We tried again, but sadly, it didn’t work. After backpacking Southeast Asia for four months, we quickly realised that a lot of people just don’t mind booking a middle seat. Goes to show that a little bit of luck is definitely involved,’ she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

In case the hack doesn’t work as expected, Lara has a suggestion: if someone does book the middle seat, you can always ask if they’d be willing to swap. According to her experience, most people are more than happy to oblige to avoid the dreaded middle seat.

But before you rush to book your next flight with this hack in mind, consider the potential downsides. If the flight is full, you could end up separated from your travel partner, or you might have to negotiate with a less-than-accommodating middle-seat passenger.

At YourLifeChoices, we understand the appeal of a little extra legroom, especially on a long-haul flight. However, we also believe in the importance of travel etiquette and consideration for fellow passengers. So, if you’re going to try this hack, be prepared for any outcome and always approach the situation with kindness and respect.

Now, we’d love to hear from you, our readers. What’s your strategy for surviving long flights? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below, and let’s help each other make those lengthy journeys a bit more comfortable.

Also read: Maximise your holiday budget: The travel hack that pays you back