Seat Selection Questions

You’ll want the two outside seats absolutely. You will know for certain who is next to you. You can book middle seats and hope but you could wind up with a sumo wrestler as a seat mate. The two middle seats are the worst idea. One or both of you will be climbing over others for bathroom breaks, just to stretch your legs.

We always always go for the "2" in the 2-4-2 configuration. Once we tried to pick the outside 2 seats in a "3" configuration and were stuck with someone in between the two of us. That person asked if one of us wanted to move but neither of us did. Dh sleeps the entire flight and requires the aisle seat due to long legs and I prefer the window seat to rest my head and peer out once daylight breaks. We also tend to go with comfort + for extra legroom.

I have never been in the middle 4 section of a plane before. The outside sections tend to fill up first, however.
I waited on our flight for this coming May and by the time I decided it wasn't getting any cheaper, Delta's Comfort + sold out. I ended up booking United. It'll be our first time with United.

I travel solo and like to have an aisle seat so I can get up and walk around without bothering a stranger. I mourn the loss of the window seats I used to take, because they definitely made it easier for me to nap. So I definitely recommend grabbing the pair of seats along the side of the plane.

Flaky things can always happen, but it's really unusual to fly on a plane that has any empty aisle or window seats, so I think your idea of grabbing the two middle seats of four is a very, very bad one. It would pretty much guarantee that you'd both be crawling over someone to get to the aisle. Plenty of people traveling in pairs like aisles-across seating so they don't even have to disturb each other, which means that singles on the aisle are not unpopular seats.

Flights rarely go out with many empty seats these days. Do not make your plans hoping that you will enjoy extra space because of empty seats! Sure, it's possible, and it does happen, but it's highly unlikely. By gambling on that, you are much, much more likely to end up in a much worse seat.

Flaky things can always happen, but it's really unusual to fly on a plane that has any empty aisel or window seats,

My wife and I flew BA to Moscow many years ago, we were in economy with around 15 other people! It was a late flight so we took a row each to lay down. I'm pretty sure these days such flights would be canceled and everyone herded onto a single flight instead.

I agree with the others that the middle 2 of the 2-4-2 is the worst position. You'll get a solo traveler like me who will fill in the aisle seats. I usually choose a center aisle seat on either 2-4-2 or 3-3-3. For 2 of you flying, I would go with the 2 seats on the outside if there are Comfort seats. I always spend the extra for the room in Comfort.

I HAVE had to be in the middle of a 2-4-2 in regular economy and it was dreadful. The other middle seat was a very nice guy who was about 6'10" and his knees were literally up to his ears. He was a student and trying to work on his laptop and there was just no room at all.

Great that you have a direct flight to Rome!

Definitely select an outer set of two in the 2-4-2 configuration. You can alternate who has the window seat during the night. For the Economy Comfort, the extra leg room in the first row is great if it’s available.

Go for the 2.
You both will be cozy and can lean on each other.

If there are open seats (big maybe) you can move. So dont take any chances.

One of my friends said sit closer to the front you get the drinks and food faster lol

Buy your ticket soon as you can :)

I always go for the 2 when traveling in a pair. No stranger in your row - so no risk of a problem with them - a very large person who squishes you, a chatty person who won't shut up when you want to sleep, a smelly person, a drunk, etc etc. If you went with the 4, it is unlikely the other seats would stay empty. Would be nice, but in no way can you count on it.

JC, I had the same experience! It was the first time I had flown, and was flying from New York to Helsinki, on my way to a summer session in Leningrad. The coach section was almost empty, so we all found middle seats to stretch out it. I remember thinking, "Well, this isn't so bad!" Golly, that was a long time ago.

I haven't seen a similar situation since, no matter where I flew or what time of year.

Another vote for the 2 configuration. If you can get Delta's premium economy at a price you feel you can afford, you should go ahead and purchase it. There are no guarantees on airline pricing.......

FYI I have been monitoring the price of a different flight for the last 8 months because I bought it when I felt it was high, but I knew that the particular airline (Alaska) had a price guarantee. You monitor it, and If the price goes down, they change your price. 8 months later the price has only climbed. I am glad that I purchased it when I did.

Flights rarely go out with many empty seats these days.

Back in the day when I used to use a travel agent, he would often book us window and aisle in a 3 seat configuration, figuring that the middle seats are the last to be assigned. But for several years now it seems that most flights I've taken are full or close to full.

The Airbus 330 has one very annoying problem with their seats. The armrests do not fold up into the space between adjoining seats. They only move about thirty degrees and don't stay in that position so other than an empty seat next to you, there's no spreading out. Thank you Boeing for not doing this!

Yet another vote for the "2" seats. On shorter flights than to Europe, with 3-3 seating, we've often booked the combination window/aisle seats. It has worked a number of times. If the middle seat is taken, we ask if they want to switch into say the window seat if we want easier access to the aisle. However, on the last trip where we utilized the window/aisle strategy, the jumbo sized person wished to stay in the middle seat and munch away on very aromatic food the entire flight. Oh well.

I've monitored our flight for months...we leave in Sept. Since we want to fly nonstop out of ATL we are limited on our flights; we also checked SeatGuru to get the seats we wanted. We decided to bite the bullet & buy the tickets. I've quit monitoring the flights, if I found something cheaper I would moan and groan, what's done is done. Now I can concentrate on others aspects of the trip.
We booked outer seats so it's easier to get up and stretch our legs. We also ordered the diabetic meals (as close to low carb as we could get) but I also read "special" meals get served before others. We shall see on that one!!
Enjoy your trip!!!

Thanks everyone!

We went ahead and bought our tickets. I was a bit surprised as the seats on the return flight were filling up fast. Had to settle for being two of four on the way home. I'm sure it will be fine.

Phrank, that may work to your advantage. If a singleton like me nabs the other end of the row then there may be a single seat left for a little extra space!

Now, do check your reservations every couple of weeks to make sure there has not been an equipment or time change. I usually go 3-4 weeks this far out then tighten up to every other week about 2 months out, then every week when I get to a month out. The airlines are always supposed to notify you if there is a change but in my experience, even as a member of the Delta Frequent Flyer program, that is not always the case. Most of us have learned to do this by having a massive change sneak up on us!

Yes, pay heed to Pam's advice -- we booked seats in a 2-across row which morphed into 2-of-3 when the airplane equipment was changed. Luckily, it was early enough to reselect aisle-and-aisle seats.

My only Comfort+ options right now in a Delta flight from Rome to Detroit this October are the 4 seats in the 2-4-2 configuration. The outer 2 would be ideal for us as a couple but all are taken. I suppose the leftmost or rightmost 2 of the 4 will have to suffice. It's surprising that so few seats remain available at 6 months.

Two aisle seats across from each other works, too.