Window or aisle

Since friends and colleagues know I fly a lot I often get asked my opinion on various aspects of flying and frequent flyer programs.

A common question is whether to sit in the window or aisle. The best seats are both window and aisle at the same time, but most of the time there is a choice (or the dreaded middle seat). I don't have a universal preference, which makes it tricky to decide what to enter as preference in my frequent flyer program profile (for those airlines like Qantas that pre-allocate seats based on your profile).

I prefer a window seat when:

• it is a short flight - so easy access to the aisle is irrelevant
• it is a scenic flight - especially low altitude ones by/over/through mountains, but even longhaul flights at altitude can have great views
• I want to catch a glimpse of the northern or southern lights (on suitable routes and flying overnight)
• when the window seat has more room or more storage room - eg upper deck on 747 (thanks to the curvature and also side storage bins), on certain aircraft there is a missing window seat immediately in front of the exit row providing massive legroom
• I want to curl up against the wall on short overnight flights
• I want to avoid being bumped by other passengers or food/duty free trolleys

I prefer an aisle seat when:

• it is a long flight - easier to get up to stretch the legs or go to the bathroom or galley
• I am in a hurry to disembark - eg tight connections or a rush to make a meeting (okay this is most flights)
• I am sure to get a row of 3 or 4 seats to lay down on - easier to protect the row if you are seated in the aisle seat than if seated in the window seat
• I want easy access to gear stored in the overhead bin - eg when seated in an exit row
• on some aircraft, when seated in an exit row - to avoid the protusion of the slide into my legroom

So my answer is, it depends.

Which do you prefer and why?