Never go for a window seat. If I need to see what's out the window (e.g. Greenland, which if you fly over it in daylight if fLIcking amazing), go to one of the emergency exit doobries over the wing and peer out.

I make a game of trying to be the last to board. I'm not one of those morons who sits in the bar getting wasted and holding the plane up, and I'm at the gate with boarding pass and passport in good time... I just like that the herd are standing up queueing while I'm sitting there, comfy and listening to my pod or reading my book. And when they've all finished standing in the queue, I give it a minute or two, then saunter up to the desk, get waved through, and bimble onto the plane, where by now everyone is seated (or almost everyone), so I can simply wander to my seat and sit down. I haven't held the plane up or inconvenienced anyone, and I haven't had to queue. I don't really understand why everyone doesn't do this, but I guess if they did it would turn boarding into a massive game of chicken and it would take three hours to fill the plane.

I have got to the point where I actually give myself points for the number of people who get on the plane after me, fewest points = best flight score. You should always score single digits, but an actual zero is harder than you think. (Staff don't count, although on one flight I was actually the very very last human through the door.)

This game is made much more fun to play if you're with (and ideally in charge of) a group of people who don't understand the concept and seem to think that if they don't board as soon as physically possible the plane will leave without them.

It also obviously works best on civilised, allocated seat style airlines, although if you don't care where you sit it work on Easyjet too - although usually on there you find that window seats AND aisle seats are taken, and what's left is the worst-of-both-worlds middle seat.

[Edit: should add that I'm all nonchalant and laid back when I'm at the gate waiting to board, but I'm a nightmare paranoid for-god's-sake-hurry-up style nightmare to be around until the bags are checked and we're through security. Until I can actually get to the gate any time I like, just don't talk to me, OK?]
(SonofRojBlake, Wed 21 Dec 2011, 10:50, Reply)