Why do we have social etiquette rules on train seat allocation? What are these rules based on?
I commute 3 hours a day for uni, and most everyone seems to follow these rules for choosing a seat (structured like code because I'm a nerd hehe):
1. Empty rows, picking either the two-seater or three-seater depending on availability first, then preference.
2. Aisle seat on the three-seater, leaving a one-seat gap between stranger sitting by the window
3. Empty awkward six-seater at the ends of each carriage
4. Second seat on the two-seater
5. Last available spot on the three-seater, which 95% of the time is the middle space, because aisle-seat-person always stands up so they retain the better seat
6. Even more awkward spaces potentially available in the awkward six-seater
7. Stand and suffer when the next station from Sutherland is Helensburgh
(sometimes preferable to 6)