--- title: Secret Airplane Seat Button Will Give You More Space description: It’s also a helpful trick to use at the end of your flight when you need more space to stand up and grab your luggage from the overhead bin canonical: https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-19T18:37:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:52:16.796Z og:title: This Secret Button on Your Airplane Seat Will Instantly Give You More Space og:description: But it only applies to one seat in the row og:url: https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41733846506b26/6988d7f84ee26227d730e645/dirtiest-places-on-airplane.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3008 og:image:height: 1692 og:image:alt: dirtiest places on airplane og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Secret Button on Your Airplane Seat Will Instantly Give You More Space twitter:description: But it only applies to one seat in the row twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41733846506b26/6988d7f84ee26227d730e645/dirtiest-places-on-airplane.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Secret Button on Your Airplane Seat Will Instantly Give You More Space > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Worth Your Time: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Worth Your Time is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more. Worth Your Time is a curated guide to the culture worth knowing, from the biggest conversations of the moment to the books, shows, ideas and discoveries worth your attention. Culture editor Eliza Berman taps TIME's collective taste and perspective to surface what is worth watching, reading, talking about and sharing, and why. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=a53d7dd7-2c89-4955-940b-ab87016e5ab5&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Weekly | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Eliza Berman, Culture Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Culturally curious consumers. An audience tuned into the ideas, entertainment and cultural conversations worth knowing, with added influence among professionals across media, entertainment, creative, brand, communications and consulting. ### TIME Worth Your Time: key statements * Worth Your Time is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Worth Your Time is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=a53d7dd7-2c89-4955-940b-ab87016e5ab5&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/subscribe?i=a53d7dd7-2c89-4955-940b-ab87016e5ab5&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What should I watch or read, according to TIME? Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=a53d7dd7-2c89-4955-940b-ab87016e5ab5&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How to Deal With a Rude Seat Recliner on a Plane, According to an Etiquette Expert [Watch (HLS stream): How to Deal With a Rude Seat Recliner on a Plane, According to an Etiquette Expert](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jfqtz697.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2017-08-23. Perhaps the only thing more frustrating than shrinking leg room on airplanes is when a passenger reclines their seat, further encroaching on already tight space_ by [Lindsey Campbell / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Lindsey Campbell / Travel + Leisure Sep 19, 2017 6:37 PM UTC by [Lindsey Campbell / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Lindsey Campbell / Travel + Leisure Sep 19, 2017 6:37 PM UTC Ever wish you could just press a button and your airplane seat would become instantly less confining? Well, you can. Kind of. As a traveler, there’s a lot we don’t know about airplanes: [why the windows are round](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/why-are-airplane-windows-round), [why the lights dim during landing and takeoff](http://www.travelandleisure.com/blogs/why-do-airplanes-dim-lights-on-takeoff), and [how do those tiny tires on the landing gear not pop](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/why-airplane-tires-dont-explode) when they hit the runway? And, while [we’ve explained all those quirks](http://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/airplane-facts) before, there’s one little aspect of an airplane seat, we’ve yet to reveal: the secret button that will turn your aisle seat into a spacious oasis. Ok, not exactly an oasis, but it will give you a little more room to breathe. Where is this magical button, you ask? On the underside of the outer most armrest of the [aisle seat](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/travelandleisure.com/articles/how-to-find-the-best-seat-airplane-seat) (sorry, window seat-lovers, but you do get to rest your head against the window). To find it, slide your hand under the armrest, close to the hinge and feel for the button. Press it and you are now free to move that armrest up so it’s flush with the back of your seat, giving you the freedom you deserve. A simple move with a big reward: no more armrest digging into your side and a little swing room for your legs. It’s also a helpful trick to use at the end of your flight when you need more space to stand up and grab your luggage from the overhead bin. Instead of doing that awkward, half-backbend lean to grab your bag from above you, while also trying to avoid touching your neighbor, just put up the armrest and easily get out of your seat. But, that’s not all this button was intended for. While it does provide some much-needed relief from the constricting boundaries of an airplane seat, its sole function isn’t to give you more room. It’s actually a safety measure to allow a quick and easy escape should you need to make an emergency exit from the plane. So, on your next trip, make the move and choose the aisle seat. Go ahead and push that tiny button. Your sides will thank you, and you’ll probably blow the mind of your fellow passengers. _This_ [_article_](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/armrest-button-aisle-seat-airplane) _originally appeared on_ [_TravelandLeisure.com_](http://www.travelandleisure.com) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/"},"headline":"This Secret Button on Your Airplane Seat Will Instantly Give You More Space","datePublished":"2017-09-19T18:37:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:52:16.796Z","description":"But it only applies to one seat in the row","url":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/","keywords":["Living","Aviation","onetime","onetimetravel","Evergreen"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41733846506b26/6988d7f84ee26227d730e645/dirtiest-places-on-airplane.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lindsey Campbell / Travel + Leisure"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca41733846506b26/6988d7f84ee26227d730e645/dirtiest-places-on-airplane.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"dirtiest places on airplane","caption":"dirtiest places on airplane","creditText":"Csondy—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/","name":"This Secret Button on Your Airplane Seat Will Instantly Give You More Space"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Deal With a Rude Seat Recliner on a Plane, According to an Etiquette Expert","description":"Perhaps the only thing more frustrating than shrinking leg room on airplanes is when a passenger reclines their seat, further encroaching on already tight space","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Jfqtz697/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-08-23T20:18:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jfqtz697.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/","duration":"PT1M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4946328/airplane-seat-secret-button/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```