Flying in the middle seat is rarely a pleasant experience, but it's considerably worse when you never saw it coming. While many airlines allow you to select a non-middle seat ahead of time, even that strategy isn't fool-proof.
After all, somebody has to sit in the middle, right? When a flight is overbooked, people are moved for any number of reasons. If something goes awry, that someone stuck in the middle could very well be you.
If you hate the middle, however, you can minimize your chances by planning ahead. Here's how:
