Posted on 11/29/2006 5:30:40 AM PST by shrinkermd
With airlines squeezing more seats onto planes and flights more crowded than ever, some nasty battles are brewing, pitting passengers who recline their seats against the squished travelers sitting behind them...
Most U.S. airlines still allow seats to tip as far back as four or five inches....But now Southwest Airlines is doing something to reduce the threat of bruised knees and spilled drinks. The carrier is reducing the maximum recline in many of its seats so that customers can use laptop computers, for example, when the person in front of them wants to lean back.
...The airline decided to standardize recline at three inches, adjusting seats as planes go in for major maintenance work. s.
While Southwest offers 32 inches of space for each seat row on its Boeing 737s, many competitors have seats with less room -- 31-inch rows for the most part, with some as tight as 30 inches. Yet most other airlines also allow at least four inches of recline in seats...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Americans need space. Take out some of the seats and charge more for the ones with extra room.
Think LearJet.
Of course, you could tell the pilot was used to flying cargo. The plane did a virtual nose dive into Aruba. Some passengers were pretty nervous.
I can see the day in the near future where space regulations are born - most of the airline seating is woefully inadequate. There should be as much leg, hip, and head room as the front seat of a mid-sized SUV.
My wife bemoans the end of the days when flying was something that you'd get dressed up for and people would act in a civilized manner.
Last time we flew, I noticed two women who were flying in their pajamas.
People are herded into those planes like animals and conduct themselves similarly.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
You've gotta love SWA - hopefully others will follow (but I'm not holding my breath - AA just announced [albeit quietly] they're reducing the seat spacing on planes as they come in for overhaul). UA also has terrible seat spacing, but offers better seats if you're willing to pay around $60 more.
Last time we flew, I noticed two women who were flying in their pajamas.
In my suburban enclave, I notice men, women and children showing up in town for their bagels and coffee wearing pajamas!
My wife bemoans the end of the days when flying was something that you'd get dressed up for and people would act in a civilized manner.
Last time we flew, I noticed two women who were flying in their pajamas.
People are herded into those planes like animals and conduct themselves similarly.
***
My aunt was one of those who would get well dressed to fly. In those days, flying was a big event and a big event called for proper dress. I still remember her in her hat and white gloves. Classy lady.
I don't dress up largely for comfort. To fly 4 hours or so to Las Vegas would be just about impossible if I were all dolled up. I wouldn't do pajamas, but hey, whatever is comfortable.
This is not just confined to airlines. Seats on a bus or in a theater are not conductive to a normal size person, let alone a fat woman like me. Even worse is how much space is between rows. The last set of buses our local transit authority purchased has unevenly spaced rows. Some have sufficient space; for other rows, you have to be Twiggy to sit down. Funny thing is that we hear all the time how fat Americans are -- is this trend toward narrowing seats and rows supposed to encourage us to lose weight? If so, I don't think it's working.
I have flown only 5 or 6 times in my life and could hardly walk when i left the planes. Those close seats are killers.
Some already do. On Northwest it's a $15 upgrade if you've bought one of the cheap tickets.
...and we should have a prohibition on guys wearing tank tops and shorts on planes.
New Zealand Air business class was fantastic in '01! Check it out, the seats were huge and reclined almost flat for great sleeping.
Never flew New Zealand Air, but I took British Airways (first class) once. Not only was it emminently comfortable, but the service in general was outstanding. American lines could learn a few things from some of their overseas competitors.
I, for one, would welcome the removal of 10% of coach seats, with the extra space distributed to provide extra leg-room throughout coach, even at the cost of a 10% fare increase.
Actually, since not all flights fly full, the profit-neutral solution would probably allow more seats to be removed to balance a 10% fare hike.
"Americans need space. Take out some of the seats and charge more for the ones with extra room."
Bang!!
Whatever you do, don't fly into St. Barts! Exciting, to say the least.
Well, since the airlines have raised prices, at least around where I live, another 10% wouldn't make much difference.
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