Airplane seats are often criticized for being too small, with medium seats measuring 17.2 to 18 inches. Some airlines offer larger seats in first or business class, but the pace between seats has decreased, causing discomfort for taller passengers. The wheelbase, which affects legroom, is also often too small. Adding more seats to an aircraft reduces pitch and can cause discomfort even on half-full flights. Increasing pitch leads to higher ticket prices.
Taking a flight by plane is quite common today and literally millions of people board a plane every day, traveling to virtually every part of the globe. Some will find their journey slightly uncomfortable because airplane seats are a little smaller. Medium seats measure 17.2 to 18 inches (43.68 to 45.72 cm), meaning anyone with a hip measurement larger than 36 inches (91.44 cm) will likely feel a little squashed when sitting down. Some airlines insist that airplane seat sizes haven’t changed at all and that more people, especially in North America, are simply getting bigger, making the seats feel smaller.
There are some exceptions to the relatively small size, with some airlines using their larger seats as a selling point. First class and business or executive class flights may also offer larger seats.
Another, and perhaps more crucial, difference in aircraft seating comes from measurements between seats that are vertically aligned. This measurement, called pace, has changed considerably. While people are a little wider, on average they are also considerably taller than they once were. A lot of discomfort on long flights comes from the inability to move your legs properly from small flips.
In first class, wheelbase is rarely an issue and most have a generous 80 inches (203.2cm) wheelbase. On coaches or economy class aircraft, the wheelbase tends to be around 31 inches (78.74 cm). Some companies offer a larger wheelbase of 33-34 inches (83.82-86.36 cm), and Boeing, in fact, has standardized a 33-inch wheelbase (83.82 cm) for its 777s. Smaller aircraft are likely to offer the larger wheelbase. small and international flights the largest.
Overall, however, the wheelbase is still in many ways too small, which in turn makes aircraft seats feel too small. A person over 6 feet (1.82 m) tall, with hips wider than 3 feet (0.91 m) is likely to feel squashed both vertically and horizontally on the smallest seats with the smallest pitch. Anyone who has had the experience of having a small child seat kick in a seat directly behind him will realize that even the smallest pitch makes this possible.
Aircraft seats are often criticized because adding more seats to an aircraft often means less pitch. Even when a plane is only half full, row spacing can still cause discomfort on long flights and perhaps even short flights. Some companies are trying to increase the pace, but this then leads to higher ticket prices, because the same amount of fuel carries fewer people.
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