8 ms·

I'm 6'4" and I can assure you that for me at least it's not a "marginal" increase in comfort. For me, 10 yrs ago, a standard economy seat on a major airline was

by plg 9y ago

I'm 6'4" and I can assure you that for me at least it's not a "marginal" increase in comfort. For me, 10 yrs ago, a standard economy seat on a major airline was OK. My knees grazed the seat in front, but whatever. Now, today, on several major airlines, in standard Econo, my knees not only touch but my upper legs cannot, geometrically, sit straight. My legs have to be splayed apart, because the fwd/back distance is literally too little for my femur bone. With my hips jammed into the seat back, my legs cannot fit, sitting straight ahead. This is insane for me. Yes I can pay more for one of the Econo-plus seats ... but I should not have to. 6'4" is not average, yes, I realize, but so what---it's a genetic tax then? If I want to fly I have to pay more? If I were too "wide" you might say (though you shouldn't), my fault, I should lose weight. But what am I supposed to do? Saw my ankles off? If I were the worlds tallest person, sure, you could claim exceptional circumstances. But 6'4" is not that exceptional, I submit to you. PS I'm not criticizing you of course... only making the point that for many of us, this has become an exceptionally frustrating (and costly) experience.

ryanwaggoner 9y ago
Oh man, this would make an awesome class action suit!
- plg 9y ago
  I once complained to a flight attendant and she simply said, you're free to pay more to sit up front where there is more space. And then she looked me right in the eye and said "after all, flying is not some kind of guaranteed human right, is it"
  - nnfy 9y ago
    And she was absolutely right.
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      Operating a discriminatory business is not a human right either.
      - nnfy 9y ago
        Discrimination? If you really want to go down that absurd road, I want special accommodations for being short. I want free seat pillows in movie theatres. I demand that bars implement rules that require tall people to crouch or bend their knees while on the primeses. Roller coaster minimum height to ride rules are discriminatory; let's make those illegal too. Because ME ME ME ME. Now let's talk about catering to my extreme and the GP's extreme; oh wait, thats how you get averages, you say? Thats that the market is doing, you say? Operating a "discriminatory business" is absolutely a human right, because I dont owe you any more than what I agreed to before payment. All businesses are by nature in some was discriminatory, because of the laws of physics at the very least.
        logfromblammo 9y ago
        We have already had this discussion politically, and businesses must make reasonable accommodations for those people that require them. Furthermore, businesses must serve black customers and white customers as equals. And if they bake cakes for straights, they can't refuse to do so for gays. If you want to discriminate, you have to operate as a private club business, and serve only members. That's our "out" for those kinds of businesses. If you want to do business with anyone who walks in off the street, you have to do business with everyone who walks in off the street. And yes, amusement park rides are discriminatory, but sometimes no reasonable accommodations are possible. The design constraints mean the passenger dimensions have to fall within a certain range, or the physics math doesn't work out. It would certainly be possible to have multiple types of passenger vehicles and restraints, but it also complicates the operations, because you then have to sort passengers by size before seating them. The scope of reasonableness is subjective. In the case of airline seating, the reasonable accommodation for ranges in height would be to reserve some seats with more legroom for tall people, and some seats with less legroom and lower seat height for short people. Height is normally distributed, so the tradeoff would tend to work out on average. But that would interfere with airlines' fare categories and gratuitous seat upgrade fees.
singlow 9y ago
Do you also feel cheated when you pay more for larger clothing? Being big costs more for them, why should they absorb the cost?
- jdhawk 9y ago
  Uh, they usually do cost more. Click the "Tall" sizes.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - kobeya 9y ago
    That's what he's saying.
- Markoff 9y ago
  except height is not really related to airline expenses, since there will be many much shorter people paying same with lot of spare space they should really have cabin with different layouts and assign seats according height, taller person would get more space, shorter less, but both would have same level of comfort and there would be same capacity of seats, current layout with all seats and gaps between them same is very archaic. they should really charge people per kg, there can be short and heavy person while tall and skinny, and as i pointed above you can have same level of comfort for passengers without losing capacity assigning seats depending on size, your can do nothing about weight, this will cost airline always more so heavier people should pay more because it's directly related to fuel expenses. we already do it with baggage so why not with bodies?
- analog31 9y ago
  I've formed the impression that I pay more for average sized clothing. I'm average in nearly everything, and when I try to find stuff on sale, my size is always gone.
ajross 9y ago
> it's a genetic tax then? If I want to fly I have to pay more? I mean, maybe? The simple truth is that if you want to fly someone needs to pay more, because you weigh more and occupy more space in the vehicle. Is air travel something that should be subsidized in some way or not? I'm not sure that I see a clear answer here. Alternatively: There are many financial inequalities that stem from genetics or circumstance. Is this the one we want to be fighting for?
- Moru 9y ago
  Or you could see it the other way. Just because you are genetically luckier, should you pay less?
  - icebraining 9y ago
    If I'm paying the same for both seats, I might as well get a larger one, and then taller people can't even choose to pay more, they're just screwed. Alternatively, the airline could reserve them for tall people, but that risks leaving with them empty, which increases the costs for everyone.
    - cm2187 9y ago
      Only if your planes are fully booked on all trips. Otherwise you may losing revenues because of clients like me who have their own blacklist of airlines they don't want to fly with because of this sort of things. For instance I will not consider going to a destination which forces me to fly Ryanair.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
  - TulliusCicero 9y ago
    If you're bigger and thus need more food, you have to pay more at grocery stores and restaurants. I don't see how this is any different, nothing wrong with paying for how much you actually use.
madengr 9y ago
Southwest will let you pre-board if you are 6'3"+. I did that for several years until they banned pre-boards from sitting in the exit rows. It's only usefull now for getting the bulkhead seats.
- jdhawk 9y ago
  Seriously? Still, with all the Early Bird Checkin and stuff?
  - madengr 9y ago
    I have not done it recently, but yes. It is considered a handicap. A flight attendant told me about it, and lo and behold, it worked every time. No fuss. As I said though, mostly useless now due to non-exit rows.
chrismealy 9y ago
Look up the research on how height effects wages. You're still coming out way ahead.
- tj-teej 9y ago
  That's really awful logic. Those are averages, you have no clue what the poster's salary is. When you're broke and have to decide whether to shell out an extra 100 bucks for a cross-country flight for a funeral, or sit in pain, I don't think statistics will make you feel better.
ghostbrainalpha 9y ago
This IS a genetic tax, but I propose to you that even if you are treated unfairly on airlines, that doesn't make up for all the advantages of height over the course of your lifetime. As someone who is 5 foot 5 inches tall, I receive many benefits, like being able to buy my suits from children's clothing section. But if I was given the opportunity to trade my height for yours, I would pay more for my air travel every day.
- wott 9y ago
  What are those numerous advantages? Apart from picking apples. Probably not hitting low doors/beams. Probably not breaking one's back each time one does the dishes or anything like that (or cleaning or picking low garden stuff), and the result of that after years and decades. Probably not having one's knees already fucked at 40 (or before). Probably not falling from higher. Probably not being embarrassed with where to put one's long members. Probably not being uncomfortable in most means of transport. (Probably not offering a larger wind surface when cycling either.) And probably not being nicked by the cops each time they have no idea whom to chose amongst 20 people, but they don't want to return empty handed :-D
  - everyone 9y ago
    Shorter people live longer :) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/short-men-live-longer-study_n_5299557.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/short-men-live-long...
  - cratermoon 9y ago
    Height is positively correlated with career advancement and earnings. The average height of US presidents is 5'11". The shortest president, James Madison, was 5'4' and that was in the early 19th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century average height is 6' even. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_presidents_and_presidential_candidates_of_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_presidents_and_pr... In short, tall = rich and powerful.
  - thaumasiotes 9y ago
tamasnet 9y ago
> But what am I supposed to do? Saw my ankles off? I don't see how that would help your femur-length problem.
latestagecuck 9y ago
>genetic tax As a 5'2" manlet subhuman i pay the genetic tax socially, romantically, and career-wise. Doesn't feel so good now, eh, tallfag?
mmagin 9y ago
I'm 6'2", and I can cope with the legroom issue (though it makes using a laptop pretty much impossible). But I have a problem with the 18" and smaller widths, and not due to abdominal or hip fat. My shoulders are just too wide -- on some planes, an aisle seat is the only thing that's comfortable unless the person next to me is small or someone I can occasionally take some space from without seeming like a jerk. Now that I'm in my late-30s and often have occasional stiff shoulders or neck for other reasons, I've started to pay this "genetic tax" of premium seats more and more often.
cm2187 9y ago
And in a plane crash, you are almost guaranteed to have your knees broken and be unable to evacuate a burning plane. This is not just discomfort.
- RugnirViking 9y ago
  This argument is probably your #1 hope if you want to go about changing this. Nearly everything about aircraft design is predicated on airframe safety
hbk1966 9y ago
You act like this is uncommon for you. Taller people have to pay more for cloths, buy larger cars, and consume more food. You pay more in gas to transport the extra weight. There are probably many more this isn't some weird thing.
desireco42 9y ago
I honestly am normal size and I suffer greatly, I have no idea how you cope.
Clubber 9y ago
I'm 6'3" but have not flown since probably 2002. I have no desire since the whole TSA thing. I couldn't imagine the hell a 5 hour flight would be on me, much less longer.
CamelCaseName 9y ago
Many people have left interesting replies to your post but consider this: Perhaps airlines can squeeze more passengers on and reduce fares enough that it covers the cost of having to upgrade your ticket.
nnfy 9y ago
6'4" is absolutely exceptional. You're asking for airliners to cater to what, less than 5% of the population? Do I get special accomomodations in society for being short? Where's my dating rights lawsuit?
- tehlike 9y ago
  Exceptional where? Netherlands would probably disagree with you.
  - shard 9y ago
    Exception on planet Earth, obviously.
  - harryh 9y ago
    In the Netherlands a 6'4" male is in the 94.6 percentile. https://tall.life/height-percentile-calculator-age-country/ https://tall.life/height-percentile-calculator-age-country/
    - tehlike 9y ago
      US: Tall: 98.9 Percentile Netherlands: Kinda Tall: 94.6 Percentile Kinda Tall is probably not something you'd call necessarily rare. And if you check 6' 2'' (which is my height), US: Kinda Tall: 94.6 Percentile Netherlands: Above Average: 82.2 Percentile So i think my point stands :)
- Dylan16807 9y ago
  >You're asking for airliners to cater to what, less than 5% of the population? Yes I do expect them to care about tens of millions of passengers being able to fit.
  - nnfy 9y ago
    They do care. They've shown that it is more economical for private companies to not make special allocations for one subset of the population, especially when customers are free to upgrade. This isn't about airlines being evil, its about your entitlement.
laGrenouille 9y ago
I'm 6'3" and have many of the same issues. I recognise that things in life are not always going to be fair and that many of these things ultimately even out (we probably save money walking where other take cabs or performing household maintenance shorter people find difficulty). My bigger concern is the issue for traveling for work, which I do quite frequently. It does seem unfair that in order to not be in miserable pain for hours, taller people must shell out of pocket for doing something that is just part of their job. In fact, I wish airlines actually forced taller people to upgrade. That would make it so that my employer and people inviting me to give talks would be forced to pay for the upgrade to economy plus or business class.
- ghaff 9y ago
  As someone who is fairly but not very tall and who admittedly travels enough to get Economy Plus anyway most of the time, it's hard for me to be too sympathetic beyond a "Yeah, it sucks" kind of way. Airlines do force people who are too wide to upgrade in some way (like buy an extra seat)--though I've had bad experiences when they haven't. But people want cheaper tickets and companies have their rules. I'm not sure there are good solutions other than negotiate something with your company or shell out the extra cash.
tuna-piano 9y ago
re: "Genetic tax"- Yes, it is a genetic penalty in the sense that tons of things in life are genetic penalties / rewards. Happy with your IQ? Sad about your attractiveness? Have to spend money on acne cream? Have to buy feminine hygiene products? Not seen as attractive by the opposite gender? Sad about your lack of ability to be a professional baseball pitcher? It's life, get over it. Not to mention, I'm going to guess that you wouldn't trade your position with someone who's 5'4", even though you'd save a few bucks on flights.
rayiner 9y ago
There are tons of benefits to being 6-4 so why should society subsidize you for the downsides?
cakedoggie 9y ago
I too am 6'4", but this guy makes a good point. Should shorter people be subsidizing our travel?
- UnoriginalGuy 9y ago
  The issue is that the cost increase is not proportional. If you go from an Economy Basic seat to a Economy Plus seat I'll pay 125% more. Meaning a $39 seat now costs $90. Does it cost over 100% more to fly an over six foot person than a five foot eight person? No...
- Markoff 9y ago
  no, there would be different seats for different people, smaller for shorter people, bigger for taller, capacity would stay same and everyone would have same level of comfort currently i pay same price as my 36cm shorter wife, so she has luxurious leg space and i suffer. it could be easily resolved if her seat would moved closer to seat in front of her and they could seat someone tall behind her. now i would be fine paying more becausei am heavier than she and there is nothing we can do about it but that would be at least rational, pay for each kg same as with luggage, but current system giving short people lot of space while they pay same as me and i suffer is not fair and i am subsidizing them with my leg space, while they get extra inches they don't need because airlines are not flexible
librish 9y ago
As a 6'8" guy (with long thigh bones) you are making a minor problem out to be a major one. Yes, we have to splay our legs a little bit but I have no problem doing long haul flights in economy. What exactly is causing you this great discomfort? Personally the act of sitting down for so long is far more painful than anything my height causes.
- Al-Khwarizmi 9y ago
  Either your thigh bones are not long for your height (people have different proportions), or you have lucked out with airlines that still have decent legroom. I'm 1.97 (I think 6'6" according to some random website) and long-haul flights are torturous to me, I always end up with knee and leg pain, and definitely don't feel identified with "the act of sitting down for so long is far more painful than anything my height causes". It's more comfortable for me to sit on a train (good legroom) for 4X hours than on a plane for X hours (whether I can afford the extra time is another story).
  - Markoff 9y ago
    are you sure you are buying aisle seats? i can't imagine sitting at window being 196cm, but in aisle i can stretch at least one leg (though i got used to being occasionally hit by flight attendants) and the other one must go to space between seats in front of me since i can't sit straight, it's physically impossible i would propose except paying for seat apparently paying for weight, your already have to pay for heavier baggage anyway, why not pay more for weight, you can at least influence that unlike height
lttlrck 9y ago
Also 6’4” - back in the day (10 years ago) when I was checking in more often than not I’d be offered an exit row seat... no chance of that happening now.
- Markoff 9y ago
  yeah, i always used to ask about it considering i was usually one of the tallest people on board and check-in workers usually understood it, but nowadays emergency seats are paid so no such luck anymore

by plg 9y ago

ryanwaggoner 9y ago

Oh man, this would make an awesome class action suit!

plg 9y ago
I once complained to a flight attendant and she simply said, you're free to pay more to sit up front where there is more space. And then she looked me right in the eye and said "after all, flying is not some kind of guaranteed human right, is it"
- nnfy 9y ago
  And she was absolutely right.
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    Operating a discriminatory business is not a human right either.
    - nnfy 9y ago
      Discrimination? If you really want to go down that absurd road, I want special accommodations for being short. I want free seat pillows in movie theatres. I demand that bars implement rules that require tall people to crouch or bend their knees while on the primeses. Roller coaster minimum height to ride rules are discriminatory; let's make those illegal too. Because ME ME ME ME. Now let's talk about catering to my extreme and the GP's extreme; oh wait, thats how you get averages, you say? Thats that the market is doing, you say? Operating a "discriminatory business" is absolutely a human right, because I dont owe you any more than what I agreed to before payment. All businesses are by nature in some was discriminatory, because of the laws of physics at the very least.
      - logfromblammo 9y ago
        We have already had this discussion politically, and businesses must make reasonable accommodations for those people that require them. Furthermore, businesses must serve black customers and white customers as equals. And if they bake cakes for straights, they can't refuse to do so for gays. If you want to discriminate, you have to operate as a private club business, and serve only members. That's our "out" for those kinds of businesses. If you want to do business with anyone who walks in off the street, you have to do business with everyone who walks in off the street. And yes, amusement park rides are discriminatory, but sometimes no reasonable accommodations are possible. The design constraints mean the passenger dimensions have to fall within a certain range, or the physics math doesn't work out. It would certainly be possible to have multiple types of passenger vehicles and restraints, but it also complicates the operations, because you then have to sort passengers by size before seating them. The scope of reasonableness is subjective. In the case of airline seating, the reasonable accommodation for ranges in height would be to reserve some seats with more legroom for tall people, and some seats with less legroom and lower seat height for short people. Height is normally distributed, so the tradeoff would tend to work out on average. But that would interfere with airlines' fare categories and gratuitous seat upgrade fees.

singlow 9y ago

Do you also feel cheated when you pay more for larger clothing? Being big costs more for them, why should they absorb the cost?

jdhawk 9y ago
Uh, they usually do cost more. Click the "Tall" sizes.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- kobeya 9y ago
  That's what he's saying.
Markoff 9y ago
except height is not really related to airline expenses, since there will be many much shorter people paying same with lot of spare space they should really have cabin with different layouts and assign seats according height, taller person would get more space, shorter less, but both would have same level of comfort and there would be same capacity of seats, current layout with all seats and gaps between them same is very archaic. they should really charge people per kg, there can be short and heavy person while tall and skinny, and as i pointed above you can have same level of comfort for passengers without losing capacity assigning seats depending on size, your can do nothing about weight, this will cost airline always more so heavier people should pay more because it's directly related to fuel expenses. we already do it with baggage so why not with bodies?
analog31 9y ago
I've formed the impression that I pay more for average sized clothing. I'm average in nearly everything, and when I try to find stuff on sale, my size is always gone.

ajross 9y ago

> it's a genetic tax then? If I want to fly I have to pay more? I mean, maybe? The simple truth is that if you want to fly someone needs to pay more, because you weigh more and occupy more space in the vehicle. Is air travel something that should be subsidized in some way or not? I'm not sure that I see a clear answer here. Alternatively: There are many financial inequalities that stem from genetics or circumstance. Is this the one we want to be fighting for?

Moru 9y ago
Or you could see it the other way. Just because you are genetically luckier, should you pay less?
- icebraining 9y ago
  If I'm paying the same for both seats, I might as well get a larger one, and then taller people can't even choose to pay more, they're just screwed. Alternatively, the airline could reserve them for tall people, but that risks leaving with them empty, which increases the costs for everyone.
  - cm2187 9y ago
    Only if your planes are fully booked on all trips. Otherwise you may losing revenues because of clients like me who have their own blacklist of airlines they don't want to fly with because of this sort of things. For instance I will not consider going to a destination which forces me to fly Ryanair.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
- TulliusCicero 9y ago
  If you're bigger and thus need more food, you have to pay more at grocery stores and restaurants. I don't see how this is any different, nothing wrong with paying for how much you actually use.

madengr 9y ago

Southwest will let you pre-board if you are 6'3"+. I did that for several years until they banned pre-boards from sitting in the exit rows. It's only usefull now for getting the bulkhead seats.

jdhawk 9y ago
Seriously? Still, with all the Early Bird Checkin and stuff?
- madengr 9y ago
  I have not done it recently, but yes. It is considered a handicap. A flight attendant told me about it, and lo and behold, it worked every time. No fuss. As I said though, mostly useless now due to non-exit rows.

chrismealy 9y ago

Look up the research on how height effects wages. You're still coming out way ahead.

tj-teej 9y ago
That's really awful logic. Those are averages, you have no clue what the poster's salary is. When you're broke and have to decide whether to shell out an extra 100 bucks for a cross-country flight for a funeral, or sit in pain, I don't think statistics will make you feel better.

ghostbrainalpha 9y ago

This IS a genetic tax, but I propose to you that even if you are treated unfairly on airlines, that doesn't make up for all the advantages of height over the course of your lifetime. As someone who is 5 foot 5 inches tall, I receive many benefits, like being able to buy my suits from children's clothing section. But if I was given the opportunity to trade my height for yours, I would pay more for my air travel every day.

wott 9y ago
What are those numerous advantages? Apart from picking apples. Probably not hitting low doors/beams. Probably not breaking one's back each time one does the dishes or anything like that (or cleaning or picking low garden stuff), and the result of that after years and decades. Probably not having one's knees already fucked at 40 (or before). Probably not falling from higher. Probably not being embarrassed with where to put one's long members. Probably not being uncomfortable in most means of transport. (Probably not offering a larger wind surface when cycling either.) And probably not being nicked by the cops each time they have no idea whom to chose amongst 20 people, but they don't want to return empty handed :-D
- everyone 9y ago
  Shorter people live longer :) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/short-men-live-longer-study_n_5299557.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/16/short-men-live-long...
- cratermoon 9y ago
  Height is positively correlated with career advancement and earnings. The average height of US presidents is 5'11". The shortest president, James Madison, was 5'4' and that was in the early 19th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century average height is 6' even. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_presidents_and_presidential_candidates_of_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heights_of_presidents_and_pr... In short, tall = rich and powerful.
- thaumasiotes 9y ago

tamasnet 9y ago

> But what am I supposed to do? Saw my ankles off? I don't see how that would help your femur-length problem.

latestagecuck 9y ago

>genetic tax As a 5'2" manlet subhuman i pay the genetic tax socially, romantically, and career-wise. Doesn't feel so good now, eh, tallfag?

mmagin 9y ago

I'm 6'2", and I can cope with the legroom issue (though it makes using a laptop pretty much impossible). But I have a problem with the 18" and smaller widths, and not due to abdominal or hip fat. My shoulders are just too wide -- on some planes, an aisle seat is the only thing that's comfortable unless the person next to me is small or someone I can occasionally take some space from without seeming like a jerk. Now that I'm in my late-30s and often have occasional stiff shoulders or neck for other reasons, I've started to pay this "genetic tax" of premium seats more and more often.

cm2187 9y ago

And in a plane crash, you are almost guaranteed to have your knees broken and be unable to evacuate a burning plane. This is not just discomfort.

RugnirViking 9y ago
This argument is probably your #1 hope if you want to go about changing this. Nearly everything about aircraft design is predicated on airframe safety

hbk1966 9y ago

You act like this is uncommon for you. Taller people have to pay more for cloths, buy larger cars, and consume more food. You pay more in gas to transport the extra weight. There are probably many more this isn't some weird thing.

desireco42 9y ago

I honestly am normal size and I suffer greatly, I have no idea how you cope.

Clubber 9y ago

I'm 6'3" but have not flown since probably 2002. I have no desire since the whole TSA thing. I couldn't imagine the hell a 5 hour flight would be on me, much less longer.

CamelCaseName 9y ago

Many people have left interesting replies to your post but consider this: Perhaps airlines can squeeze more passengers on and reduce fares enough that it covers the cost of having to upgrade your ticket.

nnfy 9y ago

6'4" is absolutely exceptional. You're asking for airliners to cater to what, less than 5% of the population? Do I get special accomomodations in society for being short? Where's my dating rights lawsuit?

tehlike 9y ago
Exceptional where? Netherlands would probably disagree with you.
- shard 9y ago
  Exception on planet Earth, obviously.
- harryh 9y ago
  In the Netherlands a 6'4" male is in the 94.6 percentile. https://tall.life/height-percentile-calculator-age-country/ https://tall.life/height-percentile-calculator-age-country/
  - tehlike 9y ago
    US: Tall: 98.9 Percentile Netherlands: Kinda Tall: 94.6 Percentile Kinda Tall is probably not something you'd call necessarily rare. And if you check 6' 2'' (which is my height), US: Kinda Tall: 94.6 Percentile Netherlands: Above Average: 82.2 Percentile So i think my point stands :)
Dylan16807 9y ago
>You're asking for airliners to cater to what, less than 5% of the population? Yes I do expect them to care about tens of millions of passengers being able to fit.
- nnfy 9y ago
  They do care. They've shown that it is more economical for private companies to not make special allocations for one subset of the population, especially when customers are free to upgrade. This isn't about airlines being evil, its about your entitlement.

laGrenouille 9y ago

I'm 6'3" and have many of the same issues. I recognise that things in life are not always going to be fair and that many of these things ultimately even out (we probably save money walking where other take cabs or performing household maintenance shorter people find difficulty). My bigger concern is the issue for traveling for work, which I do quite frequently. It does seem unfair that in order to not be in miserable pain for hours, taller people must shell out of pocket for doing something that is just part of their job. In fact, I wish airlines actually forced taller people to upgrade. That would make it so that my employer and people inviting me to give talks would be forced to pay for the upgrade to economy plus or business class.

ghaff 9y ago
As someone who is fairly but not very tall and who admittedly travels enough to get Economy Plus anyway most of the time, it's hard for me to be too sympathetic beyond a "Yeah, it sucks" kind of way. Airlines do force people who are too wide to upgrade in some way (like buy an extra seat)--though I've had bad experiences when they haven't. But people want cheaper tickets and companies have their rules. I'm not sure there are good solutions other than negotiate something with your company or shell out the extra cash.

tuna-piano 9y ago

re: "Genetic tax"- Yes, it is a genetic penalty in the sense that tons of things in life are genetic penalties / rewards. Happy with your IQ? Sad about your attractiveness? Have to spend money on acne cream? Have to buy feminine hygiene products? Not seen as attractive by the opposite gender? Sad about your lack of ability to be a professional baseball pitcher? It's life, get over it. Not to mention, I'm going to guess that you wouldn't trade your position with someone who's 5'4", even though you'd save a few bucks on flights.

rayiner 9y ago

There are tons of benefits to being 6-4 so why should society subsidize you for the downsides?

cakedoggie 9y ago

I too am 6'4", but this guy makes a good point. Should shorter people be subsidizing our travel?

UnoriginalGuy 9y ago
The issue is that the cost increase is not proportional. If you go from an Economy Basic seat to a Economy Plus seat I'll pay 125% more. Meaning a $39 seat now costs $90. Does it cost over 100% more to fly an over six foot person than a five foot eight person? No...
Markoff 9y ago
no, there would be different seats for different people, smaller for shorter people, bigger for taller, capacity would stay same and everyone would have same level of comfort currently i pay same price as my 36cm shorter wife, so she has luxurious leg space and i suffer. it could be easily resolved if her seat would moved closer to seat in front of her and they could seat someone tall behind her. now i would be fine paying more becausei am heavier than she and there is nothing we can do about it but that would be at least rational, pay for each kg same as with luggage, but current system giving short people lot of space while they pay same as me and i suffer is not fair and i am subsidizing them with my leg space, while they get extra inches they don't need because airlines are not flexible

librish 9y ago

As a 6'8" guy (with long thigh bones) you are making a minor problem out to be a major one. Yes, we have to splay our legs a little bit but I have no problem doing long haul flights in economy. What exactly is causing you this great discomfort? Personally the act of sitting down for so long is far more painful than anything my height causes.

Al-Khwarizmi 9y ago
Either your thigh bones are not long for your height (people have different proportions), or you have lucked out with airlines that still have decent legroom. I'm 1.97 (I think 6'6" according to some random website) and long-haul flights are torturous to me, I always end up with knee and leg pain, and definitely don't feel identified with "the act of sitting down for so long is far more painful than anything my height causes". It's more comfortable for me to sit on a train (good legroom) for 4X hours than on a plane for X hours (whether I can afford the extra time is another story).
- Markoff 9y ago
  are you sure you are buying aisle seats? i can't imagine sitting at window being 196cm, but in aisle i can stretch at least one leg (though i got used to being occasionally hit by flight attendants) and the other one must go to space between seats in front of me since i can't sit straight, it's physically impossible i would propose except paying for seat apparently paying for weight, your already have to pay for heavier baggage anyway, why not pay more for weight, you can at least influence that unlike height

lttlrck 9y ago

Also 6’4” - back in the day (10 years ago) when I was checking in more often than not I’d be offered an exit row seat... no chance of that happening now.

Markoff 9y ago
yeah, i always used to ask about it considering i was usually one of the tallest people on board and check-in workers usually understood it, but nowadays emergency seats are paid so no such luck anymore