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Once you are in your seat, you can either relax or by relatively productive with your laptop+in-flight wifi. I think that's only true if you fly first-class (d

Once you are in your seat, you can either relax or by relatively productive with your laptop+in-flight wifi. I think that's only true if you fly first-class (domestic) or business class (or maybe premium economy) international. In standard Economy I can't open my 15" laptop screen all the way, and when I try to use my keyboard, my elbows poke the person in the seat(s) next to me. So being productive while flying is not an option. The economics don't support giving people adequate space, so reducing the time in flight is a big win for everyone.

jessriedel 8y ago
You could buy two seats, or pay extra for the ones with more legroom. I think the GP's point, say, is that you could do both (two seats with extra legroom) at ~3x the cost, so if you're trying to make flights faster you need to compete with that. Indeed, the fact that airplanes are configured the ways they are suggest most flyers aren't willing to pay much at _all_ for more comfort...so it would be surprising if they'd pay a lot more to go faster.
TrevorJ 8y ago
Upgrading to a 'sane' amount of legroom cost me 40 bucks on my last flight as I recall. Even if time in the seat is 100% wasted time, all the ancillary stuff like getting to and from the airport, security, rental car, bag check, etc, etc is a significant % of the overall time expenditure for all but the longest flights.
- Johnny555 8y ago
  It varies widely among airlines, the last time I booked United for SFO->SEA (a 2 hour flight), they wanted $89 for "economy plus" and ~4 inches more legroom. And even with the extra legroom, the seats are still quite narrow and I have a hard time using a 15" laptop and still keeping my elbows within my armrests. I think I paid $29 for the upgrade on Alaska Airlines (though you need to do your research, since depending on the plane (Alaska, former virgin, Horizon), you may not get more legroom, just a seat closer to the front and maybe a free cocktail.

jessriedel 8y ago

You could buy two seats, or pay extra for the ones with more legroom. I think the GP's point, say, is that you could do both (two seats with extra legroom) at ~3x the cost, so if you're trying to make flights faster you need to compete with that. Indeed, the fact that airplanes are configured the ways they are suggest most flyers aren't willing to pay much at _all_ for more comfort...so it would be surprising if they'd pay a lot more to go faster.

TrevorJ 8y ago

Upgrading to a 'sane' amount of legroom cost me 40 bucks on my last flight as I recall. Even if time in the seat is 100% wasted time, all the ancillary stuff like getting to and from the airport, security, rental car, bag check, etc, etc is a significant % of the overall time expenditure for all but the longest flights.

Johnny555 8y ago
It varies widely among airlines, the last time I booked United for SFO->SEA (a 2 hour flight), they wanted $89 for "economy plus" and ~4 inches more legroom. And even with the extra legroom, the seats are still quite narrow and I have a hard time using a 15" laptop and still keeping my elbows within my armrests. I think I paid $29 for the upgrade on Alaska Airlines (though you need to do your research, since depending on the plane (Alaska, former virgin, Horizon), you may not get more legroom, just a seat closer to the front and maybe a free cocktail.