5 ms·

The only thing that needs to change imo is space. If you got an extra ft width on the seat and an extra 2-3 ft between each row the increase in comfort would si

The only thing that needs to change imo is space. If you got an extra ft width on the seat and an extra 2-3 ft between each row the increase in comfort would significantly improve the experience. I'm not a big guy or a very tall guy (6ft1in) but space is my one complaint about air travel. I can deal with all the other BS but being uncomfortable with practically no way of improving it when on a flight longer than a couple of hours is so frustrating. Edit: Obviously this is from the perspective of a passenger. Planes could become more energy efficient, faster etc. etc.

saryant 12y ago
It exists: first and business class. In fact, domestic first class fares in the US have been really cheap lately, often just a $100-200 premium over coach.
- themartorana 12y ago
  Only? That's a lot of cash, man. At least for me it is. And that "only" is a 25-50% premium. That's another night in a hotel, or slightly nicer meals, or an extra drink, or... I wish I could flippantly toss around a few hundred bucks without a second thought. One day, maybe.
  - prawn 12y ago
    If they offered the same space for economy seats, the prices would be higher. This way you can make the judgement for yourself.
    - themartorana 12y ago
      Seriously? I had plenty of space before about a decade of whittling away space in coach without whittling away at the price (plus removing meals, adding bag fees, and so on). I've had a choice for decades. Coach used to be a half-way pleasant one. Now it's steerage, and the passengers treated as such. Well, most airlines. I'm partial to Southwest, for a number of reasons - one being I don't have to sit with my legs spread to accommodate the seat in front of me (6' tall).
      - prawn 12y ago
        I wonder how much rising fuel prices have balanced that reduction in services. I am taller than you and struggle for leg room on any airline. I just deal with it and spend the money saved missing premium classes on other things.
- lucaspiller 12y ago
  In Europe the cheapest way to get around is a budget airline like Ryanair or kin (often easiest too due to more flights at smaller airports). To go business means not only upgrading your seat, but your airline too, so you are talking £450 vs £45 for a return from London to Dublin.
remarkEon 12y ago
Currently on a plane (6ft3in). Honestly I think that most of what we've seen is horizontal innovation...we're essentially just making the experience "nicer" and not really doing anything about the technical aspect of traveling. We're not flying faster, planes are not any bigger (really, not that much), and the airport experience is terrible.
- saryant 12y ago
  I think for the average passenger, that's very true. For frequent flyers, the airport experience has actually improved in many ways. Global Entry and PreCheck make airport formalities much less inconvenient (I sped through LAX immigration and customs in under 60 seconds on Wednesday). OTOH, most passengers were stuck in line for a very long time. The TSA is actually tolerable when you have PreCheck—I'm sitting in PDX right now and clearing security took no time at all, no one in front of me, no nude-o-scope, kept my shoes on. But yeah, for most passengers it really sucks.
  - takeda 12y ago
    So making the flying unbearable first, then implementing (for an extra fee) PreCheck to make it a little better, you call an advancement?
    - jryle70 12y ago
      Unbearable? We all know TSA and PreCheck was the result of 9/11. Remember the public outrage of the terrorists being allowed to sneak in knives to hijack the planes? Little less known is how common hijacking was in the 1960s. Back then one could go straight to the gate from the airport lounge. No security check. http://listverse.com/2012/10/27/top-10-us-airline-hijackings-of-the-sixties/ http://listverse.com/2012/10/27/top-10-us-airline-hijackings... Some guy was even able to carry a machine gun onboard! This was in the US alone. Most of security procedures today were the result of those events. When was the last time you heard of an hijack in the US? So yes, airport security is real PITA, and ideally I'd love not to subject to it. But to say it was implemented on a whim is a gross neglect of history events.
autarch 12y ago
Some airlines (like Delta) offer "economy comfort" seats which give you access at ticket purchase time to some of the best seats on the plane, including bulkhead and exit rows. I'm 6'7" so I always pay the extra bit for these seats. It runs anywhere from $25-100 one way. I flew from Minneapolis to Taiwan earlier this year and those seats made all the difference. I had as much leg room as any business or first class seat I've been in. The key is to make sure you use http://seatguru.com http://seatguru.com while you're picking your seats.

saryant 12y ago

It exists: first and business class. In fact, domestic first class fares in the US have been really cheap lately, often just a $100-200 premium over coach.

themartorana 12y ago
Only? That's a lot of cash, man. At least for me it is. And that "only" is a 25-50% premium. That's another night in a hotel, or slightly nicer meals, or an extra drink, or... I wish I could flippantly toss around a few hundred bucks without a second thought. One day, maybe.
- prawn 12y ago
  If they offered the same space for economy seats, the prices would be higher. This way you can make the judgement for yourself.
  - themartorana 12y ago
    Seriously? I had plenty of space before about a decade of whittling away space in coach without whittling away at the price (plus removing meals, adding bag fees, and so on). I've had a choice for decades. Coach used to be a half-way pleasant one. Now it's steerage, and the passengers treated as such. Well, most airlines. I'm partial to Southwest, for a number of reasons - one being I don't have to sit with my legs spread to accommodate the seat in front of me (6' tall).
    - prawn 12y ago
      I wonder how much rising fuel prices have balanced that reduction in services. I am taller than you and struggle for leg room on any airline. I just deal with it and spend the money saved missing premium classes on other things.
lucaspiller 12y ago
In Europe the cheapest way to get around is a budget airline like Ryanair or kin (often easiest too due to more flights at smaller airports). To go business means not only upgrading your seat, but your airline too, so you are talking £450 vs £45 for a return from London to Dublin.

remarkEon 12y ago

Currently on a plane (6ft3in). Honestly I think that most of what we've seen is horizontal innovation...we're essentially just making the experience "nicer" and not really doing anything about the technical aspect of traveling. We're not flying faster, planes are not any bigger (really, not that much), and the airport experience is terrible.

saryant 12y ago
I think for the average passenger, that's very true. For frequent flyers, the airport experience has actually improved in many ways. Global Entry and PreCheck make airport formalities much less inconvenient (I sped through LAX immigration and customs in under 60 seconds on Wednesday). OTOH, most passengers were stuck in line for a very long time. The TSA is actually tolerable when you have PreCheck—I'm sitting in PDX right now and clearing security took no time at all, no one in front of me, no nude-o-scope, kept my shoes on. But yeah, for most passengers it really sucks.
- takeda 12y ago
  So making the flying unbearable first, then implementing (for an extra fee) PreCheck to make it a little better, you call an advancement?
  - jryle70 12y ago
    Unbearable? We all know TSA and PreCheck was the result of 9/11. Remember the public outrage of the terrorists being allowed to sneak in knives to hijack the planes? Little less known is how common hijacking was in the 1960s. Back then one could go straight to the gate from the airport lounge. No security check. http://listverse.com/2012/10/27/top-10-us-airline-hijackings-of-the-sixties/ http://listverse.com/2012/10/27/top-10-us-airline-hijackings... Some guy was even able to carry a machine gun onboard! This was in the US alone. Most of security procedures today were the result of those events. When was the last time you heard of an hijack in the US? So yes, airport security is real PITA, and ideally I'd love not to subject to it. But to say it was implemented on a whim is a gross neglect of history events.

autarch 12y ago

Some airlines (like Delta) offer "economy comfort" seats which give you access at ticket purchase time to some of the best seats on the plane, including bulkhead and exit rows. I'm 6'7" so I always pay the extra bit for these seats. It runs anywhere from $25-100 one way. I flew from Minneapolis to Taiwan earlier this year and those seats made all the difference. I had as much leg room as any business or first class seat I've been in. The key is to make sure you use http://seatguru.com http://seatguru.com while you're picking your seats.