
Airbus is planning a “budget economy” section with even narrower seats - edward
http://qz.com/380757/airbus-is-planning-a-budget-economy-section-with-even-narrower-seats/
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Someone1234
I have long legs. I already sit literally pinned butt to knees between my seat
and the back of the seat in front, if someone tries to recline the full weight
of the seat falls onto my knees and it feels like that person is bouncing up
and down on them for however long the flight is, I take painkillers when I
fly...

So I think it is safe to say I do not support this. In fact I'd fully support
a legislative minimum on seat pitch and seat width. Essentially freeze it
where it is now indefinitely. Otherwise airlines will feel compelled to
compete with whoever has the smallest seats yet further.

And before you say "well Premium Economy!" that's a nonsense argument. It is
literally 50% more expensive on most flights and you most assuredly don't get
50% more seat pitch, 50% more seat width, any better food/drinks, or much
else. You may get a free bag worth $25-50...

There's no particular justification for the inflated price of premium economy.
They just declare it a "premium" product and charge accordingly (i.e. lectury
tax). But for those of us who are tall and or with long legs, there's nothing
luxury about Premium Economy, it is just "basic comfort," just like most short
people enjoy on aircraft.

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maxerickson
I hope you at least realize that you are advocating that other people pay for
more space than they need to ensure that you can pay the basic rate and still
be comfortable.

I'd be fine with a rule that required them to disclose a couple of the seating
dimensions anywhere they advertised a price (rather than hiding them behind
the seat class).

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mindslight
If they're selling airline seats for _people_ , then crazily enough, a
_person_ should be able to fit in that seat.

If you're really arguing for a finer accounting of resources, then let the
cost be strictly linear. Lets say a base $150 ticket is a 32 inch pitch. Then
an additional 2 inches should cost $9.38 extra, available through the exact
same sales channels. And if the airline would like to play the game with your
width or weight as well, then they either need to calculate based on area or
specify how that $150 is divided up for the linear combination.

But ultimately the airlines' business is just like ISP's "bandwidth caps" \-
when limits are set low and overages are at a much higher rate than the
common, then it's clear that the business model is based around _gouging_
arbitrary people rather than honest appraisal.

(BTW, I've found airplane armrests do indeed swing up, you just have to pull
harder than you'd expect to. This is really only useful on the aisle or if
you've an empty seat next to you.)

~~~
maxerickson
So what about Andre the Giant?

I suggested that they should just be required to disclose the spacing of the
seats because that sidesteps the whole stupid discussion about what size is
appropriate for whatever definition of person happens to be on the table at
the moment.

It is not an argument for a finer accounting of anything, it simply improves
the ability of customers to comparison shop.

(I think it is a fine thing to figure out a way for tall people to be able to
fly comfortably at more or less reasonable prices. It's a really bad idea to
accomplish it by making every single seat large enough.)

~~~
mindslight
Airlines can either statistically budget a few larger seats, or give an
automatic "upgrade" into a seat which is capable of fitting the passenger
(most likely intended for a higher fare class). I'm not thrilled at the idea
of encouraging the US's obesity epidemic, but it's unavoidable if airlines
insist on charging per-person.

Or they can figure out movable seats and linearly charge for actual room used.
That was a serious suggestion.

Disclosure doesn't fix the issue. Price gouging is based around forgoing
competition for a small segment of customers (losing a little marketshare
won't affect the bottom line). The other airlines follow suit, especially as
they all benefit from decommodifying the industry, and you end up with a class
of people who can only obtain basic service by paying a luxury rate.

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al2o3cr
For a follow-on, the airlines are prepping a new "ultra-budget economy"
section where you can get a cheaper ticket, but are strapped to the wall while
the entire flight crew punches you in the genitals every five minutes.

~~~
zem
they can't; ryanair has the patents locked down

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easong
I don't much care about the width of the seats, but I've flown on a couple
(relatively expensive) flights where I literally didn't have enough room for
my knees in front of me and had to stand for the bulk of a transatlantic red-
eye...

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brianwawok
Could I get really narrow and long? For skinny and tall people? Then other
people can pay for wide and short, or whatever else they need... let's pay by
cubic inches and weight, like freight!

