Airplane Seats and Their Terrible Ergonomics
If you have a long airplane ride coming up, the first thing that you’re most likely thinking of is how uncomfortable you’re going to be. Airplanes are notorious for having seats that are far from ergonomic, and travelers that come off of a long flight are certain to have aching backs and stiff necks.
Over time, airplane seats have actually gotten smaller. Almost all of the industry has decreased its seats, shrinking them from having 33 to 34 inches of “seat pitch,” which factors in the width of the seat, the density of the seat’s cushions, and other characteristics of the seat, to about 31 inches. Sure, two or three inches doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but depending upon how tall you are and how much you weigh, it can make a world of difference.
Airplane manufacturer Boeing is responsible for coming up with the Personal Space Model, which takes a variety of factors into consideration, and they found some very interesting things including the fact that whether or not the middle seat is occupied is an overarching factor that determines a passenger’s perception of comfort.
So it seems that in order for you to avoid feeling totally claustrophobic during a flight, you’ll have to make sure that your perception is of having more room—which means hopefully having an empty middle seat. Want to try your best to get an empty middle seat? Fly during off-peak hours and avoid all rush hours.
Otherwise, know that it doesn’t look like airplane seats will be turning into ergonomic chairs from quite some time. So bring an extra pillow for your back, take a couple of aspirin before the flight, and prepare to be a little bit uncomfortable.
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