[krunck]

How about seats that are adjustable to fit small people. I'm sick of sitting in seats with concave lumbar regions. It tears up my back. I know, I know, the seats need to accommodate large, more spherical people. Cant there be an adjustable lumbar support though?

[seanosaur]

Any time you say "adjustable" the manufacturer and operator only here "heavier" which translates to "more expensive to operate."

[nickff]

The manufacturers are willing to put in whatever seats the operators want, and airlines want to have the lightest, most compact seats possible because that allows them to offer the lowest price, which is what passengers choose.

[kelnos]

Whenever a pillow is included on a flight, I always stuff it behind my lower back. I can't remember the last time I actually used a pillow for its intended purpose when not flying in a lie-flat seat.

[rconti]

My wife's short so she's actually quite uncomfortable in a business class seat unless it's reclined-- seat bottom length is an issue for her, sometimes even in economy. On the flipside, I'm of pretty average height, but the flat seat cushions mean I always feel like I'm sitting awkwardly on my tailbone. I wonder why they couldn't just be more like a car seat, with some thigh support. I'm not sure I've ever been in a car seat less comfortable than the _best_ economy airline seat.

[throwaway2037]

Truly, a first world problem, if I ever heard of one! What is wrong with her carrying a small collapsable foot stool? (You can find ultra-light plastic ones on Amazon for around 10 USD.) That seems like an easy fix for someone willing to pay thousands for a business class seat.

[addaon]

> I wonder why they couldn't just be more like a car seat, with some thigh support. I'm not sure I've ever been in a car seat less comfortable than the _best_ economy airline seat.

Car seats are a lot heavier than airplane seats.

[HeWhoLurksLate]

and also not crash rated for the same loads and scenarios, nor burn rated to the same standards

[sassbadger]

Seats are airline equipment. They depend on the airline and it's suppliers and are optionally assembled by Airbus.

[spit2wind]

Fun fact: Airbus doesn't choose the seats, the airline does. Airbus only installs them.

[neonstatic]

Since we are voicing seat related complaints, I want seats that don't recline. I don't want that asshole in front of me ruining my flight again.

[mitthrowaway2]

You could consider sitting in an exit row. The seats in front of that row are typically prohibited from reclining in order not to block the exit. Or you can sit behind a bulkhead.

[interloxia]

Up to about 15 years ago, Sure. Now you're mostly out of luck unless you pay.

[kelnos]

Sure, and if you want a better experience on a plane, you pay more. That seems reasonable.

[asdff]

I don't get the griping with the reclining. I see it all over reddit and here. Never in real life. It has never affected my life in the least bit to have someone in the seat ahead of me recline their seat. It doesn't affect knee room at all. You lose what maybe 3 inches of dead air space if that at the top of their seat.

[linsomniac]

>It doesn't affect knee room at all.

There are definitely airline seats where the reclining seats impact the knee room. I'm 6'2" but I seem to have more of it in the legs than typical, which really shows up in non-extended legroom airlines. I buy the upgrade whenever possible, but sometimes it's just not available.

In a regular (not extended) seat, I have two positions that work: my ankles crossed and tucked up close to my seat with knees spread, and nothing in the underseat in front of me and then putting my feet there, with my legs straightened (wedging my thighs into the edge of my seat). Even then, my knees are high enough that usually the person in front of me reclining will recline the seat back into my knees (best case) or those metal side rails into my knees. Especially enjoyable when the suddenly recline the seat.

Not everyones body geometry is the same. My son is around the same height as me, but when we sit in the car he's like half a head taller than me, he carries a lot of his height in his trunk where I carry it in my legs.

[kelnos]

I'm 5'9", and rarely have a problem with the person in front of my reclining, but I can absolutely see how it could create comfort issues for taller people.

It is more difficult to use a laptop on a tray table if the person in front of you is reclining; you often end up having to angle the screen down to the point where it's not great. In that case I often have to ditch the tray table and put it on my lap, which is less comfortable, but at least lets me angle the screen how I prefer.

[neonstatic]

It's only dead space if you are not using it. I like to open my laptop and place it on the tray. When the person in front reclines, I am forced to sit still for the duration of the flight. I usually fly from Europe to Asia, so 10-12 hours.

[asdff]

I'd be baffled if that actually stops you from using a laptop. The seat hardly moves. And the tray slides forward a bit too.

[kelnos]

Not baffling at all. When I'm in an economy seat with typical seat pitch, someone reclining in front of me makes it difficult to impossible to use a laptop on the tray table. The recline angle of the seat means you have to angle the screen downward in an uncomfortable way. I'll often end up putting the laptop directly on my lap in that situation, but that creates other comfort/ergonomic issues.

[neonstatic]

Well, you'd be baffled then. When the seat in front is reclined, I can't open the lid fully or even well enough. I've tried.

[camgunz]

What if you also recline?

[billforsternz]

(Not the person you're asking, but...) I don't want to adversely affect the person behind me, but I also accept the right of the person in front of me to recline if they want to. It's not easy being me.

[camgunz]

I honestly thought like, the protocol was seat up for take off/food/landing, reclining otherwise.

[neonstatic]

This only works if you are okay with developing neck issues

[camgunz]

You're gonna get neck issues working off that tray table too my friend.

[FergusArgyll]

I don't get this attitude. The seats are meant to recline, as soon as takeoff is finished I recline. If you want more space, you should too.

[OxO4]

If you are tall, then no amount of reclining is going to give you more space. The knees are too far forward to stretch your legs, _especially_ when the person in front of you reclines.

In other words, you are inconsiderate.

[foobarian]

I'm unusually tall and flying has always been unpleasant no matter what. I can actually deal with the reclining because it's actually physically impossible for the person ahead of me to recline since my knees are in the way. What really gets me is the fact that the seat back only comes up to my neck and I can't sleep because my head just flops around. I've been meaning to find some security-friendly contraption that could extend the back a little bit to immobilize me a bit better.

[kelnos]

I don't get this "inconsiderate" thing. The seats recline. They're designed to do so. They're allowed to do so. Airlines allow you to recline. Yes, if you're reclining during meal service, you're a dick. But any other time (outside takeoff and landing) is fair game.

If you're tall, pay for economy plus or premium economy. If that's not offered on your route, that sucks, but getting pissed that someone will use their allowed recline space isn't fair of you.

If you want to get mad, get mad at all passengers collectively for treating ticket cost as their only criterion when booking flights.

[interloxia]

The back reclines. The bum and legs don't move. My knees usually only just fit. When someone reclines their seat usually presses on my knees. Those few cm matter.

Sometimes the seat design is such that my knees block the recline. If I'm unlucky it sucks.

[ceejayoz]

Yeah, I'm six foot, always in the most basic economy, and never once has the person in front reclining impacted me.

It feels like the same phenomenon when people bitched and moaned about having to take even the slightest COVID precautions.

[conradludgate]

I am 6'7". I regularly have to ask the person in front not to recline on some layouts. I get aisle/exit row seats if possible, but sometimes it's just not possible. For euro city flights there is no premium economy and the business class seats don't have more legroom either, so there's often very few options for me.

For short flights I will just tuck my legs awkwardly when necessary and have to get up to stretch regularly.

[OxO4]

There are people that are taller than six foot and it also depends heavily on whether you have long legs or a long torso.

[SlightlyLeftPad]

Fly on Ryanair