As spring break approaches, most people are rushing to book airline tickets. Whether someone decides to fly to the luscious islands of Hawaii or the history-filled lands of Europe or even just a few states from home, airline travel is becoming more and more unpleasant. Yes, most flights are getting too expensive, overhead space is limited, the food isn't good (at all), and economy class chairs only extend so far back. Airplanes have many uncomfortable features, but the most significant and irritating one is possibly the chair itself.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Seats were 18 inches wide before airline deregulation in the 1970s and have since been whittled to 16 and a half inches, while seat pitch used to be 35 inches and has decreased to about 31 inches. The average man is 30 pounds heavier today than he was in 1960 (196 pounds compared with 166 pounds) and the average woman is 26 pounds heavier (166 pounds, up from 140 pounds).”
As the average person, male or female, continues to get larger, the chair size on airplanes has gotten increasingly smaller. The feeling of having to sit in a chair three sizes too small for six or more hours isn't such a lovely thought. Especially at the rate one is paying just to fly out to their special get-away vacation resort.
Not only have flights become more uncomfortable, but they have also become less affordable. As presented by Fox News, “Airfares have risen nearly 12 percent since the recessionary low in 2009, when adjusted for inflation, according to an Associated Press analysis of fare data from the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and more than 9,400 travel agencies, including websites such as Expedia and Orbitz.”
Certain airlines like Delta and even American Airlines have tried to pack as many passengers as possible on a single flight in order to save costs. These savings haven’t resulted in higher quality service on a plane. The same old treatment of stale food products (if any), squashed bags under seats and squished people in small spaces has continued to increase.
More and more critics have come out to report this issue such as The New York Times, CNN, USA Today and numerous other news organizations. While some travel this upcoming Spring Break or in general, make sure to examine your airplane conditions because they might be shrinking even more the next time you go to buckle your seat belt.
