Any normal sized adult would expect to put his/her body into an airline
seat with a minimum of discomfort. I'm not talking Lazy-E-Boy type of space but
at least some hip, leg and face room.
Not on most 757s. Yes, I know the airlines configure the interiors
and the aircraft manufacturer is not to blame. But the basic airframe is only
so wide. Boeing gets (in my opinion) about half the blame and the airlines gets
the other half. Many airlines fly the 757 and all are configured about the
same.
The 757 is an extremely efficient airplane. It's a real econo-plane when it
comes to fuel and crew efficiency. Thus it is often used on long-haul (i.e. 4
hour) flights and it's torture. It's narrow, single aisle makes it very
difficult (on those long flights) to go the bathroom or anywhere at all. If
there is any type of snack service, forget it. You are going to cause
the flight attendants (and other passengers) some major grief.
My major complaint about the 757 is the narrowness of the seats and the
distance between your face and the back of the seat in front of you. The
distance between seats is called "seat pitch" and differs by airline. Heaven
help you if the passenger in front decides to recline the seat. With the seat
in front of you reclined into your face, you are in an impossible position to
hold for more than a short flight.
United has added extra distance between the seats (seat pitch) to give
you more leg room. Good for them. When I see an advertisement showing people working (i.e. using a
laptop computers) on planes, I fall-down laughing. Not in coach anyway.
The airlines have eliminated the closets which were between first class and
coach. Boeing gets no blame on this one. Removing the closets makes the
already limited carry-on space even more minuscule. Some airlines have added
an inch more depth to their overhead bins. Most business travelers
now use the type of luggage used by flight crews called "roll aboards." If you do not board when called, you will not have any space for your carry-on
stuff and will have to check your luggage. The delay and possibility of
misdirected luggage is too great a risk to take. So those savvy travelers will
show their airline's preferred cards to get on early to claim their
"space" in the overhead bins. By the way, did you ever notice when
you get on just how much space is taken by the flight attendants bags? They
never check their luggage.
I'm not saying that the problems are not caused by the passengers. Some
passengers try to carry-on their entire household. I applaud the
airlines for
enforcing carry-on limits.
I'm glad to buy American made products but the
Airbus family of 318, 319, 320 (European made) is 7 1/2 inches wider. That means 1 more
inch of hip room for 6-across seating and an inch and a half wider aisle.
Some airlines (Northwest & Continental) fly the B-757-300 (stretched version). That means more passengers on longer flights.
Let's take a page from United Airlines and give the
passengers a bit more knee room and try to give a little more space for the
passengers.
