'What I thought was unlikely three or four years ago now seems possible,' says Seatguru.com creator Matt DaimlerCredit: Flickr/davecolorado.com
Matt Daimler was shoehorning himself into a seat on a flight from San Francisco to London 10 years ago when he spied a man sitting across the aisle with extra leg room. After the plane took off, the man pulled a duffel bag from the overhead bin and set it in front of his seat for a sky-high ottoman. It was a far more comfortable flight than Daimler had - and all the inspiration he needed to launch seatguru.com.
Though Daimler started the website - since sold to Expedia - to grade airline seats on comfort, location and size, the industry has changed enough to make his idea more relevant today. We talked with Daimler about the current state of airline seating.
Q. What changes in plane seating have you seen lately?
A. Over the last three years, seats have gotten smaller. (US budget airline) Spirit just took delivery of a plane with a 28-inch seat pitch (the distance from a point on a seat to the same point on the seat ahead or behind), which is the lowest we've ever seen in the United States.
Q. Give us some context. How small is a 28-inch pitch?
A. Regional jets are usually 29 or 30 inches. The industry average is 31. When you get to 33 to 36 is where you definitely feel a difference - being able to cross your legs, putting the headphones in the seatback pocket in front of you.
What I thought was unlikely three or four years ago now seems possible.
Q. If Spirit has the smallest seats, who generally has the largest?
A. In the US, JetBlue. Their average pitch is 34. They fly the A320, which Spirit also flies. But the Spirit version has 178 seats, and the JetBlue has 150. That's the exact same plane.
Q. So do flyers need to be savvier when paying for upgrades?
A. Definitely. Airlines are charging for the better economy seats, but ... it doesn't mean it's a seat we recommend. JetBlue and United actually give you 4 to 5 more inches of legroom in upgrades, whereas US Airways launched what they call the Choice Seats program, which is ... being closer to the front of the plane in the same-sized seat.
Q. What's the best bet for a business traveller?
A. If a business traveller has flexibility in their budget, there's a case to be made for exit row or bulkhead seats.
Q. What will seating look like in 10 or 15 years?
A. Not long ago I would have said I don't think much is likely to change, but in the last few years we've seen airlines like Spirit say, 'We know it's not comfortable, but if we can save you $US10 or $US20, will you do this?' And people are saying yes. There's always talk about new things, like saddle seats or partial standing seats, comfort be damned. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw something different like that in economy so long as they can get through safety issues. What I thought was unlikely three or four years ago now seems possible.
MCT
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