Name: Tiny seats.
Age: If you look at pictures of the Wright brothers’ first flights in 1903, it looks as if they had plenty of legroom. It’s been downhill ever since.
We’re talking about legroom on planes, right? Right. Or the lack of it, to be precise, as airlines push to increase profits.
But Orville and Wilbur were actually flying the plane, so it’s not really a fair comparison. Plus, they only managed little hops – not exactly modern air travel. Still, it started it all off. Anyway, let’s take a little hop forwards 122 years, shall we? Here’s a quiz question for you: which airline do you think has the smallest economy seats?
Easy! I’m guessing that’s what it starts with: Easy-? Nope.
Ryan-? Wrong again. Clue: a higher fare doesn’t necessarily mean more space.
It’s not Air Force One, is it? Not technically an airline.
OK, I give up – which airline has the least room? Virgin Atlantic.
Oh, but I like its ad, “I am what I am” – the one celebrating diversity (at least someone is). But it’s difficult to be what you are when there isn’t enough room.
How much room is there? In Virgin Atlantic economy, the seat pitch is 30-31in (76-79cm), according to a report by the consumer champion Which?.
Seat pitch? The distance between your headrest and the one in front and, says Which?, the best indicator of how much legroom you’ll have.
I’ll fly British Airways, then. Are you sure? Its seat pitch is 31in.
Which has the most space? Emirates and Singapore Airlines – both 32-34in.
Still not great, is it? Seat widths are also coming down, from 18.5in to 17in (47cm to 43cm), in the case of Air Canada’s new “slimline” seats.
But aren’t passenger widths going up? Yes. One study predicts that by 2050, half of adults worldwide will be overweight and obese. Some airlines are responding by suggesting plus-size passengers book two seats, often at full price.
Oh, the glamour of air travel! Indeed. You arrive three hours early, queue, get herded around like livestock, jammed into tiny spaces, not fed, then arrive somewhere miles away from where you want to go, in the middle of the night, not to mention having done your bit to DESTROY THE PLANET. If only there was a more pleasant and morally justifiable alternative …
Do say: “Travelling by train is more comfortable, civilised and better for the environment.”
Don’t say: “Who cares? I always fly first class.”
