Squeeze Play

US Airlines Installing Thinner Seats To Cram More On Board

If you didn’t think more seats could be crammed into coach, the airlines have figured it out for you. They are called “Slimline” seats, and are coming to an airline near you. Already, United, Southwest, Delta and Alaska Airlines have installed these thinner seats to squeeze in more passengers. The airlines have been moving quickly to cut seat weight and add extra passenger space by installing this new tighter seating.  You have got to give credit to a great name; “Slimline”. Sleek and elegant sounding, and at all not like an instrument of torture.  Harkens back to slim cigarettes.

Does that mean fares are going to be slimmer too? It stands to reason that if they are going to crush more people on the plane, then the flight should be cheaper.

So how do you slim down a seat?

Here are some factoids from an Associated Press (AP) article:

• airlines removing “bulky seats” and installing “slim line” ones
• the new seats are more narrow, and an inch less leg room
• less weight, less fuel needed for the seat-weight alone
• (of course, more passenger weight and more baggage weight – but increased revenue from both)
• reduced aisle space (when adding an extra seat per row)
• airlines making seat-back pockets slimmer or moving them above the tray tables, so they can say they have more knee space
• and about those tray tables, they are getting smaller in some cases

DVT Anyone?

You may ask, “What are they trying to kill us? You can’t move your legs!”  The dangers of coach-class travel: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is well-documented.

Moving your legs often during long plane trips is one way to help prevent DVT, but becoming impossible with tighter seating configurations. In a typical year, two million people (nationally) are treated for DVT, one million of these are caused by air travel. Given that medical examiners have already called DVT death “Economy Class Syndrome,” a case could be made that the airlines are endangering passengers’ lives.

World’s Worst Airline Seat, Coming Soon

If you enjoy being packed like sardines with very, very little room on all sides, then you’ll love the next generation of airline seating that FlyersRights warned about years ago. Called “SkyRider” saddle-like seats, they’ll make Slimline’s seem ritzy. Isn’t this depressing? Why not just come right out and stop making seats altogether. Just make everyone stand strapped to a pole. That’s what flying has become nowadays!