Letters to the Editor
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Lumbar Support
You say lumbar support is nil. It's not; it's a large NEGATIVE number. The seats have anti-support in the lumbar region; they curl out where they should curl in, and then come back and hit you in the middle of your back, well above the lumbar region. They force you to hunch.
I can feel my internal organs crunching together; in fact, there's a very specific diaphragm pain that I get immediately upon sitting in any airline's economy seat that instantly goes away when I get out of it -- and I've never had that pain in any other situation.
I do believe I'd be more comfortable wedged into an old-fashioned traveler's trunk, with the lid closed.
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More Cush for the Tush
If only the seat cushions were actually cushioned.
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Cozy Suites
The Cozy Suites look interesting -- for one thing, it looks like they would reduce the problem of having to share your seat with the overly large person next to you. But I don't see how they make aisle access easy for window seat pax. It looks like getting to the aisle would be even more difficult.
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Yes I understand we're supposed to imagine that our lives hang in the balance
But seriously, on any flight of less than 90 minutes you could easily stand or lean against the seat or just sit on the floor on a beanbag chair or air mattress. I often wonder when someone will state the obvious and tear out the cattle car class seats. On longer flights, I have no suggestions other than not flying or instead, selling crack to make some quick cash to afford business class. There's really no solution in hell, that's why they call it hell.
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Potential Claustrophobia
The seat design seems interesting, except for the "fixed cocoon" idea. Not to be overly critical but a fixed cocoon sonds like a recipe for claustrophobia. Otherwise it's brilliant.
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One suggestion
How about some reasonably friendly flight attendants. The last flight I took - United from Tokyo to Dulles - the attendants were mocking (Japanese and Singaporean) people's accents, making crude ethnic jokes, and singing "Kung Fu Fighting" in the back of the plane during the middle of the night. At least they were having fun. More common are the surly responses, having the whole row skipped for beverage service, and generally treating the passengers like they are either children or inmates or both. I understand that people are working over 13 or 14 hours, straight, but there's no need for that!
It was a shock to come back to the American system, after having flown such stripped-down Asian budget carriers such as Air Asia, Nok Air, or even the infamous (in terms of safety, at least) Lao Airlines - they may be lacking in some things, but at least the staff was polite!
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No reclining into the seat behind
If airlines insist on cramming more and more seats into each plane, the least they can do is to find a way from keeping the guy in front of me from slamming his seat back into my knees. Sorry, I am just a tad over 6 feet, and for me the lack of legroom is worse than any of the other infernal torments of coach. Lumbar support? You can always bring your own, or stuff a sweater into the gaping hole where support ought to be. Footrests? You gotta be kidding -- with that guy's seat in my lap, I couldn't lift my feet even if I had the best footrest in the world.
What I need is a way to keep the seats from coming back. In an ideal world, all seats would move down and forward to recline (reduce your own dam' legroom, buster), but that will cost the airlines money to implement and I'm not holding my breath. Just de-activate all the recline buttons and I'll be happy. Maybe separate "reclining" and "non-reclining" sections would do, harkening back to the old days of smoking and non-smoking.
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Those effing headrests
Why does the vertical headrest jut out, forcing you to tilt your head forward so that the weight of it is on your neck? WHY WHY WHY? The convex headrest works on a horizontal surface like a BED. It does not work on a vertical surface like a seat. I really don't understand this design...but I have plenty of time to go batshit crazy about it every time I take a 15-hr flight to visit family.
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Good ideas here, why can't the airlines get the clue?
Husband is 6'5". I am 5'9". Planes suck.
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adjustable height trays
I like the tray suggestions, and would like to take it one step further. Make the height of the tray tables adjustable and allow the tray tables to lock at other angles, at least to 30 degrees or so. If you can't do both height and angle, at least allow the angle to adjust. This would allow the tray table to be better used for reading those books and magazines and also help that hunch-over syndrome. On those long flights I find that if you've got the seat reclined a bit the tray is useless for supporting a book or magazine you are trying to read.
What? You say that if the table isn't horizontal it won't hold your drink? That's what the ring style cup holders are for.
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Memory Foam Headrests and Lumbar Support
Assuming you can adjust the height of it, a memory foam headrest would be great. I have a 5" wide by 15" long cylinder of memory foam (from foamorder.com, BTW) that I take everywhere. You can double it up for a bigger surface and it can be crammed into the tiniest space.
I can't fly anymore without putting one of those airline pillows in the small of my back -- why not have an inflatable lumbar cushion built into the seat? They used to have pump-up shoes, why not pump-up lumbar support?
And if all else fails, they should give you free ibuprofen if you request it. That works great too.
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American's trivia game
A cross-country flight on American Airlines went quickly thanks to the trivia game, in which you compete with other passengers. Who cares about wing wire bundling?
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Travelling used to be a scientific adventure...now it's so teribly unpleasant
Love the column.
I'd like to propose this much to make flights less frustrating:
* If your plane is late the airline should serve chocolate cake to the passengers. First, how can you be angry when you've got chocolate frosting in your cheeck. Second, we could all sing a song: "It's ok we're late...we've got chocolate cake."
* Follow the cake up with a free Bailey's or something.
* Reshape the airports. The front stacks up with people and baggage (what happened to the conveyor belts that quietly took the luggage away?). We need mroe room there if the lines are this long.
* Put more stuff (bars, restaurants, whatever) there for friends and travellers. Some airports have stuff before you go through security. Others seem to have stuff once you're through security (and separated from the people seeing you off). Why not put stuff on both sides in all the airports.
* Add a game room. I wouldn't mind a wait if I could play pinball or pool. Or how about a gym?
* Why do I have to sit on the floor and survey the whole airport to look for an outlet? Put outlets by the chairs so we can sit like adults and do stuff while we wait for our flights.
* Do deals with iTunes -- give me free music tokens if my flight is delayed and I'm in the airport so I can download new music/tv/music to listen to while I wait.
* I'm 6'2" with size 13 shoes, Mr. Smith. Trust me: legroom is critical.
* The attendants should be nicer -- or at least all of them should be nice. I was on a flight from HK via Tokyo to New York and the Northwest attendnats were mocking the asians who did not know what pancakes were (by their English name mind you...none of the attendants had learned a word from the menu in an Asian language).
* By contrast, on a domestic flight from Tokyo to Okinawa a flight attendant noticing my conspicous non-Japanese-ness offerred to translate the captain's message that we were delayed and would be circling the airport. Now that's service.
Let's see if we can make any of these happen.
Scott