Swan51

Just wondering, what are the biggest and most roomiest passenger planes? I'm going on a 767 to Hawaii; how big is that? How does an MD-11 compare?

I have to admit; I'm a large woman and not being able to get the lap tray fully down has been a major motivation to lose some weight (I'm 240 pounds; it must be hell for people who are even heavier). Eating or trying to use my laptop on a plane is really humiliating.

JohnD

As I recall, the planes operated by Hawaiian and Aloha airlines are supposed to have larger seats and more room because hawaiians are generally larger than most.

American Airlines used to have more room as advertised, but I recall that they reversed this policy, and are adding more seats, to increase profits.

ahhnold

goto seatguru.com,that will help.

BeachBoi

The 767 is the most "passenger friendly" aircraft in the sky.It has to be 84% full before the middle seats start being filled.So even tho Hawaii flights do run very full loads,your chances of getting in the 3 seat section and having the middle seat empty are good.You can see a seat map of the AA 767's on seatguru.com...Have a lovely trip.....S

Gardyloo

American is reducing leg room only on some planes, and announced that their long-haul aircraft wouldn't be affected (at least not yet.)

Most airlines configure 767s with 2-3-2 seating, so there's only one center seat out of 7. On American, an aisle seat (4 of 7) ought to give you enough leg and belly room for a comfortable flight. On other airlines, call ahead and explain your dilemma to the booking agent (they've heard it all) and maybe they can assign you to the row behind the exit row - these have the longest "pitch" in the plane - plenty of tray room.

BTW, the trays in most Boeing First Class seats (i.e. the seats ordered by most airlines on Boeing equipment) don't have fold-down tray tables on the back of the seat in front, but instead have trays that emerge and fold out from the armrest (similar to the trays in the bulkhead rows in coach). These trays don't travel out very far from the seat arm, so many larger-diameter passengers (pregnant women especially) can't use them, and therefore have to balance their meals on pillows on their laps. Duh. "Six weeks ago I couldn't spel 'enjaneer' and now I are one."

Dan

I generally find that Airbus aircraft are a tad roomier than their Boeing counterparts. The actual fuselage is usually a couple of inches wider so the seats are spread out accordingly.

For instance, USAirways' Envoy Class to Europe is much roomier on the Airbus A330 than on the Boeing 767. You pay the same for a ticket so always try to get the Airbus! (The USAir website even has the seat dimensions for each aircraft type. I'm sure others do as well).

OliveOyl

Gardyloo...seems to me you are from the Seattle area. Do you work for Boeing? You seem very knowledgeable about configurations, pitch, etc.

I never thought about those tray tables in the arms but of course they must be a problem for anyone heavy or pregnant. They've been around for a while, and I don't see any advantage to them, other than those on the bulkhead seats...but that's a huge drawback. I wonder why they have them still?

Haha...I still remember, after all these years, the restaurant we went to just before our daughter was born. It was booth seating...and while my back was resting against the banquette back, so was my tummy resting against the table edge. Very funny...as long as you know it's not a permanent situation!! Not so funny otherwise. Boeing's engineers must all be skinny males.

rjw_lgb_ca

I'n not sure that there are any US carriers servicing Hawai'i with Airbus equipment. Boeing is (as far as I know) the only game in town, specifically out of the West Coast. But even then, the issue is not entirely fuselage size, but seat width and pitch. Hawai'ian Air flies both DC-10s and 767-300s out of LAX; seatguru could hopefully give you an idea of the seat size. Those are both widebody aircraft; if you're burning to get fuselage dimensions, you can go to Boeing's website (boeing.com, naturally); they maintain info on their current aircraft as well as the old McDonnell-Douglas equipment they inherited in the merger.