seat sizes on airlines
 

okay so we have booked and paid for our airline tickets about 3 months in advance. from the looks of it we can have our pick of the seats in coach on an american airlines boeing 777 to london. <BR> <BR>i have flown us air and american airlines and both were pretty cramped. this flight is one of those that has a little bit more room. <BR> <BR>i know this is stupid but which seats are roomier. the 1st grouping in couch or the 2nd backend of coach. we are not impatient people and don't mind waiting to get off the plane if the seating is better. our current seat assignment puts us in one of the back rows (2-2-2-2, instead of 2-5-2). <BR> <BR>has anyone flown coach on american airlines to london lately and if so any preferences. <BR> <BR>thanks <BR>betta

Notwithstanding the seat size, I wouldn't choose seating at the back of the plane because if that's where the restrooms are located, there will be a lot of back and forth traffic throughout your flight. I'm not familiar with the 777 configuration, so this may not be an issue.

I took one of American's newer, roomier planes from NY to London in March. Didn't note any difference in seat sizes in the front v back of coach. One thing to bear in mind, though, is that the window seats have only about half the room under the seat in front compared with the aisle seats. There's a large metal box occupying the remainder of the space where you thought your feet or carryon might go. I think the box is related somehow to the private video screens on the back of each seat, but they cramp you. If you've got long legs, big feet or anything more than a tiny carryon, could be a problem--there was room for mine in the overhead, but then I *was* traveling in March.

We flew an AA 777 from London to ORD this spring. I felt the seats were as roomy as anything in coach is going to get. We were in the middle of coach and had a window/aisle on a 2-5-2 configuration. AA has added 2 extra inches between rows in ALL of coach. It really made a difference.

i don't fly aa, but travel to italia a couple of times a year. i would do almost anything to get a bulkhead or exit aisle seat for the legroom on the oversea segment. long legs.

The coach seats on most airlines are designed for midgets.

I'm a midget -- well, I'm under 5'2" -- and I hate 'em, too. It isn't just legroom, although that's important. It's also the tight fit in the narrow seats with your elbow right up against your neighbor's, the reclining seatbacks that are in your face, the tripping over people to get out to the restroom, the awkwardness of having the tray table down if you were reading something, etc. etc. <BR> <BR>It's really amazing to look at old PR footage from airlines of 20-30 yrs. ago and see the width of the seats and the space around them.

A while ago AA was advertising more room. What I think they forgot to mention was more room after less room. <BR> <BR>I am not very tall 5'8" and my knees were in my chest on domestic flights. <BR> <BR>After the advertisement I flew AA again and found more room. Upgraded to barely acceptable. <BR> <BR>I agree. Bulkhead or exit row. <BR>

The very last row, or those that back up to a bulkhead, are a crapshoot. The seatbacks DON'T recline. Nobody wants them. If the plane is not crowded, you can get a row to yourself and stretch out (good thing); if it's packed to the rafters, you sleep sitting up (bad thing). If you get a seat a couple of rows in front, and those icky seats are empty, you can defy the flight attendants and take over the row. <BR> <BR>I flew on a 777 a couple of years ago, and I didn't see any great improvement; I still had to grease myself to be able to slide in and out of the seats. <BR> <BR>No matter where I sit, if I'm in an aisle seat, every cart (drinks, dinner, duty free) slams into me; are they picking on me or does everyone get checked into the boards?

Nah. it happens to all use aisle bunnies. I just enjoy it more on swissair where the male stewards are certified sweeties:) <BR> <BR> <BR>Re: AA -- the seats are still the same adequate for only the anorexic -- but those two inches do return life to something resembling humane. The flight attendants last time I was on AA say that it has reduced the air rage thing.

There is a comprehensive review of airline seating in Consumer Reports Travel Letter, July 2001.