General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFlying Coach Is So Cramped It Could Be a Death Trap
The tests carried out to ensure that all the passengers can safely exit a cabin in an emergency are dangerously outdated and do not reflect how densely packed coach class seating has becomeor how the size of passengers has simultaneously increased;
No coach class seat meets the Department of Transportations own standard for the space required to make a flight attendants seat safe in an emergency;
Neither Boeing nor the Federal Aviation Administration will disclose the evacuation test data for the newest (and most densely seated) versions of the most widely used jet, the Boeing 737.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/flying-coach-is-so-cramped-it-could-be-a-death-trap
Did I mention that I have learned to hate flying.
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)I'm not rich enough to fly first class, so I'm trapped like a common dogshit sardine for hours . . . sometimes not even next to my wife, as these airlines think it's a good idea to separate us.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)they are there as part of airline upgrade status..frequent fliers etc....
dembotoz
(16,866 posts)i do not complain about her upgrades....her company spends literally thousands of dollars a year sending her all over. it is only rational for an airline to treat a constant spender better.
if the airline loses my business? who the hell cares...her business....that is something else
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts). . . and this usually happens on the connecting flights, they for some reason seat us in different sections when boarding passes are assigned. This is a relatively new occurrence.
Depending on the length of the flight, we usually re-arrange things at the desk without issue.
wryter2000
(46,136 posts)It was a revelation. So much room, so many amenities, such service.
These days, I fly Southwest everywhere I go in the U.S. The short hops are fine, but I dread being on a plane for more than an hour.
If Amtrak can get you where you need to go without changing trains, consider it. It'll take a lot longer, but you can relax and enjoy yourself.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)While it's true that FAA certification standards for evacuations haven't changed all that much, it doesn't really matter. The manufacturer must demonstrate that a fully loaded cabin can be evacuated in a specified amount of time. So regardless of what the specifics are inherent to any particular model, the standard is the same and it just isn't that complicated as they are trying to make it sound.
If anything airliners today are far more survivable than they have ever been due to all sorts of design improvements that most certainly have been incorporated into FAA certification standards. The idea that planes today "could" be "death traps" just doesn't pass the smell test.
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)Deep Vein Thrombosis from not being able to move legs enough. I hate flying as well. It has become an ordeal. What ever happen to "Fly the Friendly Skies"?
On my 1st flight around 1970 on a 707 in coach or economy I was comfortable and if the person in front of me reclined their seat it was NO PROBLEMO! I haven't been on a bus in years but the bus seating on Greyhound was quite comfortable. We use to ride the bus on the Houston/New Orleans route regularly. That was around 10 hours with stops in Beaumont, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge.
Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)I feel cramped whenever I fly. I feel like they just want to take your money.
I am pretty sure that if you were seated by a window, you wouldn' get out. My luck, anyway.