The curse of airline seating legroom may soon disappear
Those of us who have flown – especially regularly, realize that not every seat on a plane was created equal. Again, if you belong to the ‘frequently flying’ lot, you would know that not every plane of the identical type and model has the same seating arrangement. Some airlines under the guise of ‘restyling’ reduce seat pitch by 2 inches, (seat pitch is the amount of room between two rows of seats. This allows the airline to fit about a dozen more seats.
Legroom is the general term used in place of the more accurate seat pitch - which is the distance between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it. In general though, the seat pitch measurement is a good indicator of how much room your legs have between your seat and the seat in front of you.
Simply summarized, legroom (and knee room) together with seat width have all changed, and not for the better. The fact of the matter is that roomiest economy seat of today is narrower than the tightest economy seats offered in the 1990’s. Cabins too have got fuller.
Take heart though; a new design for economy class seating could mean more space for passengers and better social distancing on planes. The curse of falling prey to crammed leg room be a thing of the past, should Alejandro Nuñez Vicente’s design of a “Chaise Lounge Economy seat" concept, where seat rows are alternatively raised and lowered, thus creating more space, be awarded this year’s Crystal Cabin Awards.
Vincente's cabin concept has been selected in the "Judge's Choice" category, with the design receiving global attention since it was shortlisted. The uniqueness of this concept is that the vertical space in the cabin is used to create more space for the passengers. Through the use of the vertical space, the seat design provides passengers with bigger recline angles, more leg room and more overall space within the 32-inch (81 cm) seat pitch, while supporting a wide range of different body postures."
Other concepts making the shortlist this year focused on hygiene, with multiple entries applying cleaning tools using UV light to kill viruses, while others looked at improving cabin air quality. One design proposed a "clip on" tray table, which is handed to passengers prior to their meal and fully removed and disinfected between flights.
The Crystal Cabin Awards, which recognise excellence in aircraft interior innovation, have long featured innovative; some might say outlandish, designs for aircraft cabins, few of which ever see the light of day. That’s not to say though that some will not become reality. Delta Air Lines' Delta One Suite for business class took on the award for best cabin concept in 2017. It was on board the airline's first Airbus A350s just a few months later. This year's shortlist for instance, also features the Horizon Premier first class suite, designed by Collins Aerospace and PriestmanGoode for Russian airline Aeroflot. The suites have already started rolling out on board the airline's Airbus A350s. So, all may not be lost, keep your fingers…nay, your legs crossed for Vincente's design to get the nod.
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