Comments on: Three people, six arms, four armrests: Can they coexist?

By: A step up for economy class seating | Upgrade: Travel Better

A step up for economy class seating | Upgrade: Travel Better — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:05:36 +0000

[...] – Three people, six arms, four armrests: Can they coexist? – Looking backward: Airlines considering alternating forward and rear-facing seats – Lufthansa [...]

By: From The Mind of J

From The Mind of J — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:57:09 +0000

Why should you have to ask your seatmate to move their arm? One person’s armspace should not interfere with that of another.

By: Claire Walter

Claire Walter — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:01:55 +0000

OK. Let me help me understand this. Airlines are under such financial pressure that they are charging for curbside check-in, charging for checked bags, increasing the fees for changing a ticket or speaking to a real human reservationist, adding fuel surcharges, removing entertainment systems, sometimes eliminating even the most modest of snacks, etc., but now there is talk of custom-designed seats so that passengers don’t have to tussle over armrest space!!!! Why not just politely ask your seatmate(s) for a few inches of armrest for your own elbow(s)? Most inflight companions are apologetic and compliant to such a request.

Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com

By: liz

liz — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:55:13 +0000

I like it even if the armrests aren’t functional, just as a barrier from the person next to me spilling over into my seat.

By: Robert Bradford

Robert Bradford — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:15:51 +0000

Quantas has tackled this problem with nice, super-high “armrests” that most people couldn’t possibly rest their arms on, leading to the civilized situation where all the passengers keep their arms and (on more massive passengers) side-flab in their own dang seats. This is a critical mental-health move for 20+ hour flights…

By: fairytale

fairytale — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:55:07 +0000

http://tripatlas.com/blog/56175/128

By: Cinema Fan

Cinema Fan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:16:33 +0000

Could you propose this to Cinemas as well please? I love the big screen but sharing an armrest having paid so much money is a pain. Does look a little like you are flying Con air class though.

By: Cinema Fan

Cinema Fan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:15:44 +0000

Could you propose this to Cinemas as well please? I love the big screen but sharing an armrest having paid so much money is a pain.

By: ML Harris

ML Harris — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:46:17 +0000

Hot, with a caveat. Have 360* turntable mount on the bottom of the thing, with two locking positions. That was you can negotiate with your neighbor over who gets the high side and who get the low.

Extra slick add on: Have it retract into the seat arm, like a bulkhead row tray table.

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:53:13 +0000

Interesting idea! A couple of questions though:

- How does this design work for different sizes of people? I can’t see it being comfortable for a child, or for someone who is obese.

- Can these arm rests retract or flip upwards to make it easier for people to get in and out of their seats? I know they do this all the time on buses and trains. I’m wondering if they could be dangerous in the event of an emergency evacuation.

By: Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron

Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:36:02 +0000

Why not – it’s worth a try!

mp/m

By: From The Mind of J

From The Mind of J — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:51:23 +0000

Thanks for the plug, Mark.

Global, we’d all like more space, but that presumes the bottom-line-obsessed airlines would deign to sacrifice the number of seats onboard.