Travel plan idea blog

I am a woman that stands 6'2". I believe that the airlines should reserve the seats with more leg room for taller passengers. It makes me sick when I am going to my seat on a plane and I see the seats with massive leg room being occupied by someone whoes feet barely reach the floor. Then I go to my window seat and have to do some kind of oragami with my legs and make sure I tell the person in front of me that reclining there seat is not an opption.

I'm six inches shorter than you and although I have plenty of leg room on the plane, I've been challenged with the same inconsiderate passengers. One would think that passengers would be considerate of one another. I've tried to work on my laptop a few times and almost had the thing crushed when the person in front of me decided to bring back their seat.

It's not the reclining seats that bother me, it's the seat partners one is stuck with. It's like going out with a horrific blind date. At least on the ground one can run from the scene,but alas in this situation,one's only respite is to spend the flight in the restroom.However, if one is claustrophobic,then a few cocktails will have to suffice.Whether it is one's seat partner's snoring,(his head ends up on your shoulder)or his incessant talking that drives one wild, one has no choice but to bring along your nose plugs, ear plugs, music headsets, or to pretend you don't speak English. And by the way, sitting next to the window and talking to yourself isn't a bad idea either.

A little twitching and drueling works also. I have slammed my seat back to stop the little kid from kicking the back of my set a few times. Usually they get the hint or Mom or Dad finally notice that there is someone taking the little brats abuse.

Just my luck. On two occasions I have had the person in front of me lay his seat all the way back. I tend to be a bit claustrophobic, and I came close to creating meyhem, but found another seat instead. I am 6'3" tall. The last time was on a flight from Munich to SF, twelve hours in all. The arm rest next to the ailse would not release, and as one who has to make a pill run more often than I would like, I had about five inches of space to get out. I had to ask that the seat in front be pushed forward, but that only got me that admonition that "your problem is you are too big." Talk about lack of courtesy! The seat was back as soon as I was either in or out. Worse yet, I was 76 years old on that flight.

I've been fairly lucky. I did have a kid kicking me in the back on one flight. I looked back at the parents everytime he started. They always told him to stop which was partially effective. It helps that I'm usually traveling with my wife so at least I know I'll be sitting next to one person I like!

I blame the airline industry! It is disgusting that we are expected to travel under such conditions. I don't like to sit so closely to someone I love, let alone someone I have never met. I'm 5'5" and 120 lbs and very uncomfortable. I cannot imagine being any bigger and having to squeeze into those seats. I looks painful and humiliating. Employees also must share these feelings. I recently flew on a small jet with a larger than everage flight attendant. I sat on the aisle and was bumped every time she passed!

Kids kicking; seats laid back; and another thing that really really bothers me on those long flights is the after shave lotion and perfume. My allergies are usually kicking me by the time I get to my destination!
MP

At 6'6" its a pain in the ass, all i want is the exit row

Its a pain to travel these days. I just flew back to denver on a red eye from honolulu, there was a woman with a cough & cold who sat behind me. With her coughing and bitchin about her coughing every other minute, it was a pain to fall asleep for the 6 hour flight. That and im 6'4", wasnt comfortable either. Now i sit here typing with a cold and runny nose magically apearing four hours ago.

I find the best way to sleep in a plane is to lie down in the aisle.
Thankfully, I'm a good sleeper, but, occasionally I do find someone kicking me, or otherwise harassing me. So, I just stand up. Where I come from, I'm 200 cms tall (that's just over 6'7'') & I weigh 133 kgs (about 290 lbs). Kids - I tell 'em to go & play outside, adults - I just invite them outside.

Everyone...stop complaining...!!!

You get what you paid for...right??

On my last flight we had a screaming baby. I politely and firmly asked the father to tell s/he to stop it. A seatmate who looked about 22 and smug told me to leave them alone, it was only a tiny baby and I should be ashamed of myself. My reply was, I am not the least bit ashamed. I am a mother and grandmother (also 78) and I know how to bring up children. It was delightful to hear nothing more from either baby or boore.

There was a screamer (one who screams for no reason) on a flight from Finland. A steward came down the isle and I asked if they had strangulation services on the flight. Nothing more heard from that one, either.

I really agree about the seat space, even when a seat is not reclined in front of you, it is still a tight squeeze.... I am only 5'5". Sometimes a person just wants to lay back awhile and relax on their vacation or before their business matters. But have to feel guilty doing so, which blows the whole idea of relaxing. Think we need new designed planes after all these years, especially after the high prices to fly. Cut out some of the money they use for the space program, and put it towards better airplanes for us Americans. Anyways, if all the space shuttles have that tight seat space for us all who fly, we all probably would not want to fly to the moon anyways... unless it gets there in less than and hour.

I completely understand where all of you are coming from. Being 6' tall and 190lbs, I take up a good bit of space in my seat. However I have found that sitting either against the bulkhead(in the front) or in an aisle seat is much more comfortable. For those with assigned seating, just ask for either of the seats when you recieve your ticket. If nothing else, just politely tell the person in front of you to not recline back during the flight. Most will oblige, others may not...if so just start playing the drums on your tray and humming the beat loudly. They will get the hint.

I have been on both sides of this issue. I am 6'4" and weigh 250lbs. It is not your fellow passengers fault that there is not enough room to recline seats. Blame the airlines, who blame operating costs, caused by operating a yield management system and revealing your lowest prices (internet) and you have the problem as described above. Sorry folks, you get what you pay for. If you don't fit, arrive early and get a bulkhead or exit row seat, or pay for the upgrade. I would love to drive a less expensive car, but I can't easily get in and out of a smaller car so I had to buy a bigger one. Same thing for airline seats.
On the reclining issue, I try to be sensitive to the guy behind me, but if the only reason the short guy behind me doesn't want me to recline is that he has a laptop, I remind him that if he wants to do business, pay for business class, and by the way, it is a laptop not a traytop so move it. (sorry for the punctuation, I'm not an English major)

You know what? You guys should all try and rent a corporate jet. You hate kids, you hate people who sit next to you, you hate perfumes, you hate flight attendants who are slightly overweight. I have two kids and the idea that I am getting is that I should stop flying because I have two little kids who may not be as well behaved and quite as you guys are.

Or, Khan, just leave your brats at home and allow the rest of us to enjoy a flight we payed too damned much for in the first place.

I travel to Africa three to four times a year, so I can identify with your belly achings. For Petes's sake, hasn't any flight attendant told you guys it is the right of every passenger to recline their seats if they so desire? Serves you right for not watching your weight if your problem is your bulging anatomy. For those six footers, now you must endure a lesson that the same height that makes you feel so cool could also be a source of pain. Life is all about compromises. Stop being a spoilt brat, suck it up!!!

Hey John - as to your comments to Kahn: You pay the same as everyone else. Either fly first class, charter a plane, or shut the hell up.

As for you people who want more leg room because you are taller or fatter:

Again, its called first class. You want extras, you can pay for them, or deal with it as is.

Forget Kahn's kids, I see who the whiny little punks are.

Stop BLAMING people who are overweight from being overweight -- such stupidity, such boorishness, such lack of compassion, such lack of empathy for something that IS NOT always in our control... this coming, as usual, from people who've usually never been more than 10 pounds over their ideal weight their entire life. SPARE ME. Yes, I am overweight; I fly, and I'll be DAMNED if I take any shit for it from anyone for any reason. Also, real parents know how to quiet babies or keep toddlers from kicking; it's only clueless breeders who let their kids scream or kick. Ultimately, the airlines need to retool and redesign. I for one would gladly pay more for a little comfort -- and I often do; I always ask for an upgrade, or am willing to be bumped to a later flight if I can get an upgrade on the next one. Give a little to get a little; go along to get along. Such is life.

Regarding screaming kids, guess what, they paid full price for their seats too. Therefoire they too can whine and complain. Usually the little ones are far better behaved than the adults, they aren't whining about seat parners, dropping things on people's heads, snoring, getting drunk... Further, babies and toddlers can't control ear pressure, which is painful. I don't care how good/bad of a parent you are sometimes kids cry. I am sure it's not because parents want them to annoy you. In fact, they probably are cringing - are you? You were a kid too once - and you are still whining. What's your excuse? You can look for flights that are less booked or pay for an upgrade, write to the airlines - or else - yes really - suck it up.

I'm 5'2" and a little overweight and still the tiny, crowded seats are not enough. If airlines insist on keeping these sorts of seating arrangements they should disable the reclining ability of the seats. Already crowded in, the person in the seat in front of you leans back and suddenly you are cheated of 1/3 your space. I know that is only a few inches, but since we're only allowed about 24" from the end of our noses to the back of the next seat, a few inches is alot. And really, can that be called reclining? As for crying babies, I'd say the parents are probably the most uncomfortable. Having a distraught baby that is inconsolable is bad enough. Having strangers staring at them, or suggesting their children be strangled cannot make things better for anyone. Unruly children, well that's another issue. Maybe if you're children are too hyper or easily distracted, you should consider driving. Rent an RV, camp, have fun!

I completely agree with the putting your seat back ettiquite, and unless it's a flight where my body is forcing me to sleep (4 am flights out of Las Vegas, anyone!) I try not to put my seat back. HOWEVER, I do not feel for you tall people at all. For some reason I end up sitting next to large individuals, be it tall, fat, or both who see me and feel they can take advantage of the space that I paid for. I am 5 foot 2, and 120 lbs and I pay for my seats! Yes it sucks you have to crunch your legs under your neighbors seat. However I purchased that space on the plane, and it's mine mine mine. One woman had the audacity to stow her laptop in my leg space, and I made sure to kick that thing hard a few times. It also sucks I have to stand ON the seat in order to get my luggage out of the overhead rack. These are the burdens we have been bestowed with.

Wow, I love the casual suggestion from folks that one should just "pay for an upgrade" if you don't like the cramped seats. Well, the reality is that if one is overweight, upgrades that give you more legroom aren't going to help--what you really need is more hiproom. And you generally get the roomier seats only in business or first class, which, if you are not a frequent flier, cost two or three or ten times what a coach ticket does.

For a recent trip I so dreaded the airplane seats that I investigated every option I could think of--driving, bus, train--but flying was the only realistic option when considering both time and cost. I did everything I could to make sure I had an empty seat beside me (like changing my seat online the day of the flight)--I don't want to crowd other people any more than they like being crowded--and the next time I fly, I might end up buying two seats--still cheaper than business or first.

Oh, stop your belly-achin' and ride a train for twice the amount of time for nearly the same price of a plane ticket! I am 300 pounds and 6'2" and have only found one plane that had too small a seat for my big behind. Oddly enough, it was directly behind the bulkhead with an emergency exit next to me. The seat would not recline nor would the seat arm move because of its location, but I did have great leg room! I just turned sideways in the seat and slept all the way from Anchorage to Detroit.

I actually prefer the smaller one seat, aisle, two seat Embraers made in Brazil. They have big butt seats and plenty of foot room underneath. I just have to becareful not to bang my head on the ceiling.

As for kids, just give the dears a break. Try explaining to a screaming 18 month old why his ears hurt so badly. Bet you can't!

On the screaming babies; A Pediatrician once told me that babies cry because they don't know how to equalize the pressure in their ears and it hurts. So have a little sympathy as it usually only lasts a little while. Parents, he went on to say, that if you hold your baby with head towards the floor for a few seconds, then bring them back upright, then repeat a few times, their ears equalize and the crying stops. I have had several clients try it and they all said it worked like a charm.

Daniel said: "Oh, stop your belly-achin' and ride a train for twice the amount of time for nearly the same price of a plane ticket!"

Interesting math skills: I went from Albany NY to Las Vegas NV in about 5 hours travel time, with a little over an hour in Newark between planes; Amtrak proposes to get me there in about 38 hours (with a no-doubt delightful 6-hour layover in Chicago). Therefore, 5 x 2 = 38?

To return to the point: most people seem to find airplane seats uncomfortably cramped, and these problems are exacerbated if 1) you are taller than average; 2) you are heavier than average; 3) you are seated near/next to people who are annoying because they are sick, talkative, rude, loud, large, or wearing strong scents; 4) crying children are nearby, whether or not the parents seem able to control them and/or the crying is temporary because of ear pressure--even if understandable, it's a nerve-wracking sound to many.

And, to cap it off, I personally find airplanes too hot and too dry. Flying sucks, but it's still better than most of the other options, IMHO.

I like the reclining seats. I wish they reclined more. People who are tall should petition the ailines to make special seats available and/or quit bothering the normal sized people. OR, they could purchase an extra seat for themselves. I also hate sitting near people that weigh more than 300lbs and/or otherwise cut into the small space they allot me. And how about the armwrest fight? Don't get me started!

After having flown for 30/35 years and experienced mechanical and weather issues,which cant be helped,I just got back from an international flight on United Airlines....Welll I think US air flight is going to hell in a handbasket!!!!It took the combined efforts of United [totally useless out of ORF, Norfolk Va]American Airlines [good] and Delta [also good] to get us to Dominican Republic.Two famlies for a total of 7 people mised the 1st day of our vacation [all inclusive] due to United's constant screw ups and they had to split the families up and.My family actuall got on board an American flight and was pulled of at the last minute bcause the tickets that United gave American would have caused us to be stuck in Miami bcause they were not rite for international flight.Then my family had to take a 3.5 hr $160.00 taxi from hell ride from Santa Domingo to Punta Cana to get to hotel.My wife fretted all the way and knew we were going to be robbed and murdered.She even made us get off 1 taxi you know, mothers intuition...I thought she was going to throw the taxi driver down and make pasionate love to him when he actually delivered us to the proper hotel..Poor taxi driver understood no english [so he said] and did not know how close he came!!!I guess with most airlines in BANKRUPCY and all the employees screwed [my dear sister worked for US Air for 24 yrs from luggage thrower to CEO of the area ticket counters and was let go before any retirement kicked in and I dont know if she has received anything from them,shes now 55] and all the planes 15/20 yrs old,cramped and not fuel effecient,I think we the fliers are screwbedood!!I think all the Airline CEO's that have raided the retirement funds,cut everyones salaries [i dont think $150/200 thousand is too much to pay a person that constantly has 100/200/300 lives in his hands,the pilot silly]etc etc should kick in their bonus and buy us some airplanes.They have sure not done anything to earn a bonus!!!Sorry for too long,but no good place to stop!!