New depressing airline definition of comfort: lack of pain and injury
For fliers who feel like pretzels in their cramped seats, there’s little relief in sight.
“Aircraft designers are dealing with space limitations,” writes The Los Angeles Times.
“But airlines are trying to cope with a range of passenger sizes. As a result, comfort is now defined as the absence of pain and injury.”
Seats are smaller and thinner than ever. Airlines have been installing less padded, lighter seats while complying with an FAA regulation requiring that all aircraft built after October 2009 have seats designed to withstand 16 times the force of gravity, said the report. The current requirement is nine times the force of gravity.
Making the situation worse: Americans are getting taller and fatter.
“They’re spilling into other people’s spaces,” said Peter Budnick, president and chief executive of Park City, Utah-based Ergoweb Inc., an ergonomics consulting and training company that has examined airline seating.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.

































Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools