AIBU to think airline seats no longer fit average-sized adults?

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Do any airlines have adult-sized seats? Not obese adults, just regular adults?

We've just flown with Jet2 and my back is still in agony from the trip there. I was in the middle seat between my friend, who is slightly overweight but also short, so proportionately, she is not much wider than an average height, average weight woman, and a man who was maybe bordering on obese, his ass fit in his own seat, but his shoulders took a good three/four inches of my seat. My friend's shoulders took maybe a cm or 2 of my seat.

I'm not on the small side myself; I'm not overweight, but I am not what you'd describe as skinny. I needed all my shoulder space to myself. I was unable to sit back the entire flight because I literally didn't fit. I had to hunch forward with my shoulders rolled in.

On the way back, I was sitting between my friend, a short, slim lady. I could sit back, but I was touching both people on either side of me, and there was no elbow space or wriggle room.

For next year, I need either my shoulders shaved down and a few ribs removed or actual, people-sized seats. Do such seats exist?

It doesn’t matter OP. it’s still a klaxon for some posters

I'm 5'9 and slim. I hate, hate, hate aeroplanes because they're so squashed. I don't want to touch people next to me, so I have to make myself as small as possible. And it hurts my knees.

It's ridiculous. I have stated in almost every post that no one on the row was obese, yet they are still determined to blame obese people.

Why? How? Did they eat the seats?

I actually think I would have been more comfortable sitting between 2 obese, short women. Their shoulders would have been lower in the seat than mine, and probably narrower, so I would have had more space to sit back.

I’m 5ft6 and 9 and a half stone and I feel a bit hemmed in.

We normally fly Ryanair but last October flew on Jet2 on a 3 hour flight, I had the middle seat and could not get comfy and at the end of the flight my back was in excruciating pain. The return flight was ok in that I could get in a good position but my back was still hurting from the outbound flight. I don’t want to alarm you OP but I’d obviously trapped a nerve on the outbound flight and it’s only just better

I think spacing needs to be reconsidered in all places. People are getting bigger and taller. I was sat next to quite an overweight person in a theatre a couple of weeks ago and they were spilling into my seat and space. It’s unpleasant for everyone, no one wants to be touching anyone else.

And who do you suggest is bumped from the flight for the extra seat? You volunteering?
Shall we all try and squeeze into the seat in full view of a jeering crowd?
Let’s just make the chubby folk stay home and sit in the dark and think about their gluttony shall we?

Yep.....

Look at discussions about Long Haul flights and "should I upgrade" - very often the answer is "nah, put up with the discomfort for a few hours and save the money for the holiday itself".

The successful airlines have worked out exactly what makes their customers tick, and mostly it's the ticket price.

I hate plane seats. I’m sure they were designed by sadists. There’s literally nothing comfortable about them. It’s not just the size it’s all the clunky metal bits as well.

One problem is the designers sometimes have to compromise pure comfort to (dare I mention this) meet crash/impact resistance requirements.

To someone who is not obese, the phrase 'bordering on obese' sounds pretty large

The trick is to fly with a toddler, then you can occupy all the shoulder space and a good chunk of the legroom too.

The downside of this is flying with a toddler.

Obese is not as big as people think it is. It doesn't have to be morbid obesity to be obesity. BMI 30 won't look small, but many people wouldn't think it was obese, especially if carried well.

Airline seats are so uncomfortable anyway. And very bad for backs. Plus my thighs are almost too long. I’m 5 ft 9-10ish with long legs and my thighs barely fit in. Not sure how taller people manage!!

Both are true. The seats are too small and we do have an obesity issue in the UK. This is simply a known fact and I don’t think many of the posters are having a dig.

The seats are standard. If you're overweight you'll be uncomfortable. If you're very overweight buy 2 seats

Yes, of a normal healthy adult size. HTHTC

All these people insisting that seats are getting narrower, what do you think they are they doing with all the extra width gained? They're not fitting in an extra seat, 3,3 configuration has been typical for decades

What does the TC stand for?

Seat Map or Seat Guru can help with seat details if you know the aircraft. It’s not likely the low cost carriers have the same width as others might on brand new aircraft. I assume they don’t have a PE or Business.

No, the seats are designed to fit in as many average healthy-weight people as possible. HTH.

Just keep having babies so you always have a toddler to fly with. Lol 😆
Then they grow up into lanky teens.

I was at the Air Museum the other day one thing I noticed about the 1960s Dan Air plane, the seats did look wider, 3 on one side, 2 on the other but then flying in the 1960s really wasn't cheap.

I guess if modern planes was to go back to the configuration loosing a line of seats would increase the price by a 5th. 5 seats instead of 6 seats across.

I mean…
What happens if someone can’t fit into the seats at a theme park? They’re not allowed on the ride. Perhaps the same should apply with flying 🙃

This.

I think people are imagining my friend and this man to be massive. They weren't.

My friend's BMI puts her at overweight because she is short. A lot of people would probably describe her as slim just by sight. I don't know her clothes size, I've never asked, but I would guess a 14 in most shops, maybe a 12 in the shops that run larger, or a small 16 in the shops that run smaller.

The guy had a typical dad bod, slimmish arms and legs with a round belly.

I don't think either of them would shed many inches from their shoulders if they reached a healthy BMI, and it was the shoulder space I was lacking.