Economy leg room complaints

[shortm]

Sorry this is a bit of a rant. Just done a flight back from JNB and one passenger was really complaining about his seating allocation. His party of 6 which included 2 children (about 10 & 12) has been seated in two rows one behind each other. The problem he had with this was that he said he should have been allocated a bulk head seat as he had children and the bulkhead had more room.

I explained that the bulkhead seats are normally reserved for people with leg injuries or for families with babies as the skycots fit onto the bulkhead.

Anyway, as he was getting off he started saying how disusting the leg room is ... blah, blah. Now, as far as my experience of flying the leg room in economy on the various airlines doesn't vary very much - it's always quite a squeeze.

So my mind was wondering, why do people pay for economy and expect business class ? People have to accept that if you want a low fare then you will have to have more seats on the aircraft. If you want more space then you pay for it - if you want a bigger house you have to pay for that, you don't just get it because you've got children !

[Flugbegleiter]

Totally! I make this same point all the time.

[cavortingcheetah]

Came upon this tread by accident. Uusually to be found haunting the flight pilot and skullduggery threads.
Always book three seats when my wife and I travel economy.
That's cheaper than business or first and usually moe comfortable.
I go to JHB 3/4 times a year. If you cost out the price of an exytra seat, round trip on that flight, say £400 for twenty four hours total flying. That works out at about £16 per hour or £8 if you divide it by two, as both my wife and I use the empty seat between us.
That's a bargain on a double overnight flight.
Carry on with the good work girls!

[PAXboy]

Yes, little differance between the three carriers that operate LHR~JNB direct with 31" being the standard. These sites may assist and you may then be able to confirm to other pax that the pitch in your seats is the same as in your competitors:
Airline Leg Room Guide
The Leg Room Page

It is also intersting to note that American's much vaunted removel of Eco seat rows to increase long haul pitch from 31 to 34 (as I recall) has not brought them enough extra bums on seats and is (I hear) being removed at the next routine overhaul, to cram more people into the tube. In other words, enough people choose to have small seat pitch and pay less money, to ensure that the world's airlines keep it that way.

CC that is an interesting approach. If I may ask:[list=1][*]What name do you use for the extra seat?[*]How often do you find check-in agents misunderstanding what you have done?[*]Do you have difficulty getting the full baggage allocation for the third seat?[*]Do you come under pressure to give up the seat?[/list=1]

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[cavortingcheetah]

PaXboy, hello there.

1. I use my own name. So far I've never had a problem.
2. Never had a problem with check in staff even in funny places where their not used to such an approach.
3. Never had a problem with the extra 20kgs. I suspect that some might baulk if I tried to take an extra 10kgs on top as water sport gear. So far no problems though.
4. I have come under pressure to give up the seat, especially on KLM which is the airline I use most often on AMS/JHB. I always politely refuse to give up the seat unless the airline is prepared to move both of us up into business or first. You've just got to grit your teeth on this one and grin inanely at the other passengers. Something I do quite well by all accounts.
On a Jumbo, the extra seat is always the middle of a three row on the port side so the usual form is a family who want to change and sit three together. Often they are standbys, poor souls, but I just hold out for the upgrade.
It is all quite kosher and the cabin crew have to go along with my plan at the end of the day. I have threatened to show the crew my hip replacement scar in the past to reinforce my need for extra room. It looks like a shark bite. So far no takers but it does scare the punters on the Durban beaches when I flaunt it - or is it my body that sends them quivering off to the Umhlanga lighthouse?

[OZcabincrew]

i haven't had any passengers complain about the seat pitch although i'm sure they're thinking it. All passengers expect the whole world given to them on a silver platter without having to pay for it, they all have contacts and they all deserve to be upgraded etc etc, but at the end of the day if you haven't paid for it, you don't get it.

Good on you for not giving up your seat, why should you? There's no point having a seat you've paid for somewhere else in the cabin when you can't use it? Definately put your foot down! but of course, don't be rude, i'm sure you wouldn't.

Oz

[cavortingcheetah]

No indeed, I am never rude to the little masqueradeing monsters dressed up as cabin crew. When you've got to spend twelve hours with the little dears' it pays to be civil.

[PAXboy]

CC Thanks for the feedback, it is an interesting proposition. I am currently single so tend to buy PE on VS when going south and that is equivalent to 1.5 Econo seats, both in price and seat. I can see that for two people, your solutionit is very neat.

"I have threatened to show the crew my hip replacement scar" This does sound like the ultimate threat and I can now look forward to the time of needing such an operation, as I had not forseen the fringe benefits ...

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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[TightSlot]

cavortingcheetah - How refreshing to read a post from somebody who understands the situation, has done the math and come up with a satisfactory result. Good Luck to you in holding off the circling Indians from Fort Apache in 31ABC!

[cavortingcheetah]

That's a very nice compliment, for which I thank you.
I love the green, reminds me of reformed Vampyres or perhaps the Mighty Mekon, although I am sure that you do not go back quite so far.
I would have little objection to being scalped by some of the Indians by whom I have been circled.

[TightSlot]

That would be this one?

[wheels up]

I fly on Emirates quite frequently, usually on the A340 - some of the seats have boxes in the footwell taking up half of the legroom - adds insult to injury when you already have to contend with economy legroom.

Whats this all about? Inflight entertainment system?

[cavortingcheetah]

Eagle. Page 1.

My old friend. I fear I look more like Digby these days.

[Victor Mike Charlie]

I'm 6'4" and in a large frame, so seat pitch is important. I regularly go LHR-Chicago or some similar hub and almost inevitably end up booking AA as it's the most comfortable for me when transatlantic.

I try to book as far in advance as I can and choose my seats carefully so I can pre-book them on the web.

[PAXboy]

VMC As mentioned in the fourth posting in this thread, I gather that AA are phasing out their extended leg room in Y.

[Vin Diesel]

Though I stand 6ft 3, I have never had a problem with a scheduled airline's leg room, although I have only ever flown long haul on Aer Lingus A330's so am hardly an authority on the subject. I've found them to be satisfactory for the flights.

Charter airlines however are a disgrace! Most recently on a Dub to PMI, about three hours flight I had the emergency exits outbound, on a 737-400 which was lots of room, but coming home I was in row four or five, window seat, and all I can say is thank God it was only a short flight!

Still, as mentioned before with leg room versus bums on seats, you get what you pay for! I know First Choice offer you the opportunity to buy emergency exit seats for €42 per flight. I wonder will other operators follow suit? I wonder do many people book and pay for it in practice?