Space encroachment on flights

[Big_Hitter]

I'm about 5'2" tall with a medium frame. On several flights over the last year, I've been seated next to guys with huge shoulders and big torsos, such that I'm losing 25%+ of my space to them. I'm wondering if plane seats have gotten much narrower, or what is driving this. On a shorter flight it's not a big issue, but it's really uncomfortable on long flights.

Is the only way to avoid this to upgrade to business class? We almost always fly economy but upgrade to premium seats in the main cabin so we get earlier boarding and more leg room.

being one of the big guys (6'2" 270 with big shoulders) I'm sorry but the seats have gotten smaller. Last few times I've traveled I've tried to make myself as small as possible by squishing as close as I can to the window.

 

[Fermion]

I am 6'7" I have tried cutting out soda but I am still 6'7" after months of effort.

I really don't want to fly anymore. It is horrible.

 

[whatnot]

I got very lucky last year. My good friend (travel buddy) and I flew the IAH to AMS last year. We both like the window seats for Intl so we can try and sleep. We were in E+. I was in the seat in front of her. Well we both had empty middle seats! It made for a very comfortable trip.
When I fly with DH, I get the middle seat. DH has broad shoulders and he likes the aisle seat. The last couple of Intl flights we had the 2-3-2 and we like that set up. We always get E+. But he really hates to fly so I booked 1st class on our trip in July on the way to Europe. That is the overnight flight. I could not bring myself to pay the premium for the return flight and got E+. If I get a reasonable offer to buy up I may do that.

 

[Amethyst]

OMG that must be awful for you, and like you said, it's not as if you can diet yourself shorter. Being tall is an advantage in many ways, but flying is the great miserable-izer.

When it comes to flying, I have sympathy for the larger folks, especially when it's obvious they are trying to scrunch their limbs together in order to fit.

I am 6'7" I have tried cutting out soda but I am still 6'7" after months of effort.

I really don't want to fly anymore. It is horrible.

 

[ivinsfan]

I admit that I am one of those big (fat) guys on a plane. I try to always get an aisle seat because I have broad shoulders and long legs. I recall about 10 years ago getting on the plane, having been assigned a middle seat. The flight attendant was right in front of me and we both looked at the two men sitting in the three seats. Their hips were touching and the middle seat was completely gone! There was no way anything could fit between them, let alone me!

Most of the big men are somewhat considerate about people next to them. I think the worst is the person who drops their seat back onto my knees or the kid kicking the back of my seat!

Just wondering what you mean by considerate? You can't shrink yourself. especially your shoulders. If you say, sorry my shoulders are poking you, that's not being considerate as far as your seatmate is concerned. Those two men you mentioned should have bought two seats instead of one, that would have been considerate.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm about 5'2" tall with a medium frame. On several flights over the last year, I've been seated next to guys with huge shoulders and big torsos, such that I'm losing 25%+ of my space to them. I'm wondering if plane seats have gotten much narrower, or what is driving this. On a shorter flight it's not a big issue, but it's really uncomfortable on long flights.

Is the only way to avoid this to upgrade to business class? We almost always fly economy but upgrade to premium seats in the main cabin so we get earlier boarding and more leg room.

I'm trying to picture this and cannot quite do this. DW is 5 feet tall so this is of interest. I always take the aisle seat and DW does not want to sit in an aisle seat across from me. So she has one person to deal with beside me and I'm kind of thin.

First, why should each of these guys on either side get the arm rest? Maybe (if they aren't the combative types) you could gently ask them to make the arm rest a "safe zone" i.e. nobody uses it. Or they could have the arm rest but have to only use the edge of it. And they have no business letting their legs cross over the safe zone. So gently point out that you need your space. Of course, you could mention you are just getting over a communicable disease (and are definitely not contagious) .

I admit this is putting the burden on you to speak up. For many of us this is not an easy thing to do.

 

[Fermion]

Ok, I do have to tell my worst experience.

Packed flight. I get stuck in a seat in front of the exit row seats, so my seat doesn't recline but the one in front of me does. I am sitting next to a lady with an infant in her lap.

About 10 minutes into the flight, the person in front of me reclines to your standard La-z-boy position. My knees end up so close to my nose I can smell my kneecaps (ever smelled your kneecap? smells like toffee).

Fine, so another 30 minutes go by and they serve a meal. I get my 1 ounce burger and am all happy with my little dinner and the lady next to me starts changing her baby's diaper on the tray table.

"Hello, Amtrack? How much for a ticket to..."

 

[Bestwifeever]

...
First, why should each of these guys on either side get the arm rest? Maybe (if they aren't the combative types) you could gently ask them to make the arm rest a "safe zone" i.e. nobody uses it. Or they could have the arm rest but have to only use the edge of it. ....

In my book of unwritten airline etiquette the middle seat always gets full use of both armrests. Plus no one ever reclines a seat.

Once I was in the middle seat and the woman on the aisle put her stuff under the seat in front of me. I told her she couldn't put her stuff there because I needed to put mybstuff there and besides I would smash it with my feet and she said she needed the room under the seat in front of her for her own feet and she thought I had plenty of room for all of it. Um, no. Very weird.

 

[W2R]

Experiences, not things.... A big part of the experience for some of us can be the actual joy of getting there quickly, in comfort and dignity, and arriving rested, relaxed, and pampered.

I am so happy that I don't have to travel for work any more. I have not flown since my retirement on 11/9/2009. Instead I have engaged in some wonderful explorations and experiences right here in my home town, within easy driving distance.

Many towns have some fascinating things to see and do that cannot be seen or done by someone working all week who has no time for this sort of fun. I suggest that exploring and enjoying one's own home town and the surrounding region within an afternoon drive, is always an option to consider for those who find flying to be too arduous and not especially relaxing or exhilarating. Dig a little and see what you can find.

 

[Amethyst]

Big people don't necessarily "take" the armrest. They simply spill over it. Even when doing their best to corral their physical selves. And it is not always a clear-cut case of "you should have bought a second seat," since most big people are only maybe 25% bigger than average. OK, that was awkwardly phrased, but I don't know how else to put it.

As for the man who spread his legs and thus encroached into my leg area, I did ask him in a whisper to close up a little, and he did. I think he was embarrassed, however, as if his Mother had warned him not to display his woo-woo.

I

First, why should each of these guys on either side get the arm rest? Maybe (if they aren't the combative types) you could gently ask them to make the arm rest a "safe zone" i.e. nobody uses it. Or they could have the arm rest but have to only use the edge of it. And they have no business letting their legs cross over the safe zone. So gently point out that you need your space.

.

 

[Silver]

In my book of unwritten airline etiquette the middle seat always gets full use of both armrests. Plus no one ever reclines a seat.

Once I was in the middle seat and the woman on the aisle put her stuff under the seat in front of me. I told her she couldn't put her stuff there because I needed to put mybstuff there and besides I would smash it with my feet and she said she needed the room under the seat in front of her for her own feet and she thought I had plenty of room for all of it. Um, no. Very weird.

I had this exact same thing happen to me, except I was in an aisle seat in first class. (I've gotten to the age that I will only fly first class...or not at all.)

I was already seated when the woman sitting in the window seat arrived. I stood up to let her to her seat, and she immediately stuffed a large shopping bag under the seat directly in front of me. I sat down and tested the remaining space I had for my feet. There was room for one foot.....kinda.

When I said that having no space for my feet wouldn't do, she was very put out and said 'well then you'll just have to get up again" which I did so that she could stuff the bag in the overhead. She then "huffed" for a few more minutes before settling down. Wow.

Where do the feelings of entitlement come from?

 

[scrabbler1]

My best story about space encroachment occurred on a flight from LA to NY back in 1988. I was connecting from a quick flight from San Diego on a small, commuter plane whose awesome flight hugged the scenic California shoreline at low altitude. The plane held 17 people with every seat in the 8 rows (each one was an aisle AND a window) taken except for the middle seat in the rear row. I had a rear row seat next to the empty one.


Anyway, I boarded my big plane in LA and I had a window seat on the left side of one of those 2-aisle planes. And the aisle seat next to mine was empty as neared departure time. Would I have an empty seat for this 5-6 hour flight? Nope. A late-arriving flight from Hawaii added some connecting passengers to our plane and all the remaining seats got filled including mine.


I was sitting next to a man whose business partner he was flying with was seated elsewhere in the main cabin. Shortly after takeoff, the man offered me "the easiest $20 I'd ever make" by letting his business partner change seats with me. I asked him if his business partner was seated in a non-smoking seat (this was when we still had smoking on most flights) and he said he was.


I gathered my carry-on stuff, took his $20, and went to his partner's seat and sent him back to mine. But when I sat down, I was sitting next to a very, very large man. He had the window and I had the aisle seat. His shoulder was encroaching into mine (I'm 5'11 and back then only 145 lbs.) I could not sit centered in my seat, as it was more comfortable to place my left leg and foot into the aisle as much as possible, a small obstacle to anything moving in the aisle until I slid it away. Also, I was only 1 row in front of the smoking section, so I had second-hand smoke drifting to my nose. I thought to myself, "This is NOT going to be the easiest $20 I ever made."


The meal was served and it was pretty good, and I ate it quickly, or so I thought. The large man next to me had eaten everything except the napkins and plastic wrapping long before I had finished and had fallen asleep. I do give the large man
credit for never having to get up from his seat the entire flight, although I wonder how much of a task it would be to get up and get back into his (and, partially my) seat.


During the flight, after the meal, I got up and went back to my old seat where the two businessmen were happily reunited. I said to the one who paid me the $20, "I want you to know this is NOT the easiest $20 I ever made!" We all shared a laugh, as I correctly assumed that the man I switched seats with told the other man what he had left behind and what I was now sitting next to.


At least I had my GF greet me at JFK with a big kiss. She was a lot more fun to be scrunched next to than the man on the plane was!

 

[pacergal]

DH has a bad back and bad knees. We decided that in retirement, we would take less trips and fly First or Business class. We have pleasant flights and arrive at destinations feeling ready to go rather than cranky. It is far better for him to be comfortable and pain free.

 

[mystang52]

I've given up on any thought of a pleasant air flight experience. We always book one of the earliest departing flights, and somewhat-early returning flight. The early departure gives us more time to de-stress on arrival, and also get home at a "human" time.
Obviously, it does nothing for the in-flight issues. I do think, though, that in the next couple of years I will suck it up and pay extra for business class, or first class.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Experiences, not things.... A big part of the experience for some of us can be the actual joy of getting there quickly, in comfort and dignity, and arriving rested, relaxed, and pampered.

I am so happy that I don't have to travel for work any more. I have not flown since my retirement on 11/9/2009. Instead I have engaged in some wonderful explorations and experiences right here in my home town, within easy driving distance.

Many towns have some fascinating things to see and do that cannot be seen or done by someone working all week who has no time for this sort of fun. I suggest that exploring and enjoying one's own home town and the surrounding region within an afternoon drive, is always an option to consider for those who find flying to be too arduous and not especially relaxing or exhilarating. Dig a little and see what you can find.

I can't dig deep enough to find DS and his family in my own home town....

 

[candrew]

We could also both get aisle seats across from each other so neither of us is wedged in between large people.

+1

DW & I have been using this strategy for several years now. Most recently, we had 12 hour flights to & from Auckland. Each of us had an aisle seat in economy class across from one another and found it to be acceptable.

 

[ivinsfan]

I had this exact same thing happen to me, except I was in an aisle seat in first class. (I've gotten to the age that I will only fly first class...or not at all.)

I was already seated when the woman sitting in the window seat arrived. I stood up to let her to her seat, and she immediately stuffed a large shopping bag under the seat directly in front of me. I sat down and tested the remaining space I had for my feet. There was room for one foot.....kinda.

When I said that having no space for my feet wouldn't do, she was very put out and said 'well then you'll just have to get up again" which I did so that she could stuff the bag in the overhead. She then "huffed" for a few more minutes before settling down. Wow.

Where do the feelings of entitlement come from?

I had a "lady" in front of me in the bulkhead seat, who had stuffed all of her stuff underneath her seat..It actually stuckout on my side and would have made me immobile for the whole flight. I politely got up and told her that's my space for my feet so you need to take your stuff out now. I got the huffy look and I'm like do you want me to call the FA or do you just want to move it? She moved it but wasn't happy about it.People

 

[CardsFan]

I had a "lady" in front of me in the bulkhead seat, who had stuffed all of her stuff underneath her seat..It actually stuckout on my side and would have made me immobile for the whole flight. I politely got up and told her that's my space for my feet so you need to take your stuff out now. I got the huffy look and I'm like do you want me to call the FA or do you just want to move it? She moved it but wasn't happy about it.People

I had the same lady in front of me one time

 

[Bestwifeever]

I had the same lady in front of me one time

She gets around--she's flown with at least four of us!

 

[MRG]

The seats are shrinking.

One of the funniest I'd seen was flying from London to Edinburgh for a day meeting. I was with the CIO, a very large man, 6'4" and a good 300, mostly muscle. We were in business class, but it wasn't any better than coach. Three across and he's in the middle. His first mate arrives and dwarfs the CIO. shortly after the second arrives and he's bigger yet! Luckily it like 45 minutes in the air.

On the evening flight back to London the other two guys are at our gate. They quickly confirmed they were not sitting next to each other.

 

[ivinsfan]

She gets around--she's flown with at least four of us!

LOL My favorite part is the "are you serious" look they give you when you know they know they were being an A#$hat...

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I've had that woman on my flight too!

Then there was the small regional plane with the lady in a front seat who told the FA during the safety briefing to be quiet because it bothered her. On the approach to landing she refused to bring her seat up because it wasn't comfortable (she lost that argument). Upon exiting the plane onto the tarmac at O'Hare she cluelessly passed the stairs into the terminal and I heard one baggage handler say to another,"Where's that lady going? HEY LADY!!" Best entertainment I had in a long time on a flight.

 

[Silver]

LOL My favorite part is the "are you serious" look they give you when you know they know they were being an A#$hat...

I'm not sure that they do know they were being inappropriate, and that's what really bothers me most. Lack of insight. Lack of situational awareness. Belief that they have "rights" that supersede yours.

How does one get that way?

 

[gerntz]

A lot of trans-Atlantic flights are 2-3-2. But the IAH to AMS is always a Boeing 777 with 3-3-3 config, and always full, so we've learned to sit across the aisle because there is always someone in the middle seat.

I think the 2-3-2's in coach are all B767 planes. Ain't making many of those - too much aisle space for too few seats. Agree on picking across aisle seats except when having to get up when those inside need to.

 

[Chuckanut]

I'm not sure that they do know they were being inappropriate, and that's what really bothers me most. Lack of insight. Lack of situational awareness. Belief that they have "rights" that supersede yours.

How does one get that way?

The Flyer Talk forum has an huge thread devoted to people labeled as DYKWIA - Do You Know Who I Am? people. These are the ones who insist they should be upgraded to 1st class, push ahead of others when boarding, and generally act like the rest of us are 'gate lice'.