New 737 MAX 8 Transatlantic Opportunities

[Ryan]

Comfort of a seat pitch for someone of a given height can very greatly depending on proportions. If you have stubby legs and a long torso, you're probably good to go. If you have long legs and not much torso, it's going to be hell for you.

Your teacher's anecdote is interesting, but irrelevant. If Chris says that the seats are unworkable for him, you should take him at is word, rather than relay anecdotes from school.

 

[cpotisch]

Comfort of a seat pitch for someone of a given height can very greatly depending on proportions. If you have stubby legs and a long torso, you're probably good to go. If you have long legs and not much torso, it's going to be hell for you.

Your teacher's anecdote is interesting, but irrelevant. If Chris says that the seats are unworkable for him, you should take him at is word, rather than relay anecdotes from school.

I completely believe him. I was just wondering if he had sat in the 737 MAX, since the listed specs don't necessarily tell you everything, and the actual layout of those 29-inch seats could be different than that of other planes with the same listed dimensions.

 

[PVD]

Pitch as a measurement is an apples to apples standard, the space between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it, where as comfort has many additional nuances. Seat width, fixed armrest vs movable, amount and method of recline, angle of satbagk to seat cushion, also length of the bottom cushion and seatback thickness factor in. That is above and beyond the physical differences between people.

 

[railiner]

Pitch as a measurement is an apples to apples standard, the space between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it, where as comfort has many additional nuances. Seat width, fixed armrest vs movable, amount and method of recline, angle of satbagk to seat cushion, also length of the bottom cushion and seatback thickness factor in. That is above and beyond the physical differences between people.

All that, and the design and height of the seat in front of you. Some seats are lower than other's on the bottom, so they can prevent your shins from extending under them....

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Comfort of a seat pitch for someone of a given height can very greatly depending on proportions. If you have stubby legs and a long torso, you're probably good to go. If you have lo ng legs and not much torso, it's going to be hell for you.Your teacher's anecdote is interesting, but irrelevant. If Chris says that the seats are unworkable for him, you should take him at is word, rather than relay anecdotes from school.

I completely believe him. I was just wondering if he had sat in the 737 MAX, since the listed specs don't necessarily tell you everything, and the actual layout of those 29-inch seats could be different than that of other planes with the same listed dimensions.

I agree that listed specs do not tell you everything, especially when it's a trait as limited in scope as generic seat pitch. That being said, I have forty different aircraft with nearly forty different airlines from which to extrapolate. Thus far the closest pitch I've been able to manage on a transoceanic flight is 32" when using recent slimline seats on newer aircraft such as the 788 and 789. Even that was merely tolerable rather than comfortable. If 30" and 31" pitch slimline seats are already too painful to manage across an ocean then what hope does 29" pitch realistically have?

 

[PVD]

To add another wrinkle, the placement and type of boxes for entertainment equipment under the seats on some aircraft can render a seat with more than adequate distance uncomfortable for placing one's feet.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Back in the 1990's it was common for early AVOD systems (such as those found on B744's and B772's) to waste anywhere from 30%-60% of the usable coach footwell area for each affected seat. These days it's far less of an issue with modern AVOD systems (such as those found on B787's and A380's) but if you find yourself on an intercontinental B757/B767 or early model 777 then you'd be wise to research which seats are stuck with those huge immovable boxes of foot squeezing gadgetry.

 

[cpotisch]

My 6'1" teacher is flying on another 737MAX today. We'll see if he can fit comfortably again (Norwegian).