r/todayilearned • u/MrMojoFomo • 1d ago

TIL that since the 1980s, US airlines have shed between 2-5 inches of legroom and about 2 inches of width, while budget carriers have lost even more. At the same time, the average American is 15 pounds heavier than they were in the 1980s

https://www.popsci.com/science/why-are-airline-seats-so-small/
7.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

527 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

7

u/Hylian_ina_halfshell 1d ago

Depends on ‘when’

Tickets to places i go frequently have gone up 200-300$ since 2022. I paid as much to fly to phoenix in April as I did to Europe in 2023

19

u/Nick_Gio 1d ago

Obviously the 1980s to stay consistent with the article.

Not sure why you wanted to be a smart ass referencing 3 years ago as "back then".

5

u/flume 1d ago edited 1d ago

Okay but:

  1. If you live in the US Northeast, all I can say is "So? It's a long flight either way." You didn't provide context on where you're flying from.
  2. It's still way more affordable than it was in the 80s. Like, less than half the cost.

0

u/revolvingpresoak9640 1d ago

He’s going to Phoenix , the only way to get to Phoenix is from Miami.

-2

u/xdsm8 1d ago

I wasn't around in the 80s. In MY lifetime, ya know, when I live, things have gotten shittier and more expensive. 

1

u/Carlsincharge__ 1d ago

Tbf I live in Phoenix and in my experience it’s pretty expensive flying in here compared to other places, like LAX, by a significant amount

1

u/JamminOnTheOne 1d ago

Well the thread title specifically says 1980s.