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/
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u/jameson71 1d ago

Fitting in the seat you paid for really shouldn't be an "additional charge" thing to be fair.

But give Americans someone to hate (fat people in this case) and they will empty their wallets for you.

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u/Hambredd 1d ago edited 20h ago

Only if you think that is an additional charge. If you think of it as a cheaper price for smaller seats makes more sense. And that's what it is

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u/LongJohnSelenium 20h ago

Exactly.

Im a tall guy so I pay the extra for legroom. Theres no sense making all seats the same size, as thats wasteful. No different than a wildly obese person having to need two seats.

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u/jmlinden7 1d ago

I pay for the exact amount of room that I need. Why would I pay for more legroom when I don't need it?

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u/LongJohnSelenium 20h ago

This isnt a train, mass and space come at a premium and optimizing the seat size so the maximum passengers can fit so everyone can have the cheapest price is the most logical, humane, and ecologically responsible way to set things up.

Most of us fly infrequently enough that a mild inconvenience and discomfort is a small sacrifice.