More room to stretch out on long-haul flights

Heeding a recommendation from the House of Lords last week, top UK travel operator Thomas Cook announced yesterday that the leg-room on long-haul economy flights would be extended by three inches next year.


Thomas Cook currently has a 'seat pitch' - the distance between the backs of two seats, one in front of the other - of 30 inches, while British Airways has a standard of 31 inches. American Airlines, the busiest carrier in the world, boasts up to 34 inches on the Boeing 777s and 32 inches for other international flights.


Short-haul flights continue to be neglected in the battle for longer seat pitches. Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways generally provide 28 inches of seat pitch on short-haul flights, while Ryanair and Bmibaby offer 30 inches of leg-room.


Airlines hesitate to increase leg-room on short-haul flights, citing profit losses as a key concern. A Thomas Cook spokesman said: "Increases at one end mean drop-offs at the other. More space equals fewer passengers, so the gains and losses have to be evened out."


The House of Lords seeks to increase seat pitch for practical and health-related reasons. A suggested 30-inch minimum takes into account the increase in size of the average traveller. The lack of space is also thought to contribute to DVT (deep vein thrombosis) on long-haul flights.

 




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Zoe Westof Editorial


20/12/2007



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