<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Happs:
Hope this is not too general of a question but what airlines or airplane seats are the best for big people? I am 6ft tall and about 240 pounds, long legs. Would flying on an America West A319 from Phoenix to JFK be miserable for me in coach? How about Southwest Airlines coast to coast on a 5 hour flight?</font>
I am about the same dimensions as you are, although I never have considered myself a "big person" per se. In my opinion, the worst choice would be Southwest, especially the lounge seats. As others have stated, you actually have less personal legroom in the lounge seats, as you must share the space in front of you with someone else facing the opposite direction. I think my worst flight experience ever (and I have very few bad experiences, as I'm generally happy-go-lucky on an airplane) was on a Southwest flight in a lounge seat. I was one of the last to board, and I was stuck in a middle lounge seat. Opposite me was Wife, to her left was Baby, and to my right was Husband. To my left was a big guy and his friend across from him. So, I had no room to my left, I was leg-weaving with Wife the entire time, and both Wife and Husband were tending to misbehaving Baby for the entire 3-hour flight.
I think that AA is your best shot, because of the extra legroom. But, considering that we are of roughly the same dimension, I have to say that I don't find regular coach to be particularly cramped. As long as you don't have the bulkhead, there's plenty of room to stretch your legs under the seat in front of you (move your carry-on to immediately in front of your seat after takeoff). The big advantage of AA is that you actually have room to read a book or work on your laptop, which is difficult if not impossible in regular coach seats.
The most important part to a comfortable flight, in my opinion, is making sure that you're not stuck in a middle seat. The aisle is the best, as you have one side open, but the window will do. This is one thing you really can't guarantee on a Southwest flight, since they have no pre-assigned seating. You can try to get to the airport early, but these days it may mean 2 hours ahead of time to get a coveted "A" boarding pass. Even then, you may have to be near the front of A to get the seat you want if you're boarding a continuing flight.