ffhound

Hi all

Here's a subject that's close to my heart - literally.

I flew to the US on Air NZ not too long ago -my longest flight to date. Yet I did not get anywhere near the backache that I had experienced on previous airlines. I thought it might have had something to do with Air New Zealand's economy seats but on reflection I think this was not the reason.

One major difference this time was that I did not at any stage recline my seat. Normally when you recline your seat, some of the weight that was being carried by your spine is instead carried by the seat but as you are not fully reclined your are not fully supported by the seat.

My theory is that your spine was not built to carry your weight or part of your weight at an angle and that when you recline in a seat not fully reclined) for a period of time either your spine finds weight unnaturally distributed on one side of the spinal column or alternatively reclining gives a slight sideways pressure on your spine.

Have my fellow flyertalkers had the same experience with airline seats?

Theories and experiences please

cheers Peter

Pudding Guy

I'm more comfortable "straight up" in coach. The reclined position just doesn't go back far enough for me to relax. In recline, the majority of the weight from your upper body is still being carried by your "seat" but it also has a component that tends to scoot you forward in the seat. Millions of parents and piano teachers can't be wrong: "Sit up straight in your chair!"

[This message has been edited by Pudding Guy (edited 08-01-2000).]

Wombat18

A couple of thoughts :

1. Drink water !! Yep, drink as much water as you can stomach, both before and during the flight. Staying well hydrated will help your back deal with the flight. It also has the added benefit of making you get up and pee more often - strolling around the plane is good practice on those long transpacific flights.

2. Footrests !! Those old fashioned metal clunkers were good for posture: by straightening your spine and working the lower back muscles.

apirchik

I love the window seat in coach, because it lets you lean against the wall or window in addition to the recline of the seat.

joie_de_vie

I know this might sound weird to those of you who just love the seat design/degree of recline of Delta's BizElite, but I am unimpressed. First, on the outbound flight, I tried every possible combination of positions trying to find one that was comfortable enough so I could sleep - I never did. I was shifting every 10 minutes, mostly because my legs never seemed to be in the right place in relation to the rest of my body, causing cramping, numbness, i.e., a need to shift my body. It wasn't that the seat wasn't roomy enough (I'm 5'4", 125 lbs.), but the design of the seat/footrest just didn't cut it for me. It finally occurred to me on the flight back that, generally, if I'm tired enough, I have no problem falling asleep sitting up (e.g., on my sofa watching TV ), so I refrained from reclining and voila! Slept like a bambino...so much for the fancy BizElite seats!

BizJet

I'm forced to agree on the BizElite seats. When pressing the LAND button and the seat reclines all the way, I couldn't get comfortable. My back had an ache in any sort of position, and even trying to stuff a sweatshirt on the bottom of my back didn't work.

I discovered it was much more comfortable to bring the seat up to about 2/3 recline. Then I positioned myself sitting up, and snoozed comfortably for an hour until breakfast.

As for coach, I rarely recline. I find that it makes no difference in my comfort, and no recline increases the enjoyment of the soul behind me.

beetee

I think the key on long flights is to get up, move around and walk up some steps - even risking the deadly looks as you move into B-class from coach to hit the 4-5 strairs going into the upper deck. This lets you stretch your back/spine and legs. This has worked for me on several 14+ hour trips (even in coach).

Premier Al

Hound,

I think you are right. Years ago I found that coach seating was much more comfortable if I did not recline. Later, I amended that, and now I recline the seatback about one inch. I find that to be the most comfortable over the long haul.

It seems to me that most seasoned flyers do not recline the seat that much. I notice that many times when the seat in front of me is reclined, it is occupied by a youngster.

FLJudi

This helps me - grab an additional pillow from an overhead when you get on and put it behind your back - and move it around as needed. Sometimes it feels better in the small of the back, sometimes under your bottom. Just the change seems to help.