ren0312

So how tight is a 31 inch seat pitch for someone who is 5'8? How narrow are 17inch seats, what do they feel like? And does anyone know if US airlines used 33-34 inch seat pitch in the 90s and early 2000s?

nux

Seat pitch is the distance from the back of one seat to the back of the next seat. It is not the same as legroom.

Airlines with the same seat pitch but thinner seats will have more legroom. Seat thickness has been decreasing, so while the pitch may have been 34" the leg room may be the same as a 31" pitch now because the seat width has decreased by 3".

About 17"..

abmj-jr

I can't speak for 5'-8", but for 6-5, 31" pitch is nightmare material. I simply do not fly any carrier that doesn't have some kind of Economy Plus, Economy Comfort or whatever they call it. Life is too short.

No matter how tall you are, 32" is better than 31" and 34" is better yet. As for 17" width, that is also pretty narrow. If you are slender it won't be terrible but if you have any girth, it will be tight.

The original designs for economy seats were based on measurements from test pilots decades ago. Since those guys tend to be on the small side, young and in excellent condition, we got tiny Y seats.

nux

For the same type of seat, yes. However airlines are fitting slimmer seats, and so a 31" pitch slimline seat will often have better legroom than a 32" 'classic' style seat.

Simply comparing the seat pitch alone will not tell you much about the actual leg room and comfort of the seat.

ren0312

Although the thick seats are more kind on my back.

compass31

They are bearable for short journeys. I am 5ft 8in and can still stretch my legs even when the seat in front reclines. Trouble is with narrow seats you cannot forecast what your seat mate will be like. I recently sat in a aisle seat and the middle was taken by a tiny elderly lady. Thought that would be ok. I aways leave the armrest between for the middle person as I think it's an awful seat. Trouble was I had a tiny little elbow over my side of the armrest time and again as papers/magazines were perused. Being elbowed is not nice but my Mam brought me up to respect the elderly so I put up with it. Still annoying.

Longer journeys - it's club/biz or nothing.

abmj-jr your comment was interesting. My FIL flew With the RAF during/ after the war and when he passed away his uniform was donated to a museum. Before it went the smallest member of the family - short and very slim - tried it on and couldn't get anywhere near doing it up. No wonder seats are so tiny

tropicaliceberg

the OP know that there are airlines with just 28-inch seat pitch, right?

Craig6z

Simple mathematical progression, for me, also a 5'8" person :

• 31" - OK for up to 1 hour
• 32" - OK for up to 2 hours
• 33" - OK for up to 3 hours
• 34" - OK for up to 4 hours
• 35" - OK for up to 5 hours
• 36" - OK for up to 6 hours
• 37" - OK for up to 7 hours
• 38" - OK for up to 8 hours (domestic first class seat)
• Int'l Business - Over 8 hours

tropicaliceberg

What? No int'l first class?

I sure could have used it last month when I flew almost 20 hours.
(3.5-hour flight connecting to 15.5-hour nonstop) 5 days later,
same deal on the return leg....

brendog

At 6'3" (191cm) with long legs, 31" of pitch is a no-go for me. 34" is the minimum I can comfortably handle for a transcon. I'm guessing I couldn't even shoehorn myself into a 28" pitch seat, nor will I ever try.

pinniped

31" is awful. United Economy Minus is what that is. Even for one hour, it isn't fun.

I see Spirit listed as having 28" pitch. I don't care how thin the seats are: I can't even envision how that works, except for children. Maybe Spirit just flies A320's full of unaccompanied minors everywhere?

tropicaliceberg

people probably save a money when flying on airlines with 28" seat
pitch... after the flight, they'll probably need that money to pay their
chiropractor?

Seat 2A

You want to try minimal pitch, try flying aboard most any low cost carrier outside of America (Spirit noted). I'm 6' 200 lbs and I logged three hours aboard a Monarch A321 that according to seatguru had a 28-29" pitch. It wasn't pleasant but I got through it. My fare of $79.00 vs. the $380.00 I would've otherwise paid definitely cushioned the skinny seats.

If you must fly in such reduced pitch, it's a good idea to get an aisle seat. They're less confining and it's good to get up and unfurl yourself once in a while, if only for a stretch.

gobluetwo

I'm 5'9", but fairly short legs. Even so, I wouldn't call it comfortable, although it is tolerable for shorter flights <2 hours. The legroom for me isn't an issue. The bigger problem is that there is little tray space to use a laptop, and it's difficult to lean down to get something out of your bag underneath the seat in front.

If at all possible, if you end up with 31" pitch, I'd suggest putting your small bag in the overhead bin.

tropicaliceberg

airlines travel is the one area where I really envy short people like you...
even airplane doors seem to hate tall folks. several months ago, I was
running to get on an Airbus A319(or A320?) because I was the last person
to show up, due to a late-arriving connecting flight. I bumped my head
on the top of the door opening and fell backwards. Fortunately I reacted
quickly and rolled to my side as I fell. Just had a bump on my forehead
for a few days. The cruel thing was that people sitting in first class
saw this and burst out laughing. At least nobody had cell phone cameras
on, otherwise I would have ended up on YouTube.