Originally Posted by
iahphx
Um, not sure what your problem is, but Asian people are smaller than Western people. About 4 or 5 inches shorter on average, according to common scientific knowledge.
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman...ht-chart.shtml
That's kind of a big deal in terms of comfort on airplanes, no? I mean, if you were running an Asian airline, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that your pax would need less legroom than, say, a Dutch airline (generally regarded as the tallest people in the world)?
And I don't want to get into the "weight advantage" that Americans unfortunately have over the rest of the world.
It really
really really wasn't a dig at you. Promise. My main issue was the use of a population-based statistic (or reference to). These are my pet hate because a statistic from a population almost never tells you anything about an individual. Try telling Yao Ming that he's 5 inches shorter than the global average. "No, really Mr Ming, the statistics are well known. You're 5'4"..."!
If you want a more serious example, my father-in-law was put on statins recently on the basis of his cholesterol alone - no ultrasound on his heart, no CT of his arteries - because statistics show that men of his age with that cholesterol level have a 25% increased risk of heart disease. Just barking mad if you ask me. You can't fit an individual into population average.
Anyway, the higher quality Far Eastern airlines have had the good sense to offer more legroom so as to attract travellers from around the world who are willing to pay more money for bigger seats, better food and FA's who give a monkey's. There's still plenty of Air China's and Malaysian Airways's who don't offer all of the above yet still seem to be a nicer experience than the majority of US legacy carriers though...