Take Your Seat

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If there is one topic guaranteed to spur spirited debate among business travelers it is airline seats — which are bearable and which are not, which rows are preferable on which aircraft, and how best to get a coveted upgrade and the extra leg room that comes with it.

If New Zealand is on your itinerary (and I sorely wish that it was on mine), you’ll be delighted to learn about the new skycouches that Air New Zealand is offering in coach. Not only do they turn three seats into a single bed-like arrangement but a second panel pops from the footrest area to give the skycouch room for two. They call it “cuddle class.” It may be a bit public to qualify as an entry point for the Mile High Club but we are talking about business travel here, not pleasure. Still, the ability to stretch out and have something close to a real bed is a welcome innovation.

Meanwhile over at the New York Times, Joe Sharkey has recently revisited the topic of exit row seats. They are, of course, highly desirable thanks to the few inches of extra leg-room that they offer and so many airlines have begun selling them as mini-upgrades.  As Sharkey reports, “In the third quarter of 2009, the top 10 domestic airlines raised an extra $1.95 billion from fees for things like checking bags and allowing passengers to change reservations, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has reported.”

Sharkey raises the safety issue: these seats do require that those who sit in them assist the flight crew in case of emergency. A willingness to shell out a few more bucks does not guarantee that you have the ability to wrangle the 35 – 40 lb. hatch or take on other necessary duties. That is why this Nomad has long advocated a certification program that would qualify one for preferred seating in an exit row because one would have obtained the skills necessary to assist. Passengers would pay to attend this course, thus providing some income to the airlines if they offered it or the FAA, and would get some hands-on experience deploying emergency chutes and the like. The certification could be good for a year or two and would enhance the safety of the flight.

Annoying to this 6’3″ traveler is the new practice of requiring an upcharge to even sit in some aisle seats. For the long-legged among us, an aisle seat is the one chance to make a flight free of leg cramps. I’ve long relied on SeatGuru as a basic guide to seat configurations (Joe Sharkey recently interviewed SeatGuru’s founder) though it is getting more difficult with the ever-changing policies of the various airlines.

One proposed innovations that promises to bring more comfort is a bunk bed set-up in business class. The design, offered by Boston-based Jacobs Innovations and reported by The Economist, aims to provide greater flexibility in cabin configurations by allowing business-class space to transformed into economy on demand. I can just see it happening after I’ve scored an upgrade: “Sorry, sir, we’re converting this row back to steerage.”

I’m on JetBlue this week and they tend to offer a fairly comfortable experience. I’ll be sure to report upon my return. Until then, cuddle up — and share your airline seat tips with your fellow Nomads.