Airbus has been working on making the economics of the A380 even better for airlines who buy it: pack 11 seats into a row:
Airbus has found a way to make flying economy even worse. That’s quite a feat, given how crummy the experience is these days. The trick, it turns out, is eliminating one the few remaining saving graces of air travel: better than even odds you won’t be squeezed into a middle seat. Generally, you’ve got a two in three chance of landing an aisle or a window.
But now, airlines flying the Airbus A380, the largest commercial jet on the planet, can reduce those odds. The European plane maker announced this week that it will offer a 3-5-3 cabin configuration, creating rows with 11 seats.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the future of civilized air travel lies with airships.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Saturday April 18 2015, @08:05PM
Seat spacing and and width are starting to get more attention in the press lately.
http://consumertraveler.com/columns/policy-columns/are-shrinking-airline-seats-unsafe-and-unhealthy-too/ [consumertraveler.com]
http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2015/03/25/time-to-take-a-fresh-look-at-aircraft-emergency-egress-testing/ [runwaygirlnetwork.com]
Some airlines are listening (albeit with only one ear).
http://www.ibtimes.com/ibtraveler/economy-class-airline-seat-heres-whats-new-1886790 [ibtimes.com]
The problem is the FAA's only rules for seat size and spacing have to do with how fast you can empty an airliner in an emergency.
There are no comfort regulations, indeed no humanitarian considerations at all in the regulations.
The FAA (another agency suffering full regulatory capture by the airline industry) would be perfectly fine with "standing seats" [cnn.com], or at least has no basis for rejecting them because their only consideration is the exit requirement.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.