“Seats” or “economy class torture machines”? Anyone who has flown on low-cost planes has probably felt like they were being tortured by the seat. And no, I wasn’t being picky: seats are ergonomically terrible for our physical health.
Os seats Economy class seats have a reputation for being uncomfortable. The truth is that airplane seats are not just small — and getting smaller — nor do they just lack legroom — which is also shrinking.
“They are ergonomic nightmares”describes, in an article no, the journalist David Szondym which explains why flying is a new form of torture.
The problem with airplane seats is that they don’t give the average human body the support or cushioning it needs, nor do they allow the person to move in even the small ways necessary to reduce fatigue. The result is that the skeleton is compressed, muscles are under tension and, after even a short period, the entire body is generally exhausted.
Worse still, poor design has already proven dangerous in cases of passengers who develop poor circulation and problems such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long flights.
Airplane seats are, by design, very light, simple and almost completely rigidwith only an insultingly small amount of freedom to recline by about 5 or 8 cm at most. They are also designed to be cheap to manufacture and maintain, which as small as possibleand placed so close to each other that “even a Hobbit would find the legroom inadequate” – writes Szondym.
“The final product is a rigid structure of aluminum alloy, titanium or carbon composites, with a thin layer of foam for the base and back. In short, a set of technical failures with regard to human comfort“, he points out.
Due to its S-shape, the lumbar area requires considerable support, which the flat contour of the seat cannot provide. This forces the lumbar spine into a flexed position, which significantly increases the compressive load on the intervertebral discs. No wonder constant compressive stress is the main cause of back pain during flights.
The seat base is particularly problematic because it does not provide adequate support for the thighs. This promotes the pelvic retroversionmaking the pelvis rotate backwards and flattening the lumbar curvature, aggravating the problem of weak lumbar support, as well as the feeling of pain and numbness in the legs.
The minimal structure of the backrest provides poor lumbar and thoracic support, forcing a more upright sitting positionwhich can cause back pain for prolonged periods. Worse still, there’s no way to adjust the seat, so it’s a one-size-fits-all case that fits no one.
Why?
The New Atlas article gives some explanations for why airplane seats tend to have these types of characteristics: one of them is the permanent incentive of aerospace engineering to make aircraft components as light, strong and compact as possible.
Furthermore, there are rules regarding safety and seats must be solid, fire resistant and capable of withstanding accident impacts. Comfort is the least.
Authorities require that planes be easy to evacuate in a emergency. This means that the seat space has to be sacrificed if that means wider hallways and bigger doors.
All this leads to a “Airplane seats are engineering despair” – describes the journalist.
“The biggest culprit, however, is the economy”
Ever since airlines moved from fixed prices and an emphasis on service to cheap tickets and no luxuries, there has been a race to the bottom as companies try to fit as many seats as possible on a given size plane.
This puts a huge pressure on airlines with minimal profit margins to maximize the number of seats.
An aircraft cabin has a fixed volume. Every inch of space or width added to one seat has to be taken away from another, reducing the overall ability to generate revenue. As fuel is an important cost, Any weight reduction has a tangible and immediate financial return.
