What the FAA plans to do could make Hawaii airline passengers safer and perhaps happier. Your input is needed.
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42 thoughts on ““Ultra-Basic” Economy To Hawaii? FAA Weighs In”
What the FAA plans to do could make Hawaii airline passengers safer and perhaps happier. Your input is needed.
The seats are uncomfortable due to the very hard materials used. The size is ridiculous, I’m 5’and 102 lbs. Constantly pushed, tapped on, and no way to exit unless I walk on the people to exit. We are in a death trap that will look like a can of crushed tomatoes, if a true crisis occurs. We are sardines in a tin can, a small fire would cause anoxia. A large fire we burn to death. It’s not good, think about it.
Perhaps specific planes could have more extra comfort seats with configuration for tall and large folks who are willing to pay for the comfort. I fit anywhere but we always are willing to pay to upgrade to extra comfort for my 6’3″ husband. The problem can be finding availability. We’re pretty good at eventuality finding a flight but it’s far in advance. We’ve been fortunate to never have had to take a last-minute emergency flight.
Also had wondering if some of flights should remove two seats and replace with one larger seat for wide folks. Again, the cost would have to be more but the option be available. ~just my musings when flying.
Personally, I hate the flight to Hawaii. That 5 hours seems so much longer than any other flight. That being said, I’d prefer the airlines just do more flights than putting more people on a plane. I’m short so the pitch isn’t horrible for me. My husband is 6’1″ and struggles to be comfortable. Wider seats would be a plus as well. Even a few inches would make a difference.
I fly to and from Maui three times a year. Always on Alaska. Always on a Tuesday. Always 150.00 or less. If I want more room I can pay more money and upgrade. I have no complaints, Alaska Airlines is great every time.
Leave the government out of it.
Aloha
A few days ago I read in the Google news(New York Times)that Boeing’s Max has been in the last year the most trouble free aircraft in their history. (99.7%) That is not surprising given all the time they have invested in that aircraft. However, the max surely wins the award for flying Cattle Car! I think I can touch the heads of 6 people around me while seated. The max 9 is even uglier and I surely hate to think what the 10 would be like.
Aloha
Hi Roy.
Thanks for almost 300 comments to date! Whether Boeing or Airbus, the latest narrowbody aircraft all seem to suffer from the same comfort issues.
Aloha.
It is not Boeing (or Airbus for that matter) that decide on the seating configurations/pitch, etc., of their planes, it is each airline company that chooses what they want in the cabins, including and especially seating. Boeing just makes the planes and outfits them to the buyers’ specifications. So one cannot blame Boeing or Airbus for what the airline companies choose for seating.
Yes, I am aware of that. United flies the Max 9 and Southwest the Max 8. They are both very packed aircraft. Alaska is in the process of getting rid of the 800ER and
900ER and going to the Max 9.
Aloha.
I recently read an article of a college student who is developing aircraft seats that are semi-stacked above each other. Basically the seat in front of you is elevated higher than yours allowing that persons butt to be higher and further back. Imagine the person in from of you sitting much higher and their butt is slightly over your lap. Looks insane but he has a bunch
Of airlines evaluating it. Hope this helps idea doesn’t get off the ground.
Ummmm…………and what happens if that person ahead of you feels it is OK to release some gas??? No thanks.
I fly “main cabin” on Delta. I have my own name for these seats – airline torture chambers. I always book an aisle seat so that I can stretch into the aisle when my legs get cramped which happens often on Hawaii flights. Anything that can be done to make these seats more comfortable would be much appreciated. One shouldn’t have to pay extra for a little comfort. Airline tickets are already too expensive.
Agreed. It’s greed.
I’m an average 6′ 1″ 64-year-old. In a recent flight from Honolulu on Southwest, I found the economy seats in the 737 MAX to be very comfortable. For a 2917 mi trip, the time really flew by! No one in our row got up even once.
We found the real problem with Southwest’s seats is that they are as hard as a bus bench. But to each his own.
We’ll probably continue to fly locally with them but no more six hour flights for us.
We do not need any more cheap airline seats to Hawaii. The tourists who try to get the cheapest vacation possible cause most of the tourism problems. They rent U-Haul trucks to camp in leaving locals with no source for moving rentals. These are the same tourists who use private property as public restrooms, etc.
We noticed a steep increase in the number of tourists behaving badly when Southwest started flying here with the cheapest fares.
Hawaii should be catering to tourists who don’t mind paying more for quality, and this is another completely backward response to a critical problem of too many tourists. How tone deaf are these people?
You are correct. These buck fifty passengers are not what Hawaii needs. We need quality tourism. These low ballers are making their own activities and side stepping the reputable (safe) activities. Any coincidence of how many drownings and lost hikers are straining local first responder ranks.
A quick look around this website suggests cheap fares to Hawaii are a common occurrence and not unique to Southwest Airlines. If you wish to associate poor tourist behavior with Southwest entering the Hawaii market, congratulations as you have been awarded the Madison Prize.
Poor tourist behavior can more likely be attributed to the increasingly frequent constant cash grabs around every corner of Hawaii.
I am exhausted from hearing locals calling us privileged for wanting to afford a trip to Hawaii. The room and food, car rental is so way out of hand. Airline specials help us to soften the blow a bit. I just want to return for one more trip around paradise and would love it if there was more Aloha in the voice of locals.
This is not the topic. Stay on topic. Not everyone is going to be the way you want them to be. We all have tourists. Stay on topic please.
I hesitate to say this because I know many people will consider it “fat shaming” and I truly don’t intend it that way… but I think that if someone cannot fit into the skinny economy seats without spilling over into their neighbor’s personal space, they should not be allowed to purchase those economy seats. It’s not fair for their neighbors to “pay the costs” of their size. E.g., recently there was a very nice, large man sitting in the center seat next to me, spilling over both armrests into my seat space and his other neighbor’s space. I literally had to push his belly fat out of the way to access the video controls and recline button on the armrest. It was gross and terribly awkward for both of us.
It isn’t fat shamming when it is fact.