Increase Your Comfort In Coach
Singapore Airlines' coach seats have extra knee and leg room, a 10.6-inch
personal screen, and hundreds of movie, TV-show, game, and music options
plus an in-seat power supply and USB port.
by Wendy Perrin
Headed overseas this summer and want to enjoy the comfiest flight possible? Pick the highest-rated airline that flies your route. Sometimes it may even be your cheapest option.
An article in yesterday's New York Times recommended choosing relatively empty planes that fly your route -- say, Air India from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Germany; Air Tahiti Nui from J.F.K. to Paris; Delta from J.F.K. to Pisa, Italy -- but left out essential advice: Avoid planes with poor-quality coach seats! What good is an empty seat next to you if you can't get any shut-eye because your chair is twisting your lower back and neck into contortions?
Yes, by all means choose Asian and Pacific Rim carriers that fly unexpected non-Pacific routes, but be sure to differentiate among these airlines and choose those with the best coach seats and service! Air India and Delta seats pale in comparison with those on, say, Singapore Airlines (rated #1 in the world), which flies from J.F.K. to Frankfurt; Emirates (rated #2), which flies from Houston to London; Cathay Pacific (rated #3), which flies from J.F.K. to Vancouver; Malaysia Airlines (rated #8), which flies from Newark to Stockholm.
The one first-rate airline/route choice mentioned by the Times article was Air New Zealand (rated # 5) from Los Angeles to London. Coach seats on top-notch airlines tend to have extra width and/or legroom, cradle-seat recline so you can sleep better, adjustable headrests with added neck support, better lumbar support, individual screens with Photo: Cathay Pacific's new economy-class seats.
a slew of entertainment
options, and other bells and whistles that put some U.S.-airline business-class seats to shame.
To find out which of the world's comfiest airlines might fly your route, go to Itasoftware.com, plug in your origin and destination, and see which "surprise airlines" pop up. Then go to Conde Nast Traveler's list of the highest-rated international carriers to see if the surprise airline is on the list. Seatguru.com's handy-dandy International Economy Comparison Chart will also help you choose the plane with the best seats.
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Air NZ's economy seat is one of the best for longhaul flights. With NZ being so far away from Europe, Asia and North America, they realise the importance of a good seat. 34" pitch (distance between the same part of seats in consecutive rows). Very adjustable headrest. Nice personal tv with avod (audio-video on demand).
Posted by: TheGlobalTraveller | July 16, 2007 at 04:54 PM