Plane Advice for Making Seats More Comfortable

After safety, comfort tops the wish list for airline passengers. In a 1998 survey by the National Business Travel Assn., 90% of respondents wanted more legroom, and 72% wanted a comfortable seat.

Comfortable, supportive seats would go a long way toward minimizing back pain, a frequent problem among travelers.

In first-class and business-class cabins, there is increasing emphasis on a more comfortable ride, with new seats featuring adjustable support for the lumbar, or lower back, area. But not so, as a rule, in coach class.

Coach seats will be improved next, says Jeff King, spokesman for Weber Aircraft, which makes seats, including one with an air bladder cushion that can be inflated or deflated to provide just the right amount of support.

But, King acknowledges, for now the best, most back-friendly seats on the plane are usually the priciest.

“Most airline seats [in coach class] do a poor job of providing adequate back support,” agrees Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University. To complicate matters, he says, the headrest tends to tilt the neck forward, adding to discomfort.

The problem with a typical coach seat? “The curve and contour of the seat don’t fit the curve and contour of your body,” says Scott Donkin, past president of the American Chiropractic Assn. Council on Occupational Health.

After sitting in these seats for hours, travelers can arrive with back pain even if they didn’t have back trouble when they left.

The experts have a host of suggestions to remedy, or at least relieve, the situation.

Recline the seat to the most comfortable position as soon as possible after takeoff, Hedge suggests.

If you have to sit upright, first stand up straight and feel the normal S curve of your spine with your hand against your back, Donkin advises. Then use rolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain that curve when you sit down.

If the seat is hollowed out on the bottom from age, use a folded blanket or your folded coat or jacket to raise your buttocks a little, Donkin adds.

Legroom helps to alleviate back problems too, experts agree. If you can extend your legs, that helps improve circulation in the lower limbs and improves your overall seat posture, Hedge says.

Travelers who are under 5 feet 6 or taller than 6 feet have more problems than others when it comes to being comfortable in airplane seats, says Scott Bautch, a chiropractor in Wausau, Wis. They would be especially likely to benefit from doing exercises in their seat while aloft.

Bautch recommends this regimen, done every 20 minutes or so: Tighten the calf muscles, hold for four seconds and release. Repeat with low back muscles, thighs, hamstrings and gluteal muscles. “Move the hips left and right [in the seat] as if you are walking,” he adds.

Fidgeting can help: Change your back and gluteal position often to reduce fatigue in any specific muscle group and help improve circulation, Hedge says.

If the headrest is uncomfortable and can’t be adjusted, use pillows to make it more comfortable.

Getting out of your seat and moving around helps minimize discomfort too, as long-haul truck drivers know, says Linda Longton, editorial director of Overdrive magazine. But truckers’ seats have also improved greatly in the past decade, she adds. Among the options today are massaging seats, air ride seats and seats that adjust to accommodate drivers’ weight.

If that’s a long way off for airline coach travelers, do what you can for yourself. For starters, says Donkin, approach the flight as if it were a physical workout: Take deep breaths and stretch your back, neck and shoulders before sitting down. Upon arrival, stretch your major muscle groups again before grabbing your luggage off the carousel.

Finally, give your back a break by minimizing the amount of baggage you haul. Hedge suggests a maximum of 25 pounds; 10% of your body weight is Donkin’s advice.

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Healthy Traveler appears on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kdoheny@compuserve.com.