In this experience we look at seating configuration on aircraft in economy or coach class. These days, with the COVID-19 pandemic, people are wondering about seating and what it might look like in the future. We will still need to pick our seats. Vinod has great stress when he picks a seat – particularly on long-haul flights – checking all angles of what his seat experience will be. Seat comfort has come a long way – increasing seat comfort used to mean adding more padding. Geoff shares his experience sitting in an aircraft seat from a Lockheed Constellation...my how far we've come. Even though airplane manufacturers have a row plan dictating how seats are set out, the actual number of seats, seat pitch and cabin layout is up to the airline. Can low cost carriers add additional rows – Vinod shares a memory of going through this. What is seat pitch? What do you need to research when selecting a seat? Remember that even if the plane type is the same at an airline, it may not be configured the same way. What happens if the airline reduces the amount of premium cabin? Remember that if an airline is charging a premium for a seat selection, it might not be the best seat. We're not telling you what the best seat is, since we all have our own reasons. What's the most stable seat? Where's the galley...the lavatory? How narrow is your seat? Is your airline using festival-style seating? What are some strategies for festival-style seating airlines? What should you watch out for? Vinod shares a story how old-school thick foam padding protected him on a flight to London Heathrow. Vinod shares a story of getting moved a seat that would only recline on the way to AMS. Vinod shares a standby experience when he got a special seat. There is a tip on what to ask about if your flight is oversold or cancelled. Vinod shares another crazy story – this time with festival seating on a 777 from GRU to JFK. But sometimes flights are wide open – Geoff shares an experience from LHR to YYC where he had four seats to himself. News Items: Simple Flying article "IATA Head Says Social Distancing Will End Cheap Travel". Skift article "EasyJet May Ditch Middle Seats When Flights Return". Financial Times article "Ryanair will not return to flying if middle seats must be empty, says chief". Aviointeriors "Glassafe" and "Janus" seat designs. If you have a story about seating configuration on flights, a question, or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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