Suzanne Hanover / Universal Pictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection
Do you ache all over after flying in a coach seat? That could be by design.
Airlines have lots of choices when they order seats for their airplanes. Those selections go a long way to determining how comfortable — or uncomfortable — their customers will be.
The seat bottom is one of the most crucial elements in seat comfort, and one of the most carefully studied. Longer is better: You get more support under your thighs. But some airlines scrimp.
Some reduce seat length to save weight. “You get hot spots on the back of your thighs. You’re in misery but you don’t know why,” says Robert Funk, vice president for sales and marketing for the seating division of Zodiac Aerospace ZODFF, +0.16% .
Read an expanded version of this story at WSJ.com.