Airplane seat reviews by Michael McAdam

I connected in ZHR on to AMS from DXB. How odd my 320 should have more legroom that the 330-200 that brought me from the Gulf. The new seats with the magazine rack on the back of the headrest is ingenious and a welcome respite for those of us who have been vertically blessed. At least I was able to stretch my legs out for a few minutes after being folded into the 330 seat for six hours.

Glad I only had to do a short hop from SYD to MEL in this clunker. The seats may have been cutting edge 20 years ago, but they are horribly dated. I had avoided taking UA to SYD in the first place, opting instead for NZ via HNL. For a short hop it was fine, but I wouldn't want to try to get any serious sleep in these seats. Am eager to try UA's new J class seats, which seem to be getting favourable reviews.

A very spacious seat. A shame that NZ has not reconfigured these planes with their new flat seats. The seats are nonetheless comfortable. The wool comforters were particularly... well, comforting and made for a pleasant flight. NZ cabin crew were particularly efficient and welcoming, a credit to their airline and nation.

A happy recipient of an upgrade in Vienna! EK has increased the pitch on its 330s in the past few years. they still are lacking in width however. Where most carriers configure their J class in a 6 abreast patterns, EK squeezes a few more revenue miles out by seating pax 7 abreast. The entertainment system was not AVOD but they did have a choice of several good movies, including "The Queen".

Thanks to the oil boom in Alberta, the UA/Skywest service from Edmonton to Chicago has been upgraded to an Embraer configured with a small business class. Very comfortable seat for solo travelers. No entertainment on board, so an iPod and a good book are essential! I actually connected on to Miami that same day and got the exact same aircraft again, coincidentally!

Air Canada used to run two flights a day from YVR with 767 service. Unfortunately, the one carrying on to SYD with the more spacious seats was booked solid. So I ended up on the older -200 model configured for domestic service. Nothing wrong with the seat per se, but 5 hours with only 38" pitch did seem a bit excessive. Just as glad I wasn't in economy. AC has replaced its SYD service with a direct flight on its new 777 -- am looking forward to trying out their new J class pods one day soon.

Flying TED from DEN to LAS, I ended up boarding in zone 6 (i.e., you'll never find any space in the overhead bin zone). Happily, the flight was not very full and the gate agent, glancing me over, decided that I definitely required an emergency exit seat. Plenty of legroom. Flying from LAS to ORD a few days later, I checked in at the kiosk and took the economy plus seat for an extra $35 or so. Managed to land myself an exit seat again. Well worth the extra money. Generally I don't like low cost carriers (or mainline carriers that act low cost) but this was quite bearable since my expectations were low to begin with. Every once in a while, UA does manage to surprise.

Further to comments wondering why the UA flight from Vancouver to SFO is always wide open (but the AC is impossible to find a seat on), the food is probably the real reason why. I sat there, flabbergasted, at what was set before me. A salad. Just a salad. With processed cheese and luncheon meat to spice it up? I would have laughed except for all the money I had spent on my ticket. Wine was a bland American chardonnay. Extremely disappointing.

I naively wondered why my travel agent could not book me on Air Canada from YVR to SFO. The United flight, leaving five minutes later, however, was wide open. And then I flew United and knew why. The seat itself is adequate. The overhead screens, however, were not functional, a frequent woe when flying UA. (This is one of their MODERN aircraft??) All in all fine for a 2.5 hour trip, but sevice would certainly have been more attentive on AC and somehow I get the feeling that I could have watched a movie, as well.

My favourite seat on TG's 333. No need to climb over anybody to get out of your seat and still decent views on either side of the aircraft. These seats could do with some updating. Although the upholstery is well kept and the pitch is a generous 55 inches, the seat itself is very early 90s stock. The footrest is clearly built with Asian passengers in mind and doesn't extend very far or very high. I would like to see these planes receive a makeover in the future, perhaps with lie flat seats.

If only there had been decent catering airside in Miami airport, I would have brought something on board. That way I would not have to pay for mindless, tasteless over-processed and overpriced snacks. At least in the days of taking a Greyhound coach, you had the luxury of stopping at a roadside diner and naming your own poison. Sadly bus passengers seem to have a better deal of things these days than the average airline economy class passenger.

An average economy seat. Adequate pitch. Unfortunately AA ditched their promotion of more room in every seat a few years back. A shame for us taller-sized travellers!

Lufthansa's new concept of blocking off the middle seat in business reminds me of Canadian Airlines -- twenty years ago. Certainly this does give you a bit more room to maneuver, work on the laptop, read a paper. But it doesn't make up for the fact that you have no more room for your legs than the person at the back of the plane. In fact, pax in row 24 have much more room than business class passengers. I hope that European carriers will "catch the wave" and give their premium customers a few more inches of breathing room in the future.

A much better kept plane than its big brother, the 747. Seat was very comfortable. Service from elderly (and self-deprecating) flight crew was very attentive and genuine. Duvet covers are synthetic fibres, which can make sleeping a bit uncomfortable for some. I am looking forward to flying UA's new F class product in the future to compare.

I flew this plane before UA had begun its conversion to new seats. Not a moment too soon! The first class seat was a major disappointment. Yes, it did go fully flat and allowed me to catch a few hours of sleep on the way to Tokyo, but I had to concentrate on not fixating as to how filthy the seat was when I slept. The upholstery is showing its age and there are stains -- unidentifiable to the naked eye -- ground into the fabric. There were still crumbs around the seat that did not look particularly fresh. I don't think it was the result of a poor cleaning in BKK but rather poor maintenance all around.

It seems that in order to pay for its AVOD and good food, Emirates is under the impression that they need to squash as many pax as possible on to their planes. This is particularly true of all the 777s in economy class. Instead of the normal 9 abreast for most other airlines, Emirates has opted for a high density 10 abreast. True, they give you an extra inch or two of pitch, but if you are not intimately acquainted with your seat neighbour by the beginning of the flight, you certainly will be by the end. The exit door does give plenty of extra room to stretch out long legs, but you pay for this in terms of seat width. An already cramped seat becomes even more uncomfortable due to the tray table being stowed in the armrest. The ICE AVOD system is amazing, but not yet installed on all aircraft, so it is a bit hit and miss.