Ask the pilot

The bone-bending, ergonomic hell of economy class. Six easy ideas for making flying more comfortable.

By Patrick Smith

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April 18, 2008 | I know, you're expecting a blockbuster column on the Delta-Northwest merger, announced on Monday. If the merger is approved, what will the repercussions be? Will fares be climbing? Will employees be thrown out of work? Will opposition by pilots drag things into prolonged litigation? Are additional mergers in the cards? The answers are maybe, maybe, maybe and maybe. I covered most of this in a column that ran on Feb. 15. A merger announcement was imminent at the time, only to be put on a two-month hold by complications over how to integrate pilot seniority lists. If all goes as planned, Northwest Airlines, the nation's oldest carrier, will be absorbed into Delta. But that seniority issue is not yet resolved, so hang tight.

A runner-up column idea would be Tuesday's crash of a Hewa-Bora Airways DC-9 in Goma, Congo. Early reports say an engine problem during the takeoff roll, followed by a tire failure, resulted in the runway overrun that killed 40 people. There have been several runway overruns in recent years, and the crash also raises the specter of tire-related disasters, detailed in this space in 2005. Just be wary of what you read: The Associated Press coverage of the accident has been dreadful, spattered with ridiculous quotes and bizarre descriptions.

But let's talk about something different and a bit more fun. Let's talk about seats.

Last month, while those talks with Northwest were limping along, Delta Air Lines made an interesting announcement. Beginning in 2010, it will begin retrofitting its Boeing 777 and 767 economy classes with something called Cozy Suite, a new-concept seat developed by Thompson Solutions, a cabin-design firm based in Northern Ireland. Delta, the global launch customer, will reportedly maintain exclusive North American rights for a limited time.

As seen here, Cozy Suite's contoured seat backs provide each passenger with a partial shell enclosure, described by Thompson as a "fixed cocoon, " providing greatly improved comfort and privacy. The recline mechanism adjusts forward and downward, meaning the seat back itself does not tip into the next passenger's space. There's a footrest, lumbar cushion and optional wide-screen personal video. Average legroom is increased by a minimum of 2 inches, and alignment is staggered horizontally, allowing easy access to the aisle even from a window seat. Not to mention it's an elegant, sleek-looking product.

For Delta, part of the appeal is the chance to increase the capacity of its 767-300s by about 30 passengers, while simultaneously upgrading comfort. The bread-and-butter aircraft of Delta's long-haul fleet, the 767 is older and smaller than the 777s, A330s and A340s used by many of its competitors. Cozy Suite instantly makes these aircraft more competitive, providing greater comfort and amenities while simultaneously increasing revenue.

It remains to be seen how the merger might affect things, and it's a year and a half before implementation is set to begin. But I'll put myself out on a limb: Delta's decision to move forward with this concept is one of the most exciting developments in long-haul air travel in the past several years. Among U.S. carriers especially, it's an extremely impressive step. To understand what makes it so, we need to acknowledge the bone-bending, ergonomic hell that is the typical economy-class chair.

Next page: What malformed extraterrestrial creature could the seats possibly have been designed for?