<p>What I hate most about flying is when people on the plane have body odor, or are wearing clothes that just plainly smell horribly. It has been years since I have flown, so not a frequent flyer, but I have experienced this more than once. It is the one thing that I cannot deal with. I can tolerate crying babies, extra baggage issues, reclining seats, spillage, people who have to be off the plane first or boarded first, gum chewers, etc. Body odor in that confined space without fresh air is the one thing that I cannot deal with.</p>
<p>I haven’t read the whole thread so if this has been mentioned before…oops</p>
<p>There is a manual check for whether or not something will fit in the overhead compartment/qualify as carry on. You know, that boxy thing that sits at each gate and in some airports even before the security check point. Why not do the same thing for airline seats. In a discrete spot, have a sample seat with sample leg room and passage space between rows. If you’re in doubt as to your ability to fit in a standard seat, try it out before boarding. If you don’t fit, then you don’t qualify as "boardable’ under the standard criteria. </p>
<p>Most weigh their luggage and look up size constraints before a flight, it is certainly reasonable to do this with your person.</p>
<p>
I always give the person in the center seat priority on the armrest - it only makes sense to. I’ve been in the center seat before when the aisle/window passengers are oblivious to the poor center person and go ahead and try to take the armrests. I make sure I prevail though by taking them regardless.</p>
<p>“the reason why guys are so often are sitting on a plane with their legs spread is not necessarily because they are inconsiderate, clueless louts”</p>
<p>This never happens to me on planes – it happens on the subway and buses, where there is no reclining seat in front to explain their behavior. It even happens on the NY subway where the seats face the center of the car and there’s nothing in front of the sitters at all. So I’m pretty sure they’re inconsiderate louts. I don’t think there’s anything clueless about it at all.</p>
<p>Legroom on a plane is affected by weight as well as height. I wear a 34-inch inseam, but I don’t have trouble fitting my legs in economy because my spine is against the seat back. If you’ve got several inches of self behind your spine, your knees are that much closer to the seat in front of you. So more legroom can help an obese person fit even if the seat isn’t any wider.</p>
<p>I was testing the back seats of cars and small SUVs this morning and can understand why someone tall would cross their legs at the ankles. Makes me really appreciate my 11-year-old car with a lot of passenger room.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>As I am reading this I am sitting here sniffling and drinking Super C, all because I sat in the plane on the runway in Baltimore last Sunday for 3 hours in front of a man who sniffled and sneezed the whole time. So I am with you.</p>
<p>Travel sucks period. The only time I’m comfortable on a plane is sitting next to skinny women/ athletic types like myself. Unfortunately we make up a small percentage of the population but it has been nice the few times I’ve flown next to these people to have both my upper body and leg space remain unencroached!</p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC App</p>
<p>“Body odor in that confined space without fresh air is the one thing that I cannot deal with.”</p>
<p>To add to that, probably the worst is being near someone who continually farts or belches (not because of noise, but smell). Hey, everyone accidentally lets something slip here or there, but sometimes people do it the entire flight. Apparently they are thinking—la la la, if it doesn’t make any sound, nobody notices…and they can’t tell it’s me, anyways. Guess what, we KNOW it’s you!</p>
<p>I generally avoid eating much before traveling. I’m fairly used to fasting (complete or just food) and it can make you feel better (outside of the hunger) while you are going about your day.</p>
<p>Example: the last calories that I’ve had were at 9:00 PM last night, so 15 hours without any calories. It has me feeling light and alert.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While I sympathize with your predicament, tall/large passengers should only be allowed to carry on one piece of baggage if they are not willing to put one under the seat in front of them. As it is, you are allowed to bring one carry-on and a “personal item,” which is usually a purse or briefcase/backpack. Each passenger is supposed to put only one item in the overhead bins; when some put both of their items up there, there is not enough space for the later-boarding passengers, and they end up having to check their bags. I have never seen this enforced, and I would like it to be, because it is selfish and unfair for passengers who have paid the same amount for their ticket and right to bring on a carry-on.</p>
<p>If your “personal item” is sizeable, and you’re tall, then you have to put your feet on top of it or along its sides. It’s uncomfortable, but too bad. I’ve taken many long flights with my feet on my bag.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Adding more: If you relatively short like me and sit on the aisle, your face/nose matches right up to the rear ends of passengers standing in the aisle next to you. When those passengers are extra wide, it can be especially unpleasant, and they ought to be cognizant of this.</p>
<p>My last plane trip was in 2008. Before that it was in 1999 or 2000. We’ve done many long drives (3000+ miles) and train trips - definitely preferable to what you guys are describing. We do have plane travel in our future though.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A trick my H taught me: After take-off, push the bag under your own seat, and you can stretch your legs out until landing/turbulence.</p>
<p>Someone else’s bag is under your seat!</p>
<p>“A trick my H taught me: After take-off, push the bag under your own seat, and you can stretch your legs out until landing/turbulence.”</p>
<p>I hope you don’t listen to your husband on this one, because that is a bad idea unless there is nobody sitting behind you, or you are able to keep it just under your seat and not in the other person’s foot space. Do you really trust the person sitting behind you to not rifle through your bag, kick it, step on it, or do whatever the annoyance of somebody shoving their bag into their footspace might cause? I’ve had people do that to me a few times (very rarely), and I either push the bag up to their own space, or innocently tell them, oh, your purse slipped under your seat.</p>
<p>“A trick my H taught me: After take-off, push the bag under your own seat, and you can stretch your legs out until landing/turbulence.”</p>
<p>I put my carry-on suitcase under the seat in front of me. After take-off I take it out and place it vertically against the front of my seat. That way it provides some extra thigh support, and I can stretch my legs under the seat in front.</p>
<p>As far as the overhead bins I like what Spirit Airlines does. If you use the overhead bin you pay for the privilege ($30/bag) which is $2 more than the price of checking a bag. This method is extremely fair unlike most airlines that include overhead bin space in the price of the ticket. Those fliers who dont use the overhead space are paying for those who do.</p>
<p>I should have been more clear about pushing your bag “under your seat” after take-off. It doesn’t really go “under” your seat. Push it in the direction of under, and it will ooch out into your foot space, but it makes more sense to have it there because your feet generally don’t rest in that area and you can stretch out your feet.</p>
<p>I think Newhope is saying the same thing.</p>
<p>2 more pet peeves of flying:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>During one of my many red eyes, the 6’3" ? young man next to me seemed to be on speed. Every 15 minutes, he’d wake me to get out of seat.</p></li>
<li><p>Last person to board plane, put in middle seat next to me. She had a cat with her that smelled like s/he had just met a skunk. I got a seat change.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Otherwise, I am happy to get to destination safely.</p>