The Flights Are Long. The Planes Are Cramped. (original) (raw)

Practical Traveler | Crossing the Atlantic on a 757

Credit...Andy Rash

July 29, 2007

AS if commercial air travel weren’t miserable enough, more airlines are using narrower jets on long-haul flights, putting an even greater squeeze on travelers in coach. Delta Air Lines is among the latest to announce plans to use the slim Boeing 757 on trans-Atlantic routes serving destinations like Britain and Ireland. Continental, which now flies 21 routes to 20 European cities with the 757, was among the first. Northwest and US Airways also have begun flying the narrower jets to Europe.

Travelers can find some advantages. The increasing use of 757s to Europe has led to expanded schedules, with more nonstop routes to choose from when planning trips. That means more time saved by avoiding long layovers or plane changes in hub cities. It can also mean a quicker trip through customs at the smaller airports. And for some travelers, like those who live close to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, where Northwest’s new Hartford-to-Amsterdam service departs, it can mean a shorter drive home than the one from the larger hub airport — Boston Logan in this example.

But the 757s, which are generally tolerated on shorter, domestic routes, tend to bring out claustrophobia in passengers on long-haul flights. Unlike wide-body aircraft like 767s and A330s, which typically have two aisles, a 757 has one, which means a lot less room for stretching cramped legs. Because the 757 has no two-seat rows in coach, just three seats on each side of the aisle, there is a higher chance of getting stuck in a middle seat. And while most airlines using the 757s on trans-Atlantic flights are reconfiguring their premium class cabins with better seats and entertainment systems, the coach cabins haven’t been changed all that much.

“What this means for the economy passenger is that some amenities they typically receive on international flights, such as personal video screens or laptop power ports, are not available,” said Matthew Daimler, founder of Seatguru.com, which ranks seat quality and offers insider information — for example, which exit-row seats won’t recline. In addition to the amenities, Mr. Daimler added, wide-body planes like 777s and A330s, “generally offer more overhead storage per passenger, slightly extra seat width, bassinets for infants and typically a better chance of getting an upgrade.”

For example, there are 48 business class seats on Continental’s international routes flying 777-200 aircraft and 235 seats in coach. That’s roughly one business class seat for every five in coach. On its 757-200, there are 16 business class and 159 coach seats, or about one business class seat for every 10 in coach. And seats in both business and coach are slightly narrower on the 757.

To try to make passengers a little more comfortable, some airlines are taking out seats to offer more legroom in coach and retrofitting their premium cabins with updated business class seats and entertainment. Northwest, for example, has configured its 757s to Europe with 16 new World Business Class seats, which come with portable in-flight entertainment systems with 40 movies, 40 compact discs of music and 6 games. In coach, the pitch, or distance between rows, has been increased up to four inches. Continental completed installation last winter of new entertainment systems in the BusinessFirst cabins of its fleet of 41 Boeing 757 aircraft used primarily on trans-Atlantic flights to and from Newark. This summer it began installing the systems, which offer customers up to 25 movies, 25 short-subject programs and 50 compact discs, in its economy cabins, too. US Airways said it plans to upgrade in-flight entertainment on its 757s later this year.

Still, there is the bathroom factor. Because of the single aisle, travelers are effectively trapped, either in their seats or in the aisle on the way back to their seats, every time a cart comes rolling along, which can be often on an international flight.

“If the only aisle is continually clogged and you’ve got to go — it’s a problem,” said Jerry Chandler, who writes Cheapflights.com’s travel blog. “You’ve got to get a kid back to the bathroom? I’m sorry, you’re stuck.”

The use of 757s on trans-Atlantic flights was recently made possible by so-called blended winglets — new devices on wings that reduce drag, increase fuel efficiency and boost flight range. The 757, which took to the skies in the early 1980s, was used at first on mid-length domestic flights and then, after regulations were changed to allow twin-engine airplanes on longer routes, also on transcontinental flights. The new winglet technology, further expanding the 757’s range, allows United States carriers in search of new markets overseas to expand service to more regions, often with direct routes to smaller cities — moves they wouldn’t be able to justify using larger planes that eat up more fuel and have many more seats to fill.

Northwest, for example, began flying 757s with 160 seats nonstop from Hartford to Amsterdam on July 1. It also started flying from Detroit to Düsseldorf and Brussels this summer using the 757. US Airways now flies 757s to Brussels, Shannon, Dublin, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Glasgow from its Philadelphia hub.

To try to maximize your comfort on a 757 to Europe this summer, take a look at the diagrams on the airline’s homepage to see which seats are open for your flight. Then cross-reference your findings with information on Web sites like SeatGuru.com or SeatExpert.com, which rank seat quality. SeatGuru.com recommends seats in Row 16 on Continental’s 767-200, for instance, because they are exit-row seats, with extra legroom, and they recline fully. It advises avoiding Row 14, where reclining is limited.

Or you could avoid single-aisle planes altogether. Joseph Remy, a financial analyst from Washington, bought a ticket on a 757 from Newark to Dublin in October for the convenience of flying nonstop. But the experience was so miserable, he said, that he purposely avoided 757s when booking another trip to Ireland this summer.

The lack of psychological space was part of the issue. “To go that long, it just seems so small,” said Mr. Remy who was stuck next to “a very large woman” on the way east and to a drunken man on the way home. With only one aisle, “there was no escape route” to take a break from his seatmates or to get around the cart when it came down the aisle. And after having to squint at “a really small screen” for the in-flight movie, Mr. Remy said, “it felt like it was 1965.”

Mr. Remy is flying a two-aisle 767 with a stopover before landing in Dublin for his trip next month. Though a couple of flights on 757s were cheaper, Mr. Remy, said, he wasn’t tempted. “I said no way.”

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