'Leg adjustable' plane seats are good news for tall passengers
The seats can be pushed backwards or forwards meaning that long-legged passengers can gain a few more inches of leg room
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cramped aeroplane journeys could be a thing of the past thanks to a new “legroom adjustable” plane seat, which can be moved backwards or forwards dependent on your height.
The revolutionary seat designed by B/E Aerospace, who describe themselves as a "world leading" manufacturer of cabin interior products, has adjustable wheels that sit on tracks in the cabin floor.
The device enables the seats to be pushed backwards or forwards meaning that long-legged passengers may gain a few more inches of much needed leg room if they are sitting in front of a child or shorter-legged person, the Telegraph reports.
Cabin crew will control the movement of seats, most likely with a tablet or smart phone, while passengers would need to inform airlines of their height at check-in.
In plans submitted to patent the idea, designers have said that a “one size fits all” attitude to airline passengers is outdated.
In their patent application, submitted in November, the designers said: “The one size fits all seating arrangement can cause discomfort for tall passengers, while a child or relatively small adult may be seated in an identical seat with more than ample leg room and in relative comfort.”
They added: “Even a relatively small incremental increase in seat spacing for the tall passengers can provide additional comfort with no loss of comfort to the much smaller passengers seated in front of the tall passengers.”
The invention will come as relief to taller passengers, after plans released last month by avian manufacturer Zodiac Seats France showed seats arranged in a hexagonal pattern in which the middle seat of each row faces backwards allowing more customers to be packed into the space.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments