Why you sleep better if your plane seat is just one inch wider: Extra wriggle-room can improve quality of rest by 50%.

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Width matters: Making airline seats one inch wider greatly improves sleep quality, research shows

Making airline seats just one inch wider greatly improves the quality of sleep, research shows.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus says that every inch counts and is calling on airlines to set a minimum seat width of 18 inches for long-haul travel.
The call comes after a study by a Harley Street doctor suggested that a bit of extra wriggle-room can make the difference between arriving at a destination refreshed and getting off the plane bleary-eyed.
Cinema seats and those in sports stadiums have got bigger over the years but some planes still have the 17-inch seat that was standard in the 1950s, when waistlines were smaller and fewer passengers flew long-distance.
In some cases, passengers in economy class have to squeeze into 16-inch seats.
This allows them to cram more passengers in but comfort is compromised.
With passengers also concerned about leg room, research shows that long-haul fliers now value seat comfort over the timing of their flight.
Airbus, which fits 18-inch seats as standard in the economy cabins of long-haul craft, commissioned the London Sleep Centre to monitor healthy adults as they slept in seats of different widths.
Conditions were made as close to those of flight as possible, including lighting changes to mimic sunrise and sunset and the background noise reminiscent of in-flight entertainment and catering. 

The one inch difference which will make you sleep better on...

Action: Airbus is calling on airlines to set a minimum seat width of 18 inches for long-haul travel

The volunteers fell asleep more quickly in 18-inch seats than in 17-inch ones, they also woke up less often and their legs twitched less.
Brainwave monitoring showed that deep, restorative sleep was especially sound.

 

Overall, their quality of sleep was 50 per cent better.
Researcher Dr Irshaad Ebrahim said: ‘The difference was significant. All passengers experienced a deeper, less disturbed and longer night’s sleep in the 18-inch seat. 

‘The different sleep stages that the participants went through mimicked what we would find in a normal sleep in our own bed.’
‘When it comes to flying long haul in economy, an inch makes a huge difference on passenger comfort.’
Many airlines use more than one type of plane on long-haul routes.
But, in general, the more seats are squeezed into a row, the narrower they will be.
Kevin Keniston, Airbus’s head of passenger comfort, said airlines have to act now, otherwise another generation of passengers will be consigned to seats that are too small.
He added: ‘The 17-inch seat is what we call the crusher seat.
It is the seat that prevents you from movement, it prevents you from getting comfortable during the flight.
‘Our research reveals that not only does seat width make a dramatic impact on passenger comfort, there is a growing cohort of discerning economy passengers who are not prepared accept 17-inch seats and will instead choose airlines that offer better seat comfort.
‘We are encouraging all airlines to look at our research and consider increasing the size of their seats because one inch makes all the difference.’

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