Airbus pitches for wider seats in economy class

New Delhi: Passengers flying economy class with Air India on its long-haul routes of Delhi-New York and Delhi-Chicago are likely to have better sleep quality if one were to go by a new study conducted by the London Sleep Centre.
The study shows that a mere 1 per cent increase in the width of economy class seats, to 18 inches (45.72 cm), can help improve sleep quality, especially on flights of over 13 hours.
According to website SeatGuru, the seat width on the Boeing 777-300 Extended Range that Air India uses on these two routes is 18 inches.
Currently, Air India is the only Indian carrier that operates such long-duration flights.
Its Delhi-New York flight takes 15.30 hours and the return, 14.05 hours. Similarly, the daily Delhi-Chicago-Delhi service takes 16 hours and 14.25 hours, respectively.
Read news in full 30/10/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line