The 'perfect' economy plane seat as designed by an ergonomics expert
Plane seats in economy are not known for being particularly comfortable for the majority of passengers.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, ergonomics expert Carla Jasper shared some insight into how to improve airplane seats for better support, adjusting the seat pan, seat pitch, headrests, and more.
"On a scale of one to 10 economy airline seats would probably fall around a three or a four with regards to being ergonomically designed," she said.
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Plane seats in economy are not known for being particularly comfortable for the majority of passengers. iStock/Getty Images
Jasper said there is a lot of opportunity to include more "subtle adjustability", such as with a re-designed seat back to provide better lumbar support
"The more points of contact your back can have with a contoured and supportive seat back, the better," she said, pointing out the subtle S-curve that a human spine has.
While headrest can generally be adjusted up and down, Jasper said it would be great to have something more contoured to support he head.
"Think about a child's car seat for example, there is contoured head and neck support to not only provide comfort in different positions, but also as a safety factor," she explained.
You can watch the video above.
Ergonomics expert Carla Jasper designs the perfect economy plane seat. Youtube/Wall Street Journal
She looks at things like lumbar support, head rest, foot rest and seat pan. Youtube/Wall Street Journal
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The seat pan is another aspect of a plane seat that would benefit from more adjustability, according to Jasper, in order to accommodate people with varying leg lengths.
"The depth is important in terms of not only supporting the lower extremities but also the spine," she said. "If the seatpan is too deep or compresses the back of the knees or legs it's great to have some sort of support under the feet."
Jasper also says seat width and leg room has gotten too narrow on many aircraft, and things like footrests would also make a huge difference.
Of course, her recommendations are based solely on ergonomic considerations, and not engineering, safety, and cost.
"it's a very technical area of design, very engineering heavy."
