Airline passenger news and views

I don't recall any flight in economy when I had more than 20 mins of quality comfortable sleep. In the future I would love to see airlines increase the space/legroom of economy seats. In the short term the option of hiring a warm comfortable blanket and neck pillow as Kayte suggests would surely go a long way towards passenger comfort.

You can bet that hiring a fleece or even a blanket would not be that easy. They are going to need to be cleaned and laundered between flights and so are going to have go through some process that will be outside what is done at the moment. Anyway, how much would you pay? who would collect the money? would you have to pre-book?

I am not saying that it is not a good idea, I just say don't hold your breath for it to happen.

I worked as cabin crew on long haul and we had to collect the headphones (to stop them being stolen). That was always a pain at the end of a flight. Asking us to do the same for blankets and fleece would not go down too well.

Whilst Kayte makes a good point, would it not just be easier if the airlines turn up the temperature (or turn down the air con) ?

I have had the same problems that she described. You get on and it seems to get colder and colder. You check to see if the funny little air jets are open but, even if you close them all, it is still cold. This has to be a decision by the crew and it would be interesting to understand why.

Passenger comfort is not that high on the list of airline priorities. This is not a criticism rather a simple statement of fact.

Revenue and safety are important as are re-booking ratios but until comfort is better on one airline than on another (and this affects re-bookings) no-one really cares that much. There is an additional problem that if you make cattle class too comfortable, people will not upgrade !

Melanie has a good point, the airlines will not be in a rush to make cattle class too comfortable. There will always be a distinct gap in quality/comfort.

Although customer comfort is not high on the agenda, I agree, I doubt if you did make it a bit more comfortable in cattle class it would dissuade people from upgrading, how many people in the real world can afford to upgrade on a transatlantic flight anyway? It doesnt take away the 'special treatment' you still enjoy in first class, I think all Kayte is asking is small things that would probably make a difference to getting a few hours kip!

What a great idea, I would love to be able to hire a comfort pack for a long journey. But, I do see the difficulties and I do not think it will be taken up by the airlines. Christine Lamont's (above) cabin crew experience is, sadly, probably true. People try to steal things and once they have hired them will try not to give them back. I have seen people try to snaffle headphones so i know it happens.

Surely its easier to wear a few more layers to keep warm on flights? I can believe that future aircraft will have more sofisticated environmental control systems to solve this problem. Neck pillows are readily available at the airport.

Your seat location is one of the most important factors in how well -- or how poorly -- you sleep on flights. Try to get a window seat if possible; it gives you something to lean against and get you out of the way of other passengers in your row, who won't have to scramble over you each time they need to use the bathroom. You'll also have some control over the window shade.

A friend recommended the TravelRest pillow, so much more comfortable than regular neck pillows. I got decent sleep on a recent flight back from HK and didn't wake up with a crick in the neck.

I bought the JetSet mini travel set as a Christmas gift for my husband to help ease the 13-hour flight to the States for the holidays, and I ended up asking (begging) him to share it with me. So we compromised. He used the headrest, shocks, and sudoku game, and I used the lumbar support, earplugs, and mask. The lining was soft and the storage was easy and light weight. It was also conveniently shaped for holding passports and tickets. The price was a little high but I don't think I'd buy anything else in its place. Eventually I'll buy my own...

With the current deficits I cannot see airlines investing in better quality complementary comfort kits, this will be way down on the list. You are better of purchasing one of the many kits available at the airport or online etc.

I do not think ‘rent a fleece’ would work either; this would produce excess weight on aircraft and extra laundering costs as previously mentioned.

I agree with John Daniels above that tis is not going to work but it is, nevertheless, a good idea. As passengers, we ought to have a forum where ideas could be suggested and at least considered by airlines. Good on Kayte for running the article and I, for one, am always happy to discuss ideas like this.

I hate long haul flights and I agree it would be fantastic if they could provide better 'in flight kits' but I do feel that is far down their list of priorities in the current economic climate.

I have never had a good sleep in economy class, its always a miserable experience and I always suffer so badly with jet lag on long haul, last time I think I got 10 mins and was awoken by a child demanding food in the middle of the night, I cannot see how a few extra creature comforts would actually make a difference at all.

I agree with Kayte, if we were given a bigger blanket or a more comfortable pillow then surely it would make our journey just that little bit better, i also think that the economy class seats on long hall flights need to have more leg room.