How are Economy class conditions on a plane?

Question

Refresh me: I haven't been in an airplane since '98.

How are the conditions of economy/coach class? I've heard that even though it is cheap, it is uncomfortable, and the food is dreadful. But perhaps times have changed?

Answer 1

Food????  What food?

If you're flying in the US, there is no food and economy has not changed much since 1998...as in, if you get one of the older planes literally nothing has been changed since 1998.

If you are flying a non-us carrier to anywhere in the world (from 45 minutes to 15 hours), you will get decent food and usually free alcoholic drinks (except domestic in Canada).   Most of the non-US carriers have also continued to improve their planes.

One idea is to look for a newer plane:  a 777 or A340....next one that's good is 767 because of the 2 aisles.

Answer 2

Major changes?  Not so many directly related to economy.  You will probably find less leg room, less width, and less availability of the more popular locations to sit like on the exit row.

I actually find the food to be a bit better, but you have to pay for it now, so that's a wash.

Entertainment - eh - really depends on not only what airline you fly, but what kind of plane you fly on.  Some have newer systems, some have older stuff that really does not work well.

Where you will really find a change is on the service side.  Most amenities have been cut, and lets just say after constant bankruptcies, pay cuts, and layoffs, the flight and gate crews on most airlines are not highly motivated to provide anything but basic service.  That said, the majority of employees on the planes I fly are generally personable or at least professional in demeanor.

The other major change is fees.  Now, you pay for EVERYTHING, including but not limited to checking a first bag, ticket changes, even redeeming ff miles.  

Not related to airlines exclusively, the other thing you need to be aware of is that Airport capacity in some areas is overstretched, resulting in delays, cancelled flights, and greater incidences of lost baggage.  If you are planning a connection, make sure to leave yourself plenty of time, at least 90 mins for domestic, 2 hrs for intl...

Answer 3

It's uncomfortable, it sometimes smells, and you don't really want to know how often they really clean and disinfect them.  It's not horrible, though.  Usually I can stand it for the short time I'm flying.  Oh, yeah, and look out for those disgruntled flight attendants.

Answer 4

its not really bad i mean in first u get a lot better meals and comfort and u get a bed of ur own in economy its not all that bad  u kno u get basic things

Answer 5

There hasn't been much by way of improvements in the last 10 years or so. If anything it's gotten a bit worse, some airlines have stopped showing movies and are now charging for drinks (sodas and juices, I think water is still free).

Answer 6

Times have changed, but not for the better. You will likely find it rather cramped.

The food, however, is not as likely to be dreadful. It's more likely to be non-existent.

All of this varies from airline to airline, from one aircraft type to another, and between domestic and international flights.

Answer 7

I don't think it's too bad. It's certainly a much cheaper alternative to business or first class, and is a bigger seat really worth all that extra money? On many airlines they serve drinks and snacks to economy customers FIRST and the rest afterward. As for food, you probably won't have to worry about it; most airlines have discontinued that to save money. You might want to eat at the terminal! All in all, I feel it's worth it to save some money. Unless you have it to burn, then by all means, live it up! I would if I could.