A fragile medical device. An overstuffed rollaboard. A large cooler filled with snacks.
You’d be shocked by what passengers try to fit under their economy class seats.
Even more surprising: the reasons.
Earlier this year, airlines raised their luggage fees, forcing passengers to carry more on the plane. At the same time, airlines have been quietly reducing the space in the main cabin, so there’s less room for personal belongings.
As a result, the space wars have moved from the overhead bin to under the seats. And passengers are jamming everything under their seats.
Is space shrinking on planes?
There isn’t much space on planes anymore, but it isn’t easy to quantify the shrinkage. While airlines disclose their seat pitch—a rough measure of airline legroom—and seat width, there’s no objective way to know when an airline eliminates personal space. Airlines don’t disclose these deeply unpopular decisions.
The average seat pitch in economy class is 30 to 32 inches, and the average seat width is 17 inches. These numbers are meaningless to passengers because they don’t consider the seat material and design.
Here’s something to watch: When an airline announces a new cabin interior, it often moves to thinner seats, which allow it to add more capacity. Installing extra rows of seats usually means subtracting legroom.
The amount of room under the seat varies, too. One clue as to the amount of legroom is the airline’s size limit for under-seat carry-ons. For example, on American Airlines, it’s 18 inches by 14 inches by 8 inches. On JetBlue, it’s 17 inches by 13 inches by 8 inches.
The bottom line is, you never know how much room you’ll have on a plane, but chances are it will not be much. I was stunned when I boarded a recent flight from Grenada to Barbados and found there was so little space between the seats that I could not sit facing forward I had to lean sideways for the brief trip.
Passengers are doing odd things because of the space shortage.
I can hardly believe what’s happening on planes because of the space shortage. Here are some of the things people are trying to fit under their seat:
Coolers. On a recent flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid, Maya Frost watched the passenger next to her jam an entire plastic cooler under his seat. The box was so big that it had to be wedged in the space and almost caused the seat to bulge upward. Finally, the passenger realized there was no room for his feet on the 13-hour flight, so he found room in the overhead bin. He accessed the cooler several times during the marathon flight. He snacked on spicy potato chips and egg salad sandwiches. “By the time we landed, I was covered with crumbs,” says Frost, an author from Seattle.
Oversized medical devices. When Uneaka Daniels flew from St. Kitts to Miami recently, she wasn’t sure what to do with her new CPAP machine. “The machine cost $1,600, and my insurance was not going to replace it if it got damaged on the plane,” says Daniels, a reading specialist from Hamilton, Bermuda. So it went under her seat. But again, there was almost no room for her legs. Daniels said she flew with her legs on top of the machine. But she is concerned about this trend because if enough people try to jam their carry-on bags under the seat, what would happen during an emergency? “How could they evacuate a plane?” she wonders.
Wheeled luggage. On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Spokane, I also saw a passenger try to take advantage of all the space under her seat when she tried to stuff an entire rollaboard under it. Why? The plane had run out of overhead bin space. Her plan might have worked, except that — you guessed it — there was no place for her legs. A flight attendant intervened and forced her to gate-check the bag.
What is making people do this?
Why are passengers trying to wedge everything under their seat? Earlier this year, U.S. airlines raised their checked luggage fees, which pushed many travellers to carry more on the plane. Overhead bins quickly filled, leaving space under the seats.
Airlines are trying to stop that by limiting passengers to a personal carry-on; some airlines even force you to pay to carry an item. However, air travellers still show up at the gate with a large wheeled bag and a personal item, hoping the flight attendants will look the other way.
The trend is here to stay, at least for now. Joe Cronin, CEO of International Citizens Insurance, says it will take 5 to 10 years before passengers stop trying to take too much with them on the plane and then attempt to wedge it under their seats.
“People will start packing lighter — eventually,” he says.
What should never go under your seat?
In the meantime, there are some items you should never store under your airline seat. Here’s my list:
Electronics
On a flight from Antigua to Anguilla, I saw someone trying to store a laptop computer under his seat. That’s a recipe for disaster. Sensitive electronics can easily get damaged or crushed. Note to Daniels, who was trying to stuff her CPAP machine under the seat: I’m talking to you! (Incidentally, medical devices are exempt from the carry-on restrictions, so you can ask a flight attendant to help you store the device in a safe place.)
Fragile items
Medications, glassware, art — please, don’t put it under your seat. Why? Because that’s also where you put your feet. You could easily damage your valuables.
Sharp objects
If you have anything that could jam up against your foot and hurt you, please put it into the overhead bin. The same applies to cardboard boxes with sharp edges. You could injure yourself. (I have.)
So what do I regret putting under my seat?
I once tried temporarily storing a large Starbucks Americano under my seat while boarding. Then I forgot about it. Let’s say it was a memorable takeoff. My shoes still smell like espresso.
Written by: Christopher Elliott
BIO:
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.
