Concept-Connect: The Discrimination in Airplane Seating Designs
Time and time again, designers have made decisions that have led to the unequal treatment of the users of the design. The most prominent example of discriminatory design that I can think of can be found on airplanes. Anyone who has ever been on an airplane can attest to the poor design of airplane seating, which - be it intentionally or unintentionally - discriminates against a certain group of people: the overweight.
According to a CNN article that came out in 2013, the average seat size on airplanes has been getting smaller despite the fact that, in recent years, more people have begun falling into the overweight/obese category. Since the ‘90s - a time when the average airplane seat was 18.5 inches wide - the size of seats has decreased to 16.5 inches. Two whole inches! The width isn’t the only problem, though; the space in front of the passengers seems to be decreasing, too. It went from 31-36 inches in 1985 to about a maximum of 30-32 inches in 2014. This leads to little space and much discomfort for people who are not of the average human build. Therefore, while these designs are meant to create more space to carry a larger amount of people on the aircraft (more seats!), the actual outcome is hundreds of cramped flyers.
Below is the diagram of how the seating width has changed over the years (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/feeling-cramped-battle-airline-seat/index.html):
Also, here is a a video describing the seat size and space changes:
Unfortunately, the only solution to this problem that airlines seems to be offering is upgrading to a first-class seat, which leaves passengers to sit in a seat with slightly more room than economy seating can offer. Seeing as how these roomier seats can cost hundreds of more dollars, it is not a good solution. Therefore, the discrimination in this design is evident, and hopefully some designers can come together to rectify the situation; otherwise, overweight people will continue to suffer on airplanes, as they go on “never [feeling] quite small enough to make anyone else comfortable.”