It’s not only convenient, but often necessary, for a vehicle’s seats to move. However, if those seats don’t return and stay in their proper position it can be a problem. Case in point: 11,000 Tesla Model X SUVs now under recall. [More]
seats
Honda Recalls 650K Minivans Over Concerns About Second-Row Seats
By 12.29.16
If you’re ever in a car crash, you don’t want your seat sliding around in its tracks. Which is why Honda is recalling nearly 650,000 minivans with second-row seats that can come unlocked and move around after a collision. [More]
Tesla Recalls 2,700 Model X SUVs Because Seats Shouldn’t Fly Forward
By 4.11.16
Tesla may be basking in the afterglow of receiving 325,000 preorders for its upcoming Model 3 in just one week, but the electric car company hasn’t forgotten about its other two models, including its recently released SUV now being recalled over seat issues. [More]
Airplane Seat Maker Files Patent For First Class Airbags
By 4.7.16
Travelers willing to shell out the big bucks for seats in the business class cabin typically get a few extra perks: dinner, free drinks, more legroom, and the first crack at boarding. But should they get an airbag when their fellow passengers don’t? That appears to be the idea behind a recently filed patent. [More]
Bill Would Charge FAA With Creating Airline Seat-Size Requirements
By 2.29.16
It seems as if each year airlines shrink the sizes of their seat in the name of fitting more people into their flying metal tubes. One lawmaker wants to put an end to that trend by creating a seat-size standard for commercial airlines. [More]
Southwest Bucks The Trend, Plans To Actually Widen Seats On New Planes
By 4.14.15
Flying on a Southwest Airlines flight in 2016 might be a bit more comfortable for some customers used to cramped spaces: The airline unveiled a new seating structure for its upcoming planes that gives consumers an extra half-inch of seat width. [More]
Megabus Adds Reserved Seats To Double-Decker Bus Trips, But It’ll Cost Ya
By 4.1.15
If you’ve ever taken a trip with a group or family on Megabus, then you know it can be a pain to get seats together unless you show up extra early. Now, the company plans to change that by allowing customers to reserve seats in advance — for a price, that is. [More]
Harry Potter Theme Park Modifies Ride To Accommodate Larger Visitors
By 9.20.10
The “Forbidden Journey” ride at Universal Studios’ Harry Potter park just got a little less forbidden, at least for some obese tourists. The park has added new larger sized seats to the ride, so at least some of those who were turned away in previous months might have better luck now. [More]
Choose The Best Airplane Seat
By 8.31.10
Here’s a cheery chart that purports to show you how to choose the best seat on an airplane. Bulkheads give you more legroom, but they also attract parents with babies. Seems seats in the back seem the best bet, you’re more likely to be able to store your luggage in the overhead, as well as survive a crash. [More]
Slate's 10 Ways To Fix Airline Seating
By 3.2.10
Yesterday we covered Slate’s look at what’s wrong with airline seating–it’s not just overweight people who feel cramped on flights these days. Slate asked its readers to come up with some practical solutions to the problem, and today they printed the top ten suggestions. [More]
Can A Large Person Fly Comfortably Anywhere?
By 1.22.10
Deb has an interesting question. She and her husband openly admit that they’re too large to fit in a single seat, so they purchase three seats when they travel by air. The problem, she writes, is that is that even when airline customers are happy to buy more than one seat, they are not actually granted access to multiple seats. Unmovable armrests and other barriers keep passengers of size from actually using the extra seat they have paid for. So, Deb wants to know: what’s a fat frequent flier to do? [More]
Chinese Discount Airline To Sell Standing Room Tickets
By 7.5.09
Spring Airlines, a discount Chinese carrier, plans to ask the government for permission to sell standing room tickets. The plan will likely win approval, since Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang was recently quoted as saying: “for a lower price, passengers should be able to get on a plane like catching a bus, with no seat, no luggage consignment, no food, no water, but very convenient.”
U.S. Airways Gives Away Passenger's Seat, Lies About Her Being Late
By 5.21.09
It sounds like someone at Ronald Reagan National Airport decided to solve an overbooking problem by cheating Frankie’s girlfriend out of her flight, and then someone else there decided to blame her for it. Despite arriving at the airport before 7pm for a 7:35pm flight, they insisted to her that she’d missed the 30-minute cutoff and lost her seat.
Delta Can't Be Bothered To Sell The Obese Two Adjoining Seats
By 5.17.09
Evan’s on the large side and wants to buy two adjoining seats, but Delta doesn’t seem to care whether or not he inconveniences other passengers. The airline won’t assign two seats to the same passenger name, and if he buys a second seat under a different name, it won’t necessarily adjoin the first. Delta also warned that “they will give [his] second seat away if they need it, even if [he] paid for it.” One agent thought he had a solution, but it was going to cost Evan $200 more than Delta’s online fares.
By 11.21.08
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In Canada, the supreme court has ruled that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada. [Yahoo!] (Thanks, Steven!)
Airlines Have Bumped 343,000 Passengers This Year
By 8.23.08
Over a quarter-million passengers were bumped from flights in the past eight months, a number that is set to grow as airlines try to boost anemic profits by slashing fleets. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to compensate bumped passengers with cash or vouchers, but savvy passengers can leverage their situation to negotiate heftier payments…
Passenger Only Gets Half Her Seat On Delta Flight
By 2.1.08
Julie found that only about half of her seat was available due to the size of the passenger next to her. The passenger was apologetic, but obviously couldn’t magically shrink her body mass and make more room. Julie asked if she could purchase a seat in first class but was told they were sold out, and there were no more seats available. “A flight attendant suggested that the only way to change my seat was to ‘find a cute boy or girl’ and sit on their lap.” Instead, she spent the flight half in her seat and half in the aisle. When she emailed a complaint to Delta and asked for a refund, they thanked her for her feedback.
JetBlue Flight Attendant Takes Revenge On Passenger Who Asked Her To Stop Speaking Loudly
By 12.29.07
A JetBlue flight attendant threw a hissy fit when a passenger failed to return her jammed seat to the upright and locked position. The stewardess admitted that the seat’s spring was broken, but still gave the passenger a “warning card” and had airport security meet the plane at the gate. Why? A fellow passenger explains, after the jump.
