EchoDelta
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We often complain about how cramped the cabins are in our various PA-28 models. I recently had a full airplane (four full-sized adults) in my Arrow IV on a flight of about 2 hours, and nobody complained. It got me wondering about how the cabin comfort in our "spam cans" compares with that in airline economy seating, which most people are familiar with as a benchmark. I also recently spent a five hour flight in seat 27C of an absolutely full Boeing 737-800, so that benchmark is pretty familiar to me right now. Compared to my Arrow it felt, well, cramped, even though my seatmates were both on the small side.
Objectively, comparing typical airline economy seating with the rear seats in my Arrow it's a mixed bag. The airliner winds hands down when it comes to headroom, but in other dimensions the Arrow holds it own or is the clear winner. In the all important factor of shoulder room the Arrow is actually better, with two seats within the 42 inch wide cabin. The space between airline economy seat armrests is generally about 17 inches these days, so two abreast share only 34 inches. Economy section legroom varies a bit from airline to airline, but it seems to me that the rear seat in my Arrow is about on par with most of them, if not an inch or so more generous. (Older PA-28 models, before the 5" cabin stretch, suffered mightily here.) Obviously this depends a great deal on how far back the front seats are adjusted.
The big advantage for the airline cabin is that passengers can occasionally get up to stretch their legs for a couple of minutes on long flights and, even more importantly, can take a walk to the lavatories when nature calls. But aside from these factors if you want a seat on a full airliner that offers more comfort than we have in our "little" planes you will probably have to spring for business or first class.
Objectively, comparing typical airline economy seating with the rear seats in my Arrow it's a mixed bag. The airliner winds hands down when it comes to headroom, but in other dimensions the Arrow holds it own or is the clear winner. In the all important factor of shoulder room the Arrow is actually better, with two seats within the 42 inch wide cabin. The space between airline economy seat armrests is generally about 17 inches these days, so two abreast share only 34 inches. Economy section legroom varies a bit from airline to airline, but it seems to me that the rear seat in my Arrow is about on par with most of them, if not an inch or so more generous. (Older PA-28 models, before the 5" cabin stretch, suffered mightily here.) Obviously this depends a great deal on how far back the front seats are adjusted.
The big advantage for the airline cabin is that passengers can occasionally get up to stretch their legs for a couple of minutes on long flights and, even more importantly, can take a walk to the lavatories when nature calls. But aside from these factors if you want a seat on a full airliner that offers more comfort than we have in our "little" planes you will probably have to spring for business or first class.
