Seat Arrangement, Pitch, and Posture (95th Percentile) Facilities

Figure 4.19 illustrates a typical passenger seating-arrangement design, which can be more generous depending on the facilities offered by the operator. Pitch is the

distance between two seats and varies from 28 (tight) to 36 inches (good comfort). Seat and aisle width are shown in the next figure. Typically, seat widths vary from 17 (tight) to 22 inches (good comfort). Seats are designed to meet the 16-g government impact regulations.

Table 4.5 lists currently typical seat pitch and width and aisle width (there are variations in dimensions among operators). Flexibility is built into the design to con­vert the seating arrangement as the market demands.

Smaller aircraft with fewer passengers (i. e., up to four abreast – the lower range) can have a narrower aisle because there is less aisle traffic and service. For larger aircraft, the minimum aisle width should be at least 22 inches.

Recently, some operators have offered sleeping accommodations in larger air­craft for long-range flights. This is typically accomplished by rearranging cabin space – the interior securing structure is designed with flexibility to accommodate changes.