It's worth remembering that the airline market is very competitive and this happens because it matches consumer preferences. Yes, nobody wants to be crammed into a tiny seat. But given the choice between a large seat or a tiny seat that costs $5 less, people reliably choose to save $5. The only reason the experience is so miserable is because the flying public will accept nearly anything to save a little money.

It's also worth remembering that there are various premium options available. You can pay extra for economy plus or really splurge on business/first. "That's too expensive" OK well you made your choice....

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dingaling 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Premium Economy is so much more expensive than steerage class that it's not a realistic 'option' for the majority of potential passengers.

> " OK well you made your choice...."

The only choice for most people is "fly cheap" or "don't go".

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Johnny555 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The parent poster said "Economy plus", not "Premium Economy".

And while the names are confusingly similar, Economy Plus is usually a seat with extra legroom (but no additional width) and is a small price bump, but Premium Economy is a larger wider seat with generous recline (but not lay-flat), and is a large price increase, sometimes approaching business class pricing.

	▲	decafninja 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Also adding to confusion is that different routes (and distances) have different hard products. "Premium economy" on an international long haul flight is often the same (or very similar) seat as "first class" on a domestic flight. I've recently been blessed with being able to afford flying on lie-flat seats (international business class). That said, I've found what you are calling "economy plus" to be the sweet spot. You get slightly more leg room, but also priority boarding so that you don't have to worry about getting your bag gatechecked. It's also only slightly more expensive than main cabin regular economy. "Premium economy" is significantly more expensive, and while you do get a bigger seat, it's not lie-flat. You can recline more, but the few times I've flown it, you are still able to piss off the passenger behind you when you recline with all the shenanigans that can entail. Thus I find it not worth the premium.

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FireBeyond 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Flying LAX to SYD and return in Delta Premium Select, at least 30 of the 40 seats wer empty, despite economy being full. I was curious about this, and learned that Delta had made a decision to largely stop bumping passengers up in many cases because they felt that they were passengers who would have paid for PS, but it had gotten to the point of passengers taking their chances ("I'll buy a Comfort Plus ticket, that usually gets me upgraded, and is cheaper.")

	▲	yunwal 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The flip side is that those upgrades were a cheap way for delta to buy loyalty. I know a lot of people who flew many times a year on delta only and now look for other airlines.

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wat10000 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Then be grateful that travel is cheap enough that you can go, even if it's uncomfortable.