E-tickets online. As before flying first class: caviar, any alcohol, smoking right in the chair and a full bed
The flight, whether long or short, is tiring in and of itself, and even harmful. Therefore, if there is an opportunity to create at least some additional comfort for yourself, you should use it. And one of those important nuances- choosing the best seat on the plane.
To begin with, you need to realize that perfect place in an airplane simply does not exist. You need to choose it individually for yourself, based on your needs, which I will talk about in this article now. So, for example, I like to sit near the engine at the window, where, in fact, the most noisy place, dangerous and the view is blocked by half of the wing. But this is due to my first flight and habit. Therefore, let's look at the root of the problem: how to choose a seat on an airplane based on your personal needs?
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Aircraft seat classes
So, if you start like this, roughly divide all the seats on the plane, then initially they can be divided into economy class, business class and first class seats.
- Economy class seats are the cheapest class of seats on the plane, which is mainly used by travelers (although, what is there, the President of Lithuania also flies in economy class and nothing). This is the base rate. As a rule, these are three rows of seats (two rows for narrow-body aircraft), three seats for each row. Legroom is minimal. Comfort is about the same as in a minibus: nothing more, you are simply delivered from point A to point B.
- Business class seats are seats that are curtained off from economy class. There's a little more legroom, plus — fewer seats(2 chairs per row). In addition, the ticket price includes à la carte meals and free alcoholic drinks. However, at the same time, prices are about 5 times higher than economy class, and you won’t notice much difference, especially on flights of a couple of hours. If it comes to that, then food can be purchased separately and in economy class, the difference will be only 10 - 20 bucks.
- First class seats are an alternative to business class on intercontinental flights. Prices are 10 times higher than business class. For this, you will be able to check in faster, get a high class of service and chic seats (for example, on some planes, the chair folds out into a sofa, that is, full-fledged lying places! Is it worth it? Here everyone thinks for himself, but this is clearly not a topic for our blog, we are discussing here how to travel cheaply and beautifully 🙂
Therefore, most likely for budget tourist, the choice is economy class, except when it is a free upgrade in the form of a bonus, like, .
Selecting a seat on the plane
So, as I said, the most best places- they are individual. And you have to decide on one. Often these questions are asked before their first flight. I also shoveled then the entire Internet for information about which place to choose. Then, over time, you will find your ideal option, where you will feel comfortable, and will, in the future, try to take a seat on the plane for yourself. In the meantime, we will analyze the most frequent needs when choosing places.
The safest places on a plane
In general, the concept of safe or dangerous places in the plane is quite blurry. Which side to look at. After all, you need to understand that there is no chance to survive in a fallen plane from a height, no matter where the passenger is sitting. But the largest number accidents often occur during takeoff / landing, as a result of errors by pilots or airport employees, due to poor coverage and condition runway or other factors. In this case, you can be saved. But again, how can you tell which is safer? After all, a plane can crash its nose into a fence, or it can hook trees with its tail. The engine may explode, or the chassis may lock up.
I am not telling you this to scare you. And just to show that there is no safest place. However, you can choose a seat near emergency exit. It is, in most cases, still safer. But the main thing is still your psychological conviction that there is the safest place on the plane. You can find out which seat will be near the emergency exit in a particular aircraft from the seat layout diagrams, which we will discuss below.
The most comfortable seats on the plane
the best and comfortable places usually count the seats in the front row. There will be no other passengers in front of you, which means that you can comfortably stretch your legs, from which they will become less numb. Especially true for people with my height (which is 189 centimeters). Although, to be honest, you don’t suffer much in two hours in the middle rows. In addition, in this part the plane does not shake as much when it enters the turbulence zone and is closer to the flight attendants. But the toilet is far enough to go. And be prepared for the fact that there will be babies and small children nearby, because usually such places are intended for them. Not everyone will be happy with such a neighborhood.
Seats for children and babies on airplanes
Children must either fly with a seat belt attached to their parents (infants) or in a separate seat (children over a certain age, depending on the rules of the airline). Special places for such passengers is not provided, especially, often, babies are generally carried free of charge. On the other hand, it is recommended to buy the very first row. There more places and sometimes meet special places for formula feeding your children. In addition, there they will interfere with fewer people, while they will not recline the back of the seat in front of the person sitting.
Seats at the tail of the aircraft
Since when falling from high altitude, the plane falls nose first, then the clearances capture the tail section the least. This was the reason for the placement of the "black box" in the tail section of the aircraft, and this also led to the opinion that here the most safe places. As I said, this is more of a psychology of self-hypnosis, but there are pluses here too: as a rule, on not very popular flights, there are much fewer passengers that will interfere with you. The same applies to passengers with children - as a rule, you will not meet them here, unless it is a charter somewhere to places of mass Russian tourism during the high season.
Sleeping places on the plane
Sleeping places are found in first class on flights of companies such as, for example, Emirates on long flights. I did not meet, and saw only in the pictures, and photos of other travelers. Somehow, not even interesting.
Standing places on the plane
Fiction, replicated by the yellow press 😉 Naturally, safety standards prohibit such nonsense, and it has no basis. But the yellow press needs some kind of PR, as well as unsuccessful Internet projects, therefore, from time to time they give out such pearls that, allegedly, there will soon be standing places.
Bad seats on the plane
In my opinion, the worst seats are in the tail near the toilet, right above the wing, from where nothing can be seen, and of course the seats in the row in front of the emergency exit, where the seats do not recline.
Location (diagrams) of seats on the plane
And now, it seems, you have already decided where and what place you want. But before you start choosing a seat online or at the front desk (if you get there one of the first, they usually don't mind giving you good seats. So, me in Sarajevo, where there was no online registration, they themselves gave perfect place, and even closed the registration for a seat nearby, so I flew like a king =)), you need to find out what seat, number and row you need. For this, there are schemes of aircraft of various models.
As a rule, the location of the seat in aircraft different airlines they do not differ. that is, the seating arrangements of Transaero and Aeroflot on the same aircraft models will be the same, unless it is an individual order of the company (as, for example, with berths).
Where to find out how the seats are located on the plane
There is such a wonderful service called Seat Guru. It contains diagrams of a huge number of aircraft on different flights with passenger reviews. The downside is that I didn’t find some large low-cost companies in the database. But you can find diagrams of other airlines for the same aircraft model. The difference will only be in the reviews. But which places are near the partition, which ones are near the porthole, where the wings will block your view - you will know this quite accurately.
For example, below is a diagram of the Airbus 320 from Aeroflot:
And here is the layout of the Boeing 777 and Boeing 737 seats.
Very soon you will find out which places are right for you, and if possible, you will book them. Unfortunately, on some low-cost companies, like WizzAir, you cannot choose a seat in advance, so be prepared to fly in any seat.
Based on my experience, I can give the following advice:
- Try to choose and reserve seats on the airline's website yourself. On my blog there are instructions for some of them, for example:.
- If you do not have a seat reserved, then try to be among the first at the check-in desk and ask: to give you a good place and, if the flight is not popular, to leave the neighbor's seat empty. As a rule, the same people work at check-in, just like you, who understand that you want to fly in comfort. Therefore, such requests, said with a sweet smile and the right degree of warmth in your voice, as a rule, guarantee you a good place.
- When flying in low-cost companies where seats are not reserved for free, never climb ahead of the crowd. Firstly, because you will be taken to the plane by bus, where, if you go down last, you will also be the last to enter, which means you will be the first to go out, and you will not be pressed against the back wall. Secondly, if there are a lot of people on the flight, you can go last.
- And again, low cost. If you see that a full house is planned for the flight, stand on the field to the last, until you are driven into the plane. Your task is to go last. The reason is simple: companies often sell a little more seats than available, as about 90% of passengers are on the flight. Someone’s plans change, another’s trip is disrupted, and the third one will be late… The calculation is simple: if there aren’t enough seats, then those who didn’t have enough will go… or in places of increased comfort (like WizzAir with extra bed for legs), or even in business class.
- When flying on flights that are completely clogged with Russian tourists who do not shine with intellect, when sitting down, drop a few words in English. Very often I was asked to sit down to the emergency exit, so that in case emergency could respond to the command and open the exit. In this row, many low-cost airlines have a row of increased comfort with extra legroom. However, this applies mainly to physically strong men who, in extreme situation will not faint and will be able to open the hatch, help in the evacuation. Also note that in this row you can not put under your feet hand luggage sometimes the seats don't recline.
- Choose the shady side. That is, so that the sun does not shine through the porthole. This will allow you to take pictures and just watch from the window what is happening below. Since 99% of flights are on the same route, with the help of my instructions on how to find out where, how and when you fly on an airplane, spending 5 minutes of your time, you will quickly find out where is the sunny side and where is the shady side will be located during your flight.
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Leading Italian seat manufacturer Aviointeriors has designed stand-up seats for aircraft that are reminiscent of riders' saddles.
Work on the project has been ongoing since 2010. First development of original chairs without FDA approval civil aviation United States, was sent for revision. Eight years later, the new improved Skyrider 2.0 model was successfully presented at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2018 forum in Hamburg. Its difference from the previous version was that each row of Skyrider 2.0 seats will now be secured by two vertical posts running between the seats. In addition, the upgraded version of the standing position is equipped with two armrests and additional padding at hip level.
Despite the fact that in these concept saddles the passenger will be seated vertically for virtually the entire flight, only slightly leaning on the back of the seat, the company that developed this innovation is convinced that such an uncomfortable position will not harm health in any way. "It's like you're sitting in the saddle. Cowboys can be in it for hours, so passengers can," say the creators of Skyrider 2.0.
They noted that they took into account all the existing norms provided for by law. According to the manufacturer, compact seats of this type are invented for "ultra-high density" in the cabin.
The distance between the rows of such seats is only 23 centimeters instead of the usual 28 in economy class, which allows you to "compact seating." Ultimately, the innovation will increase aircraft passenger capacity by as much as 20 percent. Plus, since saddle chairs weigh half as much as classic ones, the cost of servicing air carriers will be significantly reduced, and with them the cost of air tickets. Standing room is expected to be in demand by airlines for short haul flights.
Standing seats increase aircraft passenger capacity by 20 percent
In addition, low-cost carriers may pay attention to the development. According to local media, the Colombian airline Viva Colombia and the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair have already shown interest in the Skyrider 2.0. At the same time, despite the hype, it seems that this novelty does not convince experts too much. First of all, they are embarrassed by the fact that during an accident, standing passengers can endanger not only themselves, but also their neighbors on the plane. In addition, with the advent of innovative seats, airlines willing to sacrifice comfort for the sake of savings will have to without fail reduce the luggage compartment - according to the rules of aviation security, a certain gap must be maintained between the heads of passengers and a hard surface, which in the case of standing chairs will be significantly reduced.
These are the seats offered by Italian developers to passengers. Against their background, ordinary seats in economy class are the limit of comfort .. Photo: wwww.aviointeriors.it
Viktor Sazhenin, Honored Pilot of Russia, has flown 20,000 hours:
My personal attitude to "standing" seats on the plane is sharply negative. Why? I understand: what is called, remove the knees, put people - more will fit in the cabin. Yes, due to the "standing" one can "compact" so that the capacity of the side will increase by 20 percent. However, from the point of view of flight safety, this is definitely bad.
The original design of the Skyrider seat, which resembled a rider's saddle, was invented back in 2010. But then the US Federal Aviation Administration, as they say, rejected this idea in the bud. I admit that in the modernized version it will be used by some European low-cost airline that flies short distances. Perhaps an hour of flight in such a cowboy chair is like taking a tram. But you also have to stand on takeoff and landing. And it's not just not great. Landing can be rough. With all the ensuing consequences. As regards flights to long distance so it's totally unrealistic.
The desire of airlines to save money is understandable. Please, but on other things! Not on the "seal passengers". I know what I'm talking about. He flew for 46 years, of which 32 years in Aeroflot, on international lines. "Standing" is not an immediate prospect. This could be done within five years. Experimental flights are needed, the development of statistics on landings in different time year, with turbulence, cumulus clouds, etc. Again, from my point of view, the idea of "standing" places is absurd. And since we are talking about the prospects, I am convinced that the Russian low-cost carrier Pobeda will definitely not be here. Security is more expensive.
Vitaly Bordunov, Professor, Member of the Board of the International Association of Airline Executives (MARAP), ICAO expert:
The idea is clear: to increase the profitability of flights over short distances due to the passenger capacity of aircraft. For Russia, this is practically inapplicable. We have a completely undeveloped network of small air transportation, we once again discussed this recently at the MARAP council. If the organizers of such flights find a way to ensure flight safety, I myself am not against flying, say, from Rome to Milan or from Moscow to St. Petersburg. There are a large number of safety requirements scattered throughout the annexes to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. But it is obvious that it will be necessary to develop new ones - for the safety of passengers who are going to fly standing up.
Meanwhile
The idea of creating standing places on airplanes is far from new. Now it is difficult to find the one who first came up with it. In 2006, there were reports in the media that Airbus had submitted cabin refurbishment projects to accommodate this possibility. This would increase the capacity of the aircraft from 500 to 850 passengers. However, then the aircraft manufacturing company denied these rumors, calling them nonsense.
But, apparently, the carriers liked the idea, and in 2009, independently of each other, the Irish Ryanair and the Chinese Spring Airlines announced their readiness to introduce standing places on their aircraft. This would significantly reduce ticket prices (to one pound sterling, for example). At the same time, in Ryanair, passengers who decided to save money were asked to hold on to the handrails when landing, as in a bus. But Spring Airlines decided not to rush to abandon seat belts - they had to cover the hips standing man. And a year later, the Italian Aviointeriors Group presented the first version of the stand design at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. However, the search for opportunities to place on the plane as possible more passengers, continues. So, in 2015, the American company Zodiac Seats U.S. registered a patent for a tighter fit. The seats are supposed to be installed in a checkerboard pattern, alternately with the front and back side in the direction of the aircraft movement with a slight shift of the seats relative to each other. At the same time, the seats should fold like chairs in a movie theater.
This article will help anyone who is interested in the level of comfort seats in aircraft cabins, find out what airlines offer you when choosing one or another class of seats. Modern aircraft on domestic, regional and intercontinental flights provide first class, business class and economy class seats.
Economy class seats in the cabin.
Economy class - the cheapest seats on the plane. Usually these are three rows of seats (two rows in narrow-body aircraft) with three seats in each row with minimal legroom.
Business class seats in the cabin.
Business class - separated by curtains from the economy class. Increased legroom, in a row of 2 chairs. The ticket price includes à la carte meals and alcoholic drinks. The ticket price is about 5 times higher than the economy class, and the difference, especially on short two or three hour flights, is not noticeable. In the event that you are hungry and want to have a bite, there is always the opportunity to buy food separately and in economy class, the difference will be 10 - 20 dollars.
First-class seats in the cabin.
First class is an alternative to business class on intercontinental flights such as and. Prices are 10 times higher than business class. Fast check-in on board, high class of service and comfortable places(on some planes, the chair folds out into a sofa for relaxation). At your request, the staff will offer a warm blanket and pillow.
The most comfortable seats on the plane.
These are all first and business class seats adapted for the convenience of passengers. Comfortable distances between neighbors, ergonomic chairs, individual TV and audio systems, travel kits(pillows, socks, blankets).
The comfort of economy class seats is variable. Window and aisle seats are considered the best. Keep in mind that a place against a wall will not necessarily be with a porthole. Before making a regular booking or take a look at the seat map.
The most comfortable seats on airplanes.
The most comfortable and probably the best are the seats in the front row of the aircraft cabin, where there are no seats in front of you and, accordingly, more space for legs. Passengers in these seats may stretch out if their limbs are stiff from prolonged sitting.
Places are also relevant for people of high stature. Plus, the front seats are located close to the flight attendants, when you get into the turbulence zone in this part of the plane it does not shake much. Minus - removed from the toilet. These seats are provided to passengers with children.
According to a survey conducted by the British portal for booking airline tickets, the most desirable seats on the planes are the left-hand front rows. The majority of respondents indicated specifically seat 6A (in the first row by the window).
Seats at the emergency exits of the aircraft.
The distance between the seats at the emergency exits is wider than in the rest of the cabin, there is no porthole. Seat backs often don't recline and you can't keep hand luggage on the floor. According to the rules, tall adults are put in these places, who, in case emergency must open the door and assist the crew in the evacuation of passengers.
Seats on airplanes for passengers with children (infants).
Depending on the rules of the airline, children over a certain age must fly in a separate seat, babies fastened with special seat belts to their parents. Babies are transported free of charge. For passengers with children, the first rows are chosen, where they interfere with a smaller number of passengers and the backs of the seats in front of them do not recline. Sometimes there are special places on airplanes for feeding babies with mixtures.
Seats at the tail of the aircraft.
Passengers who have received seats in the tail of the aircraft will be deprived of the opportunity to admire beautiful sky due to the lack of a porthole. Often, beer and juices offered by flight attendants do not reach the tail of the plane, and there is also no choice of food. There is a toilet at the tail of the plane.
Pros - tail places are considered safer. There are few passengers and many free seats.
Sleeping places in airplanes.
There are sleeping places in the first class on long flights (more than 5 hours), both European and Asian companies. Lufthansa has common aircraft with beds in business class and economy class. In the plane, the beds are two-level. Luggage cannot be placed under the first level bed. The beds are separated by sides or curtains. Passengers on planes, even when lying down, have to wear seat belts. This creates an inconvenience for sleeping, but it is better to lie down and sleep than to sit on transatlantic flights.
Uncomfortable seats on the plane.
by the most uncomfortable places in airplanes are considered:
Seats in the tail (located above the wing, there is no porthole, close to the toilet)
Seats near the emergency exit (seats do not recline)
Seats in the middle of the cabin (blocked off by food carts for most of the flight).
Dear readers, now after reading the article, you probably know everything about the classes of aircraft seats and their comfort. For those who wish to get acquainted with the location of seats in the salons, we suggest reading.
We wish you good flights and soft landings at any of the airports in the Russian Federation and the world.
Despite all the romanticism of professions, the work of pilots and stewardesses flying from one country to another is not always beautiful views heaven, but also hard work. Therefore, even for those who work high above the clouds, comfortable conditions for relaxation are needed. TravelAskу decided to tell you about the life of the crew on board the aircraft.
The most difficult in the work of pilots and stewardesses are non-stop flights, and this is over 15,000 kilometers of distance and more than 18 hours in the air. Few planes are capable of covering such huge distances, so the Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 falls on the shoulders most of transoceanic directions.
However, such long flights require solid endurance not only from the equipment, but also from the crew itself. Their work is connected with great responsibility and making important decisions, they should always be calm and cheerful. A separate menu is provided for pilots, so that in the event of food poisoning from one, the other could take control. And of course, the main factor that allows staff to withstand the stress of long-distance flights will be healthy sleep.
There is always one pilot in the cockpit, and a flight attendant in the cabin. At the same time, during the entire flight, both pilots and flight attendants are entitled to up to 5 hours of rest. To make the holiday as efficient as possible, airlines are trying to create everything the necessary conditions. Although the crew will not be able to stand up to their full height, but you can stretch out on a soft bed and have a sweet sleep. Depending on the aircraft, the lounge is under passenger compartment, above it or in itself. Despite the fact that the main goal of all airlines is to create the largest number of seats for passengers, the crew does not have to huddle in cramped quarters either.
For example, on board the Boeing 787, the stewardess lounge is located above the passenger cabin and is equipped with 5 berths. It is called CRC (Crew Rest Compartments).
When creating the project, it all seemed cozier and more colorful.
However, such an arrangement of a place to rest pleases passengers with the spectacular appearance of stewardesses after a rest.
For pilots, similar apartments have been created here.
But in the Airbus A350, the lounges were located under the passenger compartment, but in the latest models to increase space luggage compartment they were moved to the top.
For pilots, the room provides not only sleeping places, but also sitting ones.
Huge size Airbus aircraft A380, designed for 853 passengers, more beds are required. The designers decided to use the height of the liner as rationally as possible, so they placed 12 beds, 3 one above the other. It may not be as comfortable as on the Boeing 787, but it gives you the opportunity to stand to your full height.
"Apartments" for pilots in the Airbus A380 are much more convenient - these are single rooms.
The sleeping area of the Boeing 777-200LR is provided for 8 employees. The plane flies on such routes as Johannesburg-, distance - 13,582 kilometers, - Los Angeles, distance - 13,420 kilometers.
The video will tell you more about this airliner.
However, unfortunately, the rest rooms for the crew of transoceanic aircraft are not always so comfortable, there are also such:
In the early days of aviation, aircraft cabins looked very different from what we are used to. Now you want to sleep - pay. What happened before? How did privileged passengers fly before? This question will be answered by our history of the first class in aviation.
1. The very first planes were narrow and long, and passenger seats were perceived as an innovation, some kind of luxurious and optional addition, like caviar to a butter sandwich. The first seats were the most ordinary chairs and armchairs, there were no seat belts. At first, passengers sat immediately behind the pilot, there were no partitions. It looked like this. 1926 The heated cab is something to be proud of.
2. Planes were getting bigger and longer, seats were placed in two rows.
3. Photo from the 1930s.
4. Propaganda aircraft "Maxim Gorky", 1934
5. When aircraft became more or less suitable for commercial passenger transportation, there was a need for maintenance personnel. Here is Ellen Church, the world's first flight attendant. Started working in 1930. Smoking is allowed! The ban on smoking is an invention of the last 20-30 years, before everyone smoked cigarettes, cigarillos and cigars, no one thought about the harm from passive smoking.
6. Gradually possible aviation industry grew. The designers were inspired by luxury trains and ocean liners and made separate compartments for 2-3 people on planes. The issue of passenger comfort was acute: in 1938, a flight from London to Australian Brisbane lasted 11 days (more than a month on the ship) and involved about 20 stops. Advertising booklets of the British airline Imperial Airways read: "From London to Singapore - in 8 days!". The pride of the company was the Flying Ship Empire. Seats:
7. How to the best restaurants Paris.
8. Something like a secular salon on board.
9. Breakfast in bed.
10. The basis of all the basics is healthy sleep.
11. Talking about classes of service in this case is not correct. Until the 1950s and 60s, everything was first class: tickets were very expensive, and only wealthy people could afford to buy them. For example, a trip from London to Singapore cost $17,600 at the current exchange rate. The plane was a branch of a secular salon, where it was considered unacceptable to appear in T-shirts and shorts, as we used to. Passengers boarded almost in evening attire. The photo shows an American aircraft Sikorsky S40B, 1930s.
12. The same plane, the gentlemen are having lunch. Please note: no disposable plates, only crystal, only porcelain! Alcohol was also offered to passengers in unlimited quantities. However, cases of drunken brawls were rare, since potential brawlers - poorly educated proles - were eliminated even at the stage of buying tickets.
13. British actors Winifred Shotter and Jack Lester fly to India, 1945.
14. Late 1940s.
15. Bar on board, circa 1945
16. On planes, a lunch of 5-6 changes could well have been served.
17. 1955, interior designer - Henry Dreyfus
18. One of the symbols of the "Golden Age of Aviation" is the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, which began to be used since 1949. It also had sleeping quarters:
19. Airplanes are so comfortable that you can travel with children, these photos hint to us.
21. Lunch on the Strat Cruiser.
22. And this is 1952 and one of the first commercial jet aircraft. A woman does cosmetic procedures in a specially designed room.
23. Boeing 707, its operation began in 1958 in Pan American, which in the 1960s was considered the most luxurious airline in the world. 1959, passengers drink to love.
24. Have small talk in the salon.
25. The next important stage in the history of civil aviation is the Boeing 747. First class passengers are served lunch.
26. Champagne is poured. In those days, very strict requirements were imposed on flight attendants. They had to be a combination of model appearance, the manners of a socialite, the skills of a housekeeper, a waitress and a nurse (for example, if necessary, a stewardess could take delivery). There were also formal criteria: weight from 49 to 60 kg, age from 21 to 27, high moral character and the absence of a husband. In Pan Am interviews, the girls were asked to translate a text from French into English, walk around the room to demonstrate their gait and posture, and weigh themselves. Those who passed the selection, the airline taught etiquette, geography, national traditions different countries.
27. Mid-1960s, a stewardess with a fashionable updo offers snacks.
28. Canape with caviar.
29. Mid 1960s
30. Pay attention to how the steward is dressed
31. American Braniff International, 1967
32. October 1969 Soviet intelligence agents Leontina and Morris Cohen, exchanged for their British counterpart, fly from London to Warsaw in all comfort. Smoking was still allowed.
33. Reflections on the 1950s and 60s for civil aviation in the West are invariably filled with longing for lost luxury. But have you ever heard of someone being sad about Soviet aircraft? Me not. Let's see how things were in the USSR.
Most of those who flew planes then do not remember any first class. Actually he was. As such, it was first designed in the TU-104 (beginning of operation in 1956). However, for intra-union flights, the cars were remade: first class, sofas and other excesses were removed. As a result, the number of seats increased. This also applies to subsequent aircraft models. Therefore, there were no classes on intra-Union flights, with very rare exceptions. By pull it was possible to get the first row. On several planes, the layout of the first two or three rows was changed and the distance between the seats was increased, that's all the comfort. But smoking was allowed!
Another thing is overseas flights. Here Aeroflot tried to meet Western standards. There were two classes, economy and first. In 1957 Soviet Union visited the photographer of the American magazine LIFE Howard Sochurek and photographed the interiors of the TU-104. The first class was made in the form of separate compartments and looked like this:
34. Dogs were allowed to be transported directly in the cabin.
35. Often the most ordinary people were put in first-class seats.
36. Soviet citizens during the flight do not drink alcoholic beverages, like Americans, but read and talk about Karl Marx!
