As before, they flew first class: caviar, any alcohol, smoking right in the chair and a full-fledged sleeping place. The life of pilots and stewardesses on board the aircraft: how the crew rests during the flight
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 history civil aviation— 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. Due to this number 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!
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?
Navigation
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 space for legs 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 the 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 are the least grabbing tail section. 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 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. The first development of the original seats, having not received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration, 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 decrease 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.
At the beginning aviation history, the planes were not able to fly at distances beyond a few hundred kilometers. Today, aircraft have learned to cover distances of several thousand kilometers, and with refueling in the air, and more than 10 thousand. Of course, as yet there is none passenger liner, which could circle the Earth on one tank of fuel, but this is not required. It is always difficult to fly long distances. Such heavy flights can already be considered flights longer than 5 hours. For the convenience of passengers, some airlines have sleeping cabins on board the aircraft.
Above in the photo you see one of the most luxurious passenger seats on a public ship. This is Etihad Airlines, an airline originally from the UAE. The soft seat unfolds, turning into a comfortable bed. At the same time, the seat is initially isolated from others, and the passenger gets at his disposal almost a personal room.
Today, only a few airlines offer sleeper aircraft, including both Asian and European ones. The most common aircraft with beds, Lufthansa. Moreover, in 2007 the airline installed berths not only in business class, but also in economy class. So passengers were able to fly long distances with comfort even for relatively little money. For example, below are the beds in the Boeing 787:
An airplane sleeper is very similar to sleeping area on the train. As a rule, in an airplane, beds are also made in two levels. But unlike the train, luggage under the first level bed is usually not allowed. So airplane beds are closer to the floor and farther from the ceiling. There are beds and the entire width of the ship, such beds are separated either by sides or curtains. The average size of the aircraft, fits 3-4 people across the width of the board.
But due to the specifics of transport - potential shaking, passengers on airplanes, unlike train passengers, have to buckle up even when lying down. Of course, this imposes some discomfort for sleep, but on transatlantic flights it is better to lie down and sleep than to sit. You can also sleep in a regular cabin, if you are lucky and you are flying without neighbors, in this case you can sleep on three adjacent chairs, like in this photo:
If you do not want to sleep on commercial bed linen, thinking that several dozen people have already slept on it, then try to arrange with the flight attendants that you lay your own linen. you can buy bed sheets, in Moscow there are quite a few online stores where you can buy underwear with delivery, this will save you time. Most likely, with some store you can arrange for the delivery of linen directly to the airport.
