ANA develops new seats for economy class on domestic flights

Those seats look frighteningly cramped, especially the super skinny armrests. Scary is this is a sign of their "commitment to quality, value and comfort."

I flew an ANA a round-trip Tokyo - Paris last month. The flight attendants were awesome. The only thing I disliked about the flight were the new seats in the Economy Class. The back of the seats could not be lowered. When you press the button that normally allows the seat back to be lowered, it was the seat bottom that moved forward instead. The seat back stayed straight up. Also the seats had backs that were much thinner than those on previous models.

I can understand why the company switched to this type of seats. Reduced space between seat rows means reduced leg space for passengers and when a passenger lowered his seat back, the passenger in the back gets angry because he/she is trapped in his/her seat. That creates confrontation between passengers. On a short flight, I suppose it's no big deal, but on an 11 hour long flight, that made for a very uncomfortable flight, especially for someone who has lower back pains.

I was really disappointed. Knowing how Japan always puts customer satisfaction ahead of everything, I was surprised that a Japanese airline would use types of seats that would more than likely result in customer dissatisfaction, regardless of how awesome the rest of the service may be.

"The result is a passenger aircraft seat that will leave customers a lasting impression of ANA’s commitment to quality, value and comfort."

Well written neutral sentence that says everything and nothing at the same time.

Whatever the impression it leaves on customers, whether positive or negative, it will be lasting a lasting one, for sure.

I've had seats on ANA and Jal that can't be reclined!! I mean, gimme a break. My hope is that this company going to fix that problem.

The bottom part slides out, shoving your knees into the seat in front. How dumb is that?

The reclining backrest is only an issue during meals and landing/takeoff. I suspect the rigid backrests are due to ANA not wanting to tell their passengers to stop doing something.

On April 13th, I travelled from new Delhi to Tokyo by ANA, then I travelled from Tokyo to San Francisco on April 21st by ANA. Service and food were excellent. I find seats are very comfortable Leg space is also very nice. I travelled very comfortably. Again I am travelling by ANA back to India from USA in September.**** ANA is the best aircraft for long distance travelling. M.Srinivas

Look at the trays on both seats in the picture. Do you think your drinks might fall down?

The lack of reclining seats is a positive feature of ANA's planes. They allow passengers to sit in a more reclined position whilst not being a nuisance to whoever's sitting behind them. It great the way it makes more use of your available space rather than cutting into someone else's.

I book ANA because the person in front is not able to recline and crush the person behind all the way from Tokyo to London. This is the best thing about long hauls on ANA, although the service also beats the hell out of the BA/JAL options. If someone wants to sit in a reclined position, they do so inside their own space, not inside the space I paid for. That's fantastic in my books and I think it should become aviation law. I can fly economy with ANA because of this, but would never go cattle class on BA again. These thinner domestic seats are a good thing. Passengers get more space overall because the latest seating technology permits this.

One look at those seats and I will be saving up a bit more for Premium Economy or Business Class. Those economy seats look like sheer torture on a long haul flight.

This is just one step in a gradual transformation into the airline equivalent of cattle cars. In the not distant future we will all be expected to stand in economy class (which will be renamed as something on the theme of sub-human, degenerate class). But don't worry about falling down, it will be impossible considering how packed it will be from jamming so many people in the cabin.

This is another effect of the impending, or rather increasing, world market society. Nothing will matter except your wealth. If you don't have major economic assets, or belong to the new-world-order elite, then cattle-car planes for you, not to mention far worse aspects of the market society a la 1930s and 40s Germany.

Look at those seats! I get the image of a concentration camp of the sky. No boarding pass necessary, just let them scan your tattooed bar code, QR, or human-implantable microchip. "It's just like the chip on credit cards but it's so much more convenient having it implanted under your skin."

If you are not Japanese forget about flying a Japanese airline because the seats will be configured in the smallest acceptable size for the girth and stature of a slightly-below-average, "typical" Japanese person. What if you were in that middle seat and the people on either side of you were obese? Sit on their combined laps?

Shame on you ANA!