The influence of activities and duration on comfort and discomfort development in time of aircraft passengers.

BACKGROUND: Discomfort increases when duration of sitting is longer. Aircraft passengers are subjected to prolonged sitting in restricted postures, which can cause discomfort.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between duration of sitting and development of discomfort, as well as the influence of different passenger activities.

METHODS: Participants (n = 18) performed four different activities in three conditions during an aircraft seat test. Discomfort was measured every 15 min on an 11-point scale. A short online survey asked passengers (n = 114) when they felt most refreshed during their last flight.

RESULTS: Discomfort was significantly lower during the 'food' activity for condition 2 (hot meal), compared to conditions 1 and 3 (drinks, snack). The largest decrease in discomfort was during the 15 min break between two conditions, in which participants could walk around. Respondents from the online survey indicated they felt most refreshed after food (34.8%), sleeping (27.0%) and walking through the plane (25.2%). Walking was mentioned more often as most refreshing activity by long-haul passengers (>6 h) compared to short-haul passengers (<2 h).

CONCLUSIONS: Passengers can be distracted from feeling discomfort by providing food and drinks. Airlines and seat manufacturers can increase comfort by stimulating passengers to move in their seat.